Tall Story (1960)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Joshua Logan

Writers:

Russel Crouse (play)
Julius J. Epstein (writer)

Release Date:

6 April 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Co Ed | Based On Novel | Based On Play

Cast

Anthony Perkins	...	Ray Blent
Jane Fonda	...	June Ryder
Ray Walston	...	Professor Leo Sullivan
Marc Connelly	...	Professor Charles Osman
Anne Jackson	...	Myra Sullivan
Murray Hamilton	...	Coach Sandy Hardy
Bob Wright	...	President Harmon Nagel
Bart Burns	...	District Attorney Davis
Karl Lukas	...	1st Detective
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Connie
Tom Laughlin	...	Fred Jensen
Barbara Darrow	...	Frieda Jensen

Also Known As:

The Way the Ball Bounces (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:U (video) | UK:U (original rating) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Occidental College -1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mansfield Productions

Trivia:

The original stage production of "Tall Story" by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse opened at the Belasco Theater in New York on January 29, 1959 and ran for 108 performances.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the several instances where the bribery money is shown, it has the appearance of real money, mostly $50 and $100 bills, but when Tom Laughlin is counting it in the final sequence, it is obviously stage money.

Quotes:

Ray Blent: Now, in Japan, the height of passion is expressed by a kiss on the back of the neck!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Biography Special: The Fondas (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tall Story

Perkins and Fonda in a different light.

There was life before 'Psycho' for Anthony Perkins. I'm not so sure how much there was afterward. Prior to that movie's 1960 release (the same year as 'Tall Story') he could get roles in light comedies like this one, and other kinds of work, too. The Hitchcock picture identified him forever with one character, and though he achieved fame, his options as an actor were severely limited.

That's a shame, because he's very good in this pleasant story of a college basketball star being pursued by a single-mined husband-hunter. There are some funny lines and moments, especially in the latter third of the film.

This was Jane Fonda's first starring role and she is already fully formed as an actress. With all due respect to Henry and Peter, even early on in her career it's evident who was the standout talent in the Fonda family. She must shake her head sometimes about the role she played here. Near the film's start her character tells two professors she came to this college because she was tall. They look puzzled, so she explains she will have a better chance of snaring a husband at this school, with its outstanding basketball program. This role might embarrass her more than Barbarella.

There's a fine supporting cast of old pros on hand including Ray Walston, Marc Connelly, Anne Jackson and Murray Hamilton. Look closely and you'll see Gary Lockwood ('2001...') as one of the basketball players. But even if you are a fan of the 'Billy Jack' movies, you might not recognize Tom Laughlin as a married friend of the young couple.