Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
June Allyson | ... | Kay Ashley Hilliard | |
Joan Collins | ... | Crystal Allen | |
Dolores Gray | ... | Sylvia Fowler | |
Ann Sheridan | ... | Amanda Penrose | |
Ann Miller | ... | Gloria Dahl | |
Leslie Nielsen | ... | Steve Hilliard | |
Jeff Richards | ... | Buck Winston | |
Agnes Moorehead | ... | Countess de Brion | |
Charlotte Greenwood | ... | Lucy | |
Joan Blondell | ... | Edith Potter | |
Sam Levene | ... | Mike Pearl | |
Bill Goodwin | ... | Howard Fowler | |
Alice Pearce | ... | Olga | |
Barbara Jo Allen | ... | Dolly DeHaven | |
Sandy Descher | ... | Debbie Hilliard |
Shortly after their tenth wedding anniversary, New York City Theater Producer Steven Hilliard (Leslie Nielsen) and his wife, former popular radio singer Kay Ashley Hilliard (June Allyson), are getting a Kay-initiated Reno divorce after Kay finds out about a marital indiscretion he had with Crystal Allen (Dame Joan Collins), a gold digging chorus girl in one of his shows. News of the indiscretion made its way to Kay indirectly by her catty friend, Sylvia Fowler (Dolores Gray). In Kay getting the divorce, Kay's best friend, playwright Amanda Penrose (Ann Sheridan) believes Kay is playing right into the wants of Crystal, whose main goal is not to be happily married to Steven, but to get what such a marriage can bring to her in material wealth and comfort. Amanda does not believe Steven loves Crystal and that he still really does love Kay. And Kay does proceed with the divorce despite believing theirs was a happy and loving marriage before she learned of the indiscretion, and despite ... Written by Huggo
My main problem with this musical remake version of The Women is that it was not just confined to The Opposite Sex. When Clare Booth Luce wrote her original work with only female roles it was not just as a gimmick. She wanted her viewers to use their imaginations especially in the roles of the husbands as to what these men were like and whether The Women should let them go or fight for them.
That is now lost with the men being flesh and blood now. Leslie Nielsen in the role of Steven Hilliard (formerly Haines) is in an impossible job and he comes off as insipid. One wonders whether June Allyson wants him back for himself or just to reassemble the American family for the sake of her daughter Sandy Descher.
Jeff Richards can't compare to the imaginary Buck Winston we have in our minds from the first version. In fact he's more Joe Buck than Buck Winston.
Joan Collins in her salad years is just getting into those femme fatal roles she took out a patent on. Of course she's no Joan Crawford, but who is. And Dolores Gray carries right on from where Rosalind Russell left of as Sylvia Fowler.
No great songs from writers Nicholas Brodzsky and Sammy Cahn are in this score.
It's not a bad film, but in comparison to the original this is like a summer stock production.