Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967) User Reviews

Sandra Dee Whodunit

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 2 May 2013]

Pretty blonde Sandra Dee (as Heather Halloran) is rushed to the hospital to give birth. With her are pushy mother Celeste Holm (as Louise) and three men claiming fatherhood. The prospective daddies are playboy neighbor Bill Bixby (as the nicely named Dick Bender), shoe salesman Dwayne Hickman (as Hank Judson) and blond musician Dick Kallman (as Pat Murad). The blessed event is put on hold while we flashback to discover who impregnated Ms. Dee… We learn Dee is an aspiring, but reluctantly so, singer. After years of struggle, she takes a job as secretary for brainy businessman George Hamilton (as Harlan W. Wycliff)...

We aren't certain why Dee was in college, but she went parking with a lot of guys she would not kiss...

In his office shaving mirror, Mr. Hamilton begins to stare at Dee's sexy legs. He quickly becomes another suspect in the pregnancy mystery. If you really think there is any mystery here, "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" This type of sex comedy - a little sex, a lot of sneering innuendo - peaked with the popular films made by Doris Day in the early 1960s. Dee was the teenage "box office" queen. By 1967, both Dee and the genre were out of style. She looks cute, has a great supporting cast and gets beautifully colorful sets. This film is, at least, pleasant for those reasons.

***** Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (4/28/67) Peter Tewksbury ~ Sandra Dee, George Hamilton, Celeste Holm, Dwayne Hickman

Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

[atlasmb · 4/10 · 30 June 2022]

Zany. Antic. Silly. That's what many comedies of the sixties were striving for, apparently. Unfortunately, many of them were not that funny. This film has the comedic subtlety of a Three Stooges film. Andrew Sarris in his June 1967 review for "The Village Voice" called Peter Tewksbury's direction "graceful" and said it contains "lovely things". Clearly he considered this film head and shoulders above "Barefoot in the Park", which he also reviewed that day. No wonder film makers were confused about what makes for good comedy.

Sandra Dee stars as Heather Halloran, a wannabe singer who becomes a secretary to the most intelligent man in the world, Harlan Wycliff (George Hamilton). Heather spends her off-time fighting off the advances of young men. Dwayne Hickman is a shoe salesman, and would-be actor, who specializes in hammy death scenes. Bill Bixby is the bachelor next door whose life is a turnstile for sexy women. Dick Kallman is a musical coach who hones Heather's vocal stylings.

Miss Dee is the only one who (somehow) emerges from this unfunny farce unscathed. Even amid the carnage that is "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" she remains likable and even somewhat believable. Otherwise, four stars would be too too generous.

What a Crapfest

[Calaboss · 4/10 · 29 April 2010]

OK, it's not quite that bad, but it sure gives a good example of qualified people turning in inferior performances. I blame the screenplay writer here. I suppose the idea of an unwed mother would have been handled much better in the 1970's or 80's, but the "powers that be" decided to do it with 1960's censors in place. The result is as seen here, with total ignorance of the topic. The issue of sex is steadfastly avoided. And don't look for any real controversy either. Actual sex was a thing not yet acknowledged in old folk's movies (like any movie with Rock Hudson/Doris Day). And this movie has a character named Dick Bender. I mean, c'mon!

The late 1960's to early 70's was kind of an awkward time for Hollywood. The country was changing a great deal and it took American movie makers a few years to get the pulse back. You got quite a few movies like this, which didn't know who its audience was. This wasn't going to please the older crowd, who were still pining for Hope & Crosby road pictures, and it wasn't going to please the rock & roll crowd, whose tastes in music had moved WAY beyond anything heard here. LSD was still legal when this film came out, and The Stones' and Hendrix were playing on the radio. Kids were not going to be impressed with George Hamilton in a suit and tie.

You can see B&W TV's with antennas, and knobs that had to be turned to change channels, and hear some rather bland, third rate rock and roll. It's little more than a light dusting of attitudes from people that were already old in the 60's. Oh, and look fast to see Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) in a full blown 60's 'Fro.

Brylcreem, and Vitalis, and Dippity Do, oh my!

In need of some life support....

