Promises... Promises! (1963)

After a drunken spree on a cruise ship, two women discover that they're pregnant, and set out to find who the fathers are.

Director:

King Donovan

Writers:

Tommy Noonan (screenplay), Edna Sheklow (play),

Stars:

Jayne Mansfield, Marie McDonald, Tommy Noonan

Cast

Cast overview:
Jayne Mansfield	...	Sandy Brooks
Marie McDonald	...	Claire Banner
Tommy Noonan	...	Jeff Brooks
Mickey Hargitay	...	King Banner
Fritz Feld	...	Ship's Doctor
Eileen Barton	...	Girl in Doctor's office
Claude Stroud	...	Steward
Eddie Quillan	...	Bartender
Marjorie Bennett	...	Mrs. Snavely
Victor Lundin	...	Mrs. Snavely's Gigolo (as Vic Lundin)
T.C. Jones	...	Babbette, ship's hairdresser / Female impersonator

Storyline

After a drunken spree on a cruise ship, two women discover that they're pregnant, and set out to find who the fathers are.

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Plot Keywords:

cruise | script writer | parentage | man with glasses | nudity | 

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Taglines:

You Read About Her In Playboy Magazine...Now See All Of Jayne Mansfield!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gymnos pothos

Filming Locations:

SS Independence

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Noonan-Taylor Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a wedding shower, the ship's effeminate hairdresser Babette (female impersonator T.C. Jones) mimics Jayne Mansfield, much to the delight of Sandy (character played by Mansfield herself).

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Connections

Edited into The Wild, Wild World of Jayne Mansfield (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Promise Her Anything"
Music and Lyrics by Hal Borne
Sung by Jayne Mansfield

User Reviews

Even the Worst Films Have One Good Thing....This One Has Two

Promises.... Promises! (1963)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

There's no question that the story, acting, directing and production is one of the worst ever made but are you really coming to this film for any of that? PROMISES....PROMISES! is a landmark movie because it was the first one in history to feature a major Hollywood star nude. That honor goes to Jayne Mansfield who right around the four minute mark shows off her breasts in a bubble bath and within minutes we're introduced to two other nude scenes. This is really a hard movie to judge because there's no question that it's poorly made, dreadfully dull and lifeless but at the same time it's still quite shocking to see an actress from this era appearing nude. It's not like this is some smut film featuring an unknown woman as these have been around since the earliest days of cinema. No, this here was a well-known star taking off her clothes and the first scene in the bath is actually quite sexual so God knows what people thought back when this was first released. From its historic stance, this here is a must see. Mansfield appears in three different nude scenes and these are replayed throughout the movie. What shocked me the most is that the producers didn't hold the nudity until later in the movie and instead we get our first glimpse at the four minute mark and two other scenes shortly after. Usually bad movies with "one" gimmick hold off on the prize but I give the filmmakers credit for not messing around and actually giving people what they wanted. The nude scenes serve no real purpose to the story but it's Mansfield. The performances by the four leads are all pretty bad and especially Tommy Noonan who plays Mansfield's husband. His performance as a drunk is one of the worst I've ever seen but Mickey Hargitay (Manfield's real husband) wasn't much better. Mansfield doesn't seem to be too happy during any of the scenes as she doesn't give much of a performance. PROMISES..... PROMISES! is a bad movie and there's no doubt about that but at the same time it's a must see.