Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell (1968)

Carla Campbell receives maintenance payment from three former soldiers who all believe themselves to be the father of her daughter, Gia.

Director:

Melvin Frank

Writers:

Melvin Frank, Denis Norden

Stars:

Gina Lollobrigida, Shelley Winters, Phil Silvers

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Carla Campbell
Shelley Winters	...	Shirley Newman
Phil Silvers	...	Phil Newman
Peter Lawford	...	Justin Young
Telly Savalas	...	Walter Braddock
Lee Grant	...	Fritzie Braddock
Janet Margolin	...	Gia Campbell
Marian McCargo	...	Lauren Young (as Marian Moses)
Naomi Stevens	...	Rosa
Renzo Palmer	...	Mayor
Giovanna Galletti	...	Countess
James Mishler	...	Stubby
Dale Cummings	...	Pete
Philippe Leroy	...	Vittorio

Storyline

Twenty years after their initial war-time visit three U.S. servicemen hold a reunion at an Italian village. They all have fond memories, especially of local girl Carla. But she has been telling each of them that they are the father of her daughter Gia, so they have all been paying well for her upbringing. As this dawns on the threesome old rivalries surface, but times have changed and complications such as wives, middle-age, and the need to protect Gia's future start to surface.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to campbell's soup | italy | reference to coca cola | reference to pat o'brien | italian woman | 

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Taglines:

Who Done It?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

M/PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Melvin Frank previously directed Gina Lollobrigida in Strange Bedfellows (1965).

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Goofs

Justin Young says that the cumulative total payments the three men paid to Carla, "over 20 years, compounded at six percent interest, would come to $197,000." That figure is $40,000 too high. The correct amount would be just over $157,000.

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Quotes

Carla Campbell: Carla Solmi, "the alley cat," they used to call me... the women of the town... To those people I'm going to tell I've got a child with no husband and could be any one of three fathers? No, I don't tell them anything.

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Connections

Featured in Stars of the Silver Screen: Gina Lollobrigida (2017)

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Soundtracks

Moonlight Serenade
Music by Glenn Miller

User Reviews

A delightful and heartwarming film.

A delightful and heartwarming film that has stood up remarkably well when compared to other comedies of the 1960's. Both Gina Lollobrigida and Shelley Winters give good performances far outclassing the remainder of the cast. Phil Silvers is quite funny and Telly Savalas touching. In my opinion, the only cast member not up to the task is Peter Lawford - as boring as he usually is in any film in which he appears. It is odd that MGM/United Artist have not released the film on DVD, I'm sure that there are many people who would like to add it to their DVD collection. I have read that there are calls for the film to be remade but I don't think that it would work in today's arena. The film was right for its time but that time has now past and I feel that it's better to enjoy the film as it stands rather than try to remake it with a contemporary theme.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

December 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell

Filming Locations:

Rocca Canterano, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Connaught Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color Color (Widescreen Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1