[Poseidon-3 · 2 May 2006]

Three suitors stumble over themselves attempting to claim Dee's unborn child as their own in this faux-racy, goofball comedy. Dee is a recently graduated young lady who goes to work for stuffy, time-management-obsessed Hamilton while her mother (Holm) dreams of a singing career for her. Dee doesn't care much whether she ever makes a splash as a singer, but it's been Holm's dream for her since she was a child. Hamilton tries to dissuade her from it, thus giving her the gusto to go for it. Meanwhile, Bixby, Kallman and Hickman befriend and pursue Dee, supporting her in her quest for singing stardom while making moves to get her into bed. As sordid as this sounds on paper, it's all very fluffy and chaste, for the most part. Dee, always an appealing person no matter what the material, looks very cute in an array of mid-60's fashions. Her perky charm is put to the limit in such an inane and empty-headed vehicle, but she comes out of it reasonably unscathed. Hamilton gives a by-the-numbers performance, his staid character being loosened up occasionally by some pratfalls in his massive office. Oscar-winning actress Holm is reduced to fluttering around with a plunger and with a bird in her hair. She's attractive enough and has good chemistry with Dee, but this is hardly a gold star on her resume. The sitcom-level suitors give their customary broad performances, none of which are particularly memorable. Nightclub comedian Sahl gives a contrastingly deadpan performance as a jaded club owner. The film looks good and has a few amusing bits, but generally comes off as forced. The title has nothing to do with the story since Dee is fully aware that she has engaged in sex. Thus, pregnancy shouldn't be too much of a surprise. The "shocking" notion that Dee could be pregnant and unwed is lessened somewhat by the fact that she played an even younger girl, about a decade before, who was knocked up by Troy Donohue in "A Summer Place" (though the hook here is that the audience is initially led to believe that she has no idea who the father is.) Among the secretaries in the office pool are "Star Trek"'s Nichols and "Little House on the Prairie"'s Stewart (unrecognizable at first to those who know her only as Miss Beadle!) It's okay as a time killer or for fans of the stars, but is certainly no classic.

Klutzy comedy

[moonspinner55 · 2/10 · 4 December 2005]

Sandra Dee plays a pregnant and unmarried "singer" involved with three different suitors--so who's the father? Would-be modern comedy has the same leftover faces from those early-'60s bedroom comedies: Bill Bixby, George Hamilton, Dwayne Hickman (was Richard Crenna busy that month?). Dee, at this point in her career struggling for roles which might extract her from her Gidget persona, gives this scenario a try and has a nice rapport with Celeste Holm as her mother. The men, however, are each lackluster, as is Phillip Shuken's screenplay, adapted from a novel by Patte Wheat Mahan. Peter Tewksbury directed, substituting wit with leering stupidity. * from ****

Remember the projected audience

[zterrell · 7/10 · 26 August 2013]

I grew up with these shows...Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds, Sandra Dee... And, no, they didn't earn kudos from critics. As John Wayne was to the Western, these ladies were to the romantic comedy. My wife and daughter love this movie -- not for the fact this girl got herself in 'trouble', but for the three lovable guys who want to rescue her from the shame (remember the time period) of having a baby out of wedlock. The people who are knocking this movie are probably not on Social Security and probably enjoy the trashy R rated movies or crass television shows that pass themselves off as Romantic comedies. This was a time when morality was embraced, not made fun of. If you enjoy the old fashion era, this won't disappoint.

Well, although it's not funny, it is loud!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 1 July 2021]

"Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding" is a sex comedy starring America's sweetheart, Sandra Dee. She's a talentless lady whose mother insists she'll be a singing star...but all she wants is a normal life. However, somewhere along the line she gets pregnant and a whole pack of guys are vying to marry her and care for the baby.

The big problem with this film is that it is a comedy and most of its 'laughs' consists of people yelling or behaving weirdly and loudly. In a word, the film is shrill. But, sadly, rarely is it actually funny...and I think the biggest laugh is supposed to see sweet, ever-virginal Dee playing spoiled goods. A waste of talent and a rather unfunny and loud film with little to recommend it.

By the way, if you do watch (and I don't recommend it), look for Nichelle Nichols in a tiny part as a secretary.

A keen example of how quickly times changed from the earlier part of the decade.

[MyMovieTVRomance · 7/10 · 29 January 2024]

Well, they sure were naughty!

This movie was a little too much like today to please my old fashioned heart, but it was very good. And there were three or four excellent songs in this film.

Positively amazing how drastically the mores depicted on screen changed between the early 1960s to the mid-to-late 1960s. It's almost a different era altogether, in just two or three years. Incredible!

