Marriage on the Rocks (1965)

Ad-agency president Dan Edwards who, when he goes to Mexico to celebrate his nineteenth wedding anniversary, winds up getting divorced by mistake - whereupon his wife Valerie marries his ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Donohue

Writer:

Cy Howard

Stars:

Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Dean Martin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Sinatra	...	Dan Edwards
Deborah Kerr	...	Valerie Edwards
Dean Martin	...	Ernie Brewer
Cesar Romero	...	Miguel Santos
Hermione Baddeley	...	Jeannie MacPherson
Tony Bill	...	Jim Blake
John McGiver	...	Shad Nathan
Nancy Sinatra	...	Tracy Edwards
Davey Davison	...	Lisa Sterling
Michel Petit	...	David Edwards
Trini López	...	Trini Lopez (as Trini Lopez)
Joi Lansing	...	Lola
Darlene Lucht	...	Bunny (as Tara Ashton)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Miss Blight
Flip Mark	...	Rollo

Storyline

Ad-agency president Dan Edwards who, when he goes to Mexico to celebrate his nineteenth wedding anniversary, winds up getting divorced by mistake - whereupon his wife Valerie marries his best friend Ernie Brewer by mistake. Frank's future pop star daughter Nancy Sinatra has a featured role.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | rye whiskey | champagne | bachelor pad | brandy | 

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Taglines:

Any Number Can Play!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

24 September 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Community Property

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A-C Productions, Sinatra Enterprises, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Even though it starred Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, neither of them sang any songs nor featured any of their hit songs in this movie.

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Quotes

Miss Blight: Mr. Brewer, our quota is 30 letters a day. We must make our quota.
Ernie Brewer: I know what we'll do Miss Blight. Why don't you write them and I'll just sign them.
Miss Blight: Oh, now, it won't take too long. My shorthand is 150 and my typing is 100.
Ernie Brewer: And Lola was 38-22-36.
Miss Blight: I beg pardon?
Ernie Brewer: I'm just dreaming. Just dreaming!

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Connections

Referenced in Birth of the Living Dead (2013)

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Soundtracks

There Was a Sinner Man
Music by Trini López (as Trini Lopez)
Lyrics by Bobby Weinstein, Bobby Hart, Billy Barberis and Teddy Randazzo
Performed by Trini López
[Trini López performs the song at the go-go club]

User Reviews

A flat, dull attempt at humor

Watching "Marriage on the Rocks," it's hard to image that it was made by a studio that turned out so many great movies in the 35 years prior to this one. But then, Warner Brothers wasn't alone in making such dull and boring fluff in the 1960s and beyond.

The only reason I give this film four stars is because of two performers – Deborah Kerr and Cesar Romero. They give it their best with the material they have. Kerr plays Val Edwards. Why in the world such a talented actress would agree to make this movie is beyond me, but she does try to put some life into her character and make her somewhat interesting. Cesar Romero plays Miguel Santos. I don't know if the script called for the level of excitement and energy his character provides – but I suspect he pushed it some in an effort to elevate the film.

Other reviews have noted that Frank Sinatra as Dan Edwards and Dean Martin as Ernie Brewer are pretty much playing their everyday roles in life. At least the roles that were for their public image. Martin was not a late night carouser with the pack, but went home to be with his family. Neither actor does anything to lift this film beyond boredom. Sinatra just isn't believable as an ad agency magnate. And, Martin's playboy role is way over the top so that any humor it might have otherwise is lost in tedium.

The screenplay is blasé for this film. There can't be even half a dozen clever or witty lines. The film just sinks without any real humor. We know that all the leads could act in dramatic roles, and the males could croon some lovely tunes. As one other reviewer noted, had they put some songs in here, the studio would have boosted the film and made it at least entertaining.