Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jack Lemmon | ... | Sam Bissell | |
Romy Schneider | ... | Janet Lagerlof | |
Dorothy Provine | ... | Minerva Bissell | |
Mike Connors | ... | Howard Ebbets (as Michael Connors) | |
Edward Andrews | ... | Mr. Burke | |
Louis Nye | ... | Reinhold Shiffner | |
Robert Q. Lewis | ... | Earl | |
Joyce Jameson | ... | Hotel Prostitute | |
Anne Seymour | ... | Irene | |
Charles Lane | ... | Jack Bailey | |
Linda Watkins | ... | Edna Bailey | |
Peter Hobbs | ... | Phil Reisner | |
Tristram Coffin | ... | Sonny Blatchford (as Tris Coffin) | |
Neil Hamilton | ... | Larry Boling | |
Riza Royce | ... | Miss Halverson |
Sam Bissel is a wholesome family man with a loving wife, Min, and two loving daughters. They lead a happy suburban life. The only part of Sam's life that he is not happy about is his job as a lowly cog in the art department of the advertising firm of Burke & Hare. Sam's professional life takes a major turn when he is made executive of the Nurdlinger Dairy account. Simon Nurdlinger is a wholesome family man who wants a wholesome family man with wholesome family ideals heading his account, Sam the only one in Burke & Hare that fits the bill. Sam's home life also takes a major turn when Min's college friend, Janet Lagerlof, moves in next door. Janet stands to inherit $15 million from her grandfather's estate, but the will has a clause that she must be happily married to inherit the money. Janet is technically divorced from Howard Ebbets, and states that getting back with Howard is not worth $15 million. But when Jack Bailey and Irene Krump - two of Janet's relatives who would like to ... Written by Huggo
"Good Neighbor Sam" bombed big time when it was released in 1964. At the time I thought, "What a shame. This is Jack Lemmon's best comedic acting in years, and this is a pleasant movie."
Looking at it now, I understand why "Good Neighbor Sam" was a failure. For one thing, it's way overplotted (there's enough subplots for THREE sparkling comedies). It's played at the sitcom level and runs over two hours. The "domestic violence" subplot is disturbing, even for the times. However, it is still funny, beautifully cast (especially Lemmon, Dorothy Provine, Romy Schneider and Edward G. Robinson) and mostly gentle satire (the Hertz commercial retakes are a hoot). Best of all, the "billboard defacing," which happens near the end of the movie is the funniest sequence of all, meaning "Good Neighbor Sam" NEVER lets up.
Special note should be taken of Frank DeVol's music (the recurring theme is a classic). I recommend this one highly