Sandra Dee, as always, is adorable. But my favorite in this one was Celeste Holme as her mother, who was just a great big ball of energy! I always get jazzed by that vib. It's very Leo rising.

Also of note is George Hamilton, who I first laid eyes on I think in the movie Casper Meets Wendy from 1998. He played a dashing, if sinister old man in that movie. So it was interesting seeing him as a young man here. I also saw him in the movie Love at First Bite, another Halloween style film - when he was more or less becoming middle-aged. So, again, interesting to see him more at the start of his career in a more traditional role.

On a more technical note, I must say that there is something very beautiful about the way romantic comedies of the 1960s looked. It's something about the color saturation of the film. It has a distinctly 1960s feeling to it, as opposed to 1950s or even 1970s. It's very much its own thing. And very beautiful.

Good, lighthearted fair. Recommended for fans of the romcom genre.

A Poor Attempt at Comedy-

[filmloverlady · 2/10 · 29 April 2006]

I recalled seeing this movie as a child in the 70's, and was very excited when I saw that TCM was showing is this month. I made sure I taped it and then settled down for a fun night of nostalgia. Well... I was very disappointed! This film makes no sense and is so slapstick that is is an embarrassment for fans of Sandra Dee, like me. I wasn't expecting high drama, but compared to 'If a Man Answers' or 'Come September', this is just silly nonsense. The director really tried to hard to get laughs and it didn't work. I love Sandra Dee and am sorry to say this is one of her only films I really hated. If you have never really seen many films with her than I would recommend the aforementioned two and a must see... 'A Summer Place'. I feel really terrible to leave this review, but this film is just not worthwhile.

I Wish I'd Done Anything Else

[ice ruby red · 3/10 · 27 October 2016]

I came home from the library with an armful of DVDs, and the first one I picked up is this one. Sandra Dee... Bill Bixby... George Hamilton – it's GOT to be good, right? Wrong!

"Doctor..." is one of the worst movies I've seen in years – and it's a rare film that I can say that about. Usually, I'm like "Mikey"... I "like everything". But I sure didn't like this! I fast-forwarded through most of the goofy music scenes, although I did enjoy the one where Dee sings about heartbreak, which was nice.

Remember how you felt in school, impatient for the bell to ring, and anxiously wanting to jump out of your seat? That's how I felt all through this shallow pre-fab of a flick. It did not capture my interest nor merit my concentration. There was no substance to the story or the characters. It bordered on slapstick. And the worst part? The ending!

The ending had to have been the most unsatisfying of any movie, ever! It was a few seconds of a few spacey, rather wooden words exchanged between 2 people who may as well have been discussing the weather, and then, surprise... the credits start rolling!

There are a lot of great old classics begging to be viewed. My advice is, pass this one by, and get something else – it's 94 minutes of your life that you will never get back!

Sandra Dee as a would-be professional singer who is (Oops!) pregnant, with three potential dads...

[jn1356 · 8/10 · 22 February 2005]

I rate this movie this highly because it does extremely well exactly what it sets out to do--provide a couple of hours of entertaining fluff. In the wake of the news of the death of Sandra Dee, I was asked for my favorite Sandra Dee movie, and I realized this is it! The ever-delightful Celeste Holm and the protective stage mother, George Hamilton too perfect as the snotty boss, the late Bill Bixby, for whom I'll never stop mourning, the sweet friend wanting to help out, and an enjoyable appearance by Mort Sahl, a groundbreaking comedian of the time who now is, unjustly, almost completely forgotten.

A movie that does what it sets out to do and does it well deserves praise, and this one has mine.

Today, Sandra Dee joins my "eternal mourning" list.

This must have been where Leo roared the end.

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 31 May 2022]

There were definitely some lame comedies in the 1960's but this one soured the cream at the top of the cake that appeared in all those classic MGM musicals. Sandra Dee needed strong comic or dramatic support no matter what type of film she was doing, and even with the presence of the Oscar winning Celeste Holm as her mother and George Hamilton as her leading man, what she ends up with is a very sour lemon meringue pie where the whip cream curdled and the audience could taste it right off.

