Caprice (1967)

An industrial designer causes chaos when she sells a secret cosmetics formula to a rival company.

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

John Kohn (screenplay) (as Jay Jayson), Frank Tashlin (screenplay)

Stars:

Doris Day, Richard Harris, Ray Walston

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Doris Day	...	Patricia Foster
Richard Harris	...	Christopher White
Ray Walston	...	Stuart Clancy
Jack Kruschen	...	Matthew Cutter
Edward Mulhare	...	Sir Jason Fox
Lilia Skala	...	Madame Piasco
Irene Tsu	...	Su Ling
Larry D. Mann	...	Inspector Kapinsky
Maurice Marsac	...	Auber
Michael Romanoff	...	Butler
Lisa Seagram	...	Mandy
Michael J. Pollard	...	Barney

Storyline

There is an on-going battle of industrial espionage between rival cosmetics companies, Femina, owned by Sir Jason Fox, and May Fortune, owned by Matthew Cutter. Caught in the middle between the two are among others top industrial designer Patricia Foster, who officially is on May Fortune's payroll after being fired by Femina, and Christopher White, a suave Brit who also is officially on May Fortune's payroll as Cutter's right hand man. On the surface, Patricia is still working for Femina trying to steal the new top secret formula for a water repellent hairspray developed by Dr. Stuart Clancy for May Fortune, that hairspray which would make all other hairsprays obsolete, while Christopher secretly tries to stop her. Below the surface, it is not clear whether either Patricia or Christopher truly are working for May Fortune, Femina or someone else. But as they progress through these on the surface missions, their true missions are eventually revealed as are their true allegiances, which ...

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | cosmetics | industrial espionage | flipper | spy spoof | 

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Taglines:

The Suspense Is Incredible !

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Arthur Godfrey, who played the father of Doris Day in The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), played her father once again, but is only seen via photograph.

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Goofs

As Christopher and Patricia are touring the TV commercial studio, the director calls one of the actresses Mandy (as does Patricia later on), but in a later scene in Christopher's house, he calls her Miranda.

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Quotes

Patricia Foster: That phone is making me very nervous.
Christopher White: It is making me nervous too. Let me take you away from all this. I also have a room with no phone.

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Crazy Credits

Each screen of the opening credits is presented uniquely. The names of the leads appear in speech/thought bubbles of an extra. One page appears gradually as a walkie-talkie's antenna extends. Others fade in, slide in, are pulled from behind walls, appear with different clipart, etc.

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Connections

References Flipper (1964)

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Soundtracks

Caprice
by Larry Marks
Performed by Doris Day (uncredited)

User Reviews

"The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.....Cream"

It's puzzling this Doris Day comedic spy-thriller never developed more of a following among her fans--must be because 20th Century Fox never released it on video (the DVD belatedly arrived Jan. 2007). Doris plays an industrial designer for a cosmetics firm in Paris who gets caught spying; she's picked up by a competing agency based in Los Angeles, where she is teamed with Richard Harris, who's working as a double agent. "Caprice" has many twists which render the plot nearly superfluous (it's wispy-thin to start with), but director Frank Tashlin keeps it all moving fast, helped by Leon Shamroy's colorful cinematography and the incredible '60s outfits. Day and Harris reportedly weren't fond of this picture (nobody was at the time), however it looks good today, and has some very funny set-pieces such as a chase in an apartment complex, a satirical episode in a movie theater (with Doris watching this movie, trying to get a snip of a girl's hair), and in the elevator, where Doris does a priceless comic turn with a cup of water. A fun time, loose and swinging, and quite different from what Miss Day was turning out at this point in her career. ***1/2 from ****

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1967 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Caprice

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,595,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Melcher-Arcola Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1