How to Commit Marriage (1969)

Young couple decide to live together and they wind up having a baby. They decide they should give the baby up for adoption. The baby's Mother's parents wind up adopting the baby using a fake name.

Director:

Norman Panama

Writers:

Michael Kanin, Ben Starr

Stars:

Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Jane Wyman

Cast

Credited cast:
Bob Hope	...	Frank Benson
Jackie Gleason	...	Oliver Poe
Jane Wyman	...	Elaine Benson
Leslie Nielsen	...	Phil Fletcher
Maureen Arthur	...	Lois Grey
Tina Louise	...	Laverne Baker
Tim Matheson	...	David Poe (as Tim Matthieson)
Paul Stewart	...	Willoughby
Irwin Corey	...	The Baba Ziba (as Professor Irwin Corey)
JoAnna Cameron	...	Nancy Benson
The Comfortable Chair	...	Musical Group
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Glenn Corbett	...	Detective Sergeant Charlie Bancroft (archive footage)
Victoria Shaw	...	Christine Downs (archive footage)

Storyline

When a young couple is about to marry, the bride's parents decide to divorce. Loosing faith in marriage, the young couple live together instead. After the birth of a child, they put it up for adoption. The bride's parents reconcile so that they can secretly adopt their grandchild.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | adoption | marriage | divorce | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason request the honor of your presence at a swinging session on How to Commit Marriage.

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1970 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Avioliittokaruselli

Company Credits

Production Co:

Naho Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last theatrical movie appearance of Jane Wyman.

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Quotes

Frank Benson: [meeting Poe for the first time in church] I'm in real estate.
Oliver Poe: But not deep enough. I have a horrible feeling we've met before. Does 7719 Hillside Drive mean anything to you?
Frank Benson: Isn't that a three bedroom, hillside colonial with patio, wet bar, and over-sized bay window? Nothing personal.
Oliver Poe: Tee-hee. You forgot to mention the hill in the back and the guaranteed retaining wall.
Frank Benson: Yeah, well... I sell so many, I forget the details.
Oliver Poe: Twenty thousand tons of mud in a swimming isn't exactly a detail!
[...]

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Connections

Features The Crimson Kimono (1959)

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Soundtracks

"A Child's Garden"
Written by Barbara A. Baczek, Tad Baczek, Gary Davis, Warner Davis, Eugene A. Garfin, Gregory B. LeRoy and Bernie Schwartz
Performed by The Comfortable Chair

User Reviews

Some Funny One Liners but overall Dullsville!

Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason do spew a few really funny one liners, but the movie has the look and feel of a TV sitcom. Jane Wyman wears the same hairstyle here that she has had since the early 50's and I think she is still wearing it the same way! This movie is harmless fluff, but it is fun to watch Bob & Jackie insult each other. Many famous faces in this movie, Tina Louise, Tim Matheson, Joanna Cameron who later went on to the Saturday morning kids show "Shazaam & Isis". Maureen Arthur is quite funny as a big breasted client of Bob. After Jane gives her the once over staring at her cleavage, Maureen gets off the barb, "Well, it's nothing you couldn't buy"! Many fat jokes at Jackie's expense. Too bad the whole movie couldn't have been as funny as some of the jokes. Still, not as hard to watch as all the garbage they pass off as entertainment today! (Friends, Survivor, etc)