With a stage mother practically worse than Mama Rose of "Gypsy" fame, Dee is lousy with screen dignity as a hopeful singer (who can't sing) and ends up secretary to the very staid George Hamilton, a robot of a boss who is attractive but empty headed as far as noticing the opposite sex in the office. In fact, it seems like this film is basically "How to Get out of the Office by marrying the Boss" and what results is a completely unfunny sex comedy that makes the audience ask lf MGM was kidding in thinking this was worth the 35 mm film it was printed on.

Bill Bixby, Dick Kallman, Dwayne Hickman and Mort Stahl are completely unfunny, and Holm gives an absolutely hideous and cartoonish performance that makes me think she was trying to play Ado Annie from "Oklahoma!" 60's style. I have to rank this as one of the worst comedies of the 60's where it was obviously not going for the mod look. A complete fiasco not worth the talent greatly abused here.

Sandra Dee unwed pregnant singer w/3 suitors

[oriscordero · 23 February 2002]

Also starring with Sandra are George Hamilton, Celeste Holm, Bill Bixby, Dick Kallman, Mort Sahl & Dwayne Hickman. In this comedy, Sandra Dee is an unwed, pregnant, would-be singer. The film starts out with Dee being rushed to the hospital to have her baby. Accompanying her are three men who want to marry her. The rest of the film is a flashback dealing with Dee's rise to stardom and the pregnancy. Hamilton is Dee's stuffy boss who tries to discourage her from singing.

Sandra, you've got to be kidding

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 9 August 2017]

That girl who according to the song dripped sweet virginity loses it in a chance encounter with business tycoon George Hamilton. Sandra Dee finally loses it in Doctor You've Got To Be Kidding. I think we may have all been kidded on this one.

Not that she hasn't got plenty of male admirers looking to save a lady's honor. Three guys next door willing to sacrifice themselves are Dwayne Hickman, Bill Bixby, and Dick Kallman anyone as a son-in-law would please Celeste Holm looking just a bit pained to be in this film.

This movie is more silly than funny. Sandra Dee was plainly past her vogue when she did this one.

single gal sex comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 4 September 2023]

A very pregnant Heather Halloran (Sandra Dee) is rushed to the hospital. She is accompanied by her stage mom Louise Halloran (Celeste Holm), two cops, and three guys eager to marry her; next door neighbor ladies man Dick Bender (Bill Bixby), shoe salesman Hank Judson (Dwayne Hickman), and entertainment manager Pat Murad (Dick Kallman). The movie recounts how they got there. Louise has always pushed Heather to be a star. Heather is constantly pushing away the advances of lascivious men. She gets hired as a secretary to wealthy businessman Harlan Wycliff (George Hamilton) who warns her against flirting with him.

It's a single gal sex comedy. The morality is 50's. It's trying to push the envelope by having a pregnant single girl start the movie. It's a lot of grabby guys chasing Sandra Dee and she pushes them off. It's funnier to have a flustered guy failing to get into a girl's pants than to have a girl struggling against pawing lascivious guys. The point of view makes it less funny. Heather does try to be a party girl and that's a little off brand for Sandra Dee. It's all a little off.

A Nine For Dee's Performance and a Two For the Film

[aimless-46 · 27 December 2023]

If you are a Sandra Dee fan 1967's "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" is arguably her best performance and a must have for any fan. Although the movie itself is lousy she is confident and alluring in the challenging starring role, its really a mega role as she is in every scene.

Like Debbie Watson in "The Cool Ones" (also 1967) Hollywood was trying to remake Dee into a star they could continue to take to the bank as changing tastes were taking a toll on their traditional type of material. Neither movie had much going for it in the script department and both were a couple beats behind the times even though the whole idea had been to showcase Dee and Watson in more with-in screenplays.

In the long run the failure of the two pictures probably did not make that much difference as the roles for those in this wave of actresses were getting scarce and often bizarre. Jane Fonda did "Cat Ballou" in 1965 and Barbarella in 1968. Tuesday Weld turned down Bonnie & Clyde in 1967 and did "Pretty Poison" in 1968, "I Walk the Line" in 1970, and "A Safe Place" in 1971. Decent enough parts but few and far between.

The hot players in town in the late 60's were Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner - BBS, who knew Hollywood needed new audiences of young people-and who were cultivating new talent and new ideas. Weld was able to crash their party even though she was not a new face. I can see them adding Dee to the cast of 1968's "Head" which could have been a game changer for her. The story was fluid enough to create a part, after all they used Annette in a spot and Dee would have offered a similar campy appeal. But as a game changer that is grasping at straws.