Robert Morse

  • Honeymoon Hotel (1964)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, November 2022) In the pantheon of 1960s sex comedies, Honeymoon Hotel seems a mere footnote—rarely broadcast, seldom seen and almost never mentioned as part of the corpus of movies that, in their own now-quaint ways, reinvented American cinema in the waning days of the production code. Part of this obscurity is certainly due to the film’s overall failings—you have to be in a good mood to be particularly enthusiastic about it, considering that the plot barley makes sense, that plenty of comic opportunities are left untouched, that the film can be grating at times, and that its sense of comedy has not aged well in most matters. You would not recommend it as an introduction, or even a solid second-place choice at anything it stands for. This being said… if your expectations are already well-calibrated, if you’ve seen the better sex comedies of the 1960s, if you’re a fan of the actors involved and if you’re looking for a tiny but wholesome bit of social progress, then Honeymoon Hotel may be worth the sit. As far as I’m concerned, the film’s biggest assets are its lead trio of actors—Robert Goulet (yes, that Robert Goulet, except without the moustache) as a James Gartner-type playboy, Robert Morse as a jilted groom trying to forget his cancelled wedding, and Nancy Kwan as the object of their affections. The plot gets cracking when, in the wake of his cancelled wedding, the ex-groom finds himself, along with his playboy friend, in a hotel designed for couples. Two things to note here: We’ve got two Caucasian men vying for the affections of an Asian woman without the racial component ever being mentioned—three years before Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial unions across the United States. Then we’ve got some comedy in which our leads are mistaken for a homosexual couple and the worst thing that happens is a few raised eyebrows for comic effect. That’s… not bad at all for a film made five years before Stonewall. It goes without saying that, despite being stuck in a substandard vehicle, Goulet is cool, Morse is frantically funny and Kwan is remarkable. Some of the film’s sex farce material still works well, although all the material having to do with the native population falls flatter than the rest of the lacklustre comedy, and you have to be awfully indulgent about ludicrous plotting in order to even get into the film. Still, there are a few interesting things in Honeymoon Hotel. Not many, and not enough to warrant an effort, but enough to have a look at the film if it pops up on your listings.

  • The Loved One (1965)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, September 2022) Notions of good and bad are almost irrelevant when you’re desperately weird, and The Loved One finds itself in a vein of very dark comedy—unshackled from social disapproval, the dying Production Code and good taste, but not quite able to do anything successful with all of that excess of freedom. Our story largely revolves around a young British man (Robert Morse!) who deals with his uncle’s estate while visiting Los Angeles and gradually gets drawn into the sordid mortuary industry. Adapted from a novel by a British author satirizing America’s obsession with death, the film was initially advertised as having “something to offend everyone,” and while that’s hyperbole, the film does keep much of its very dark sense of humour. While scattered, incoherent and a bit naïve compared to the un-satirizable twenty-first century, The Loved One does have moments that are funny and witty. A very, very good cast includes Rod Steiger, Dana Andrews, Milton Berle, James Coburn, Tab Hunter, Roddy McDowall and Liberace. Still, it does feel meandering and overstuffed at slightly more than two hours—a bit of editing and focus could have done much for the final result. But The Loved One can’t be mistaken for any other film of the period—it’s that odd.

  • How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, June 2022) Even though it’s dated 1967, I have more fun associating How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying either with the poppy bright optimistic style of the early 1960s, or the surprisingly satirical films of the 1950s taking aim at the way post-WW2 American society had restructured itself. This is not accidental, nor much of a stretch considering that the film is based on a 1961 stage musical that was itself based on a satirical 1952 book. Tony Randall (a fixture of both eras) would have been right at home here, but it’s Robert Morse who gets one of his two iconic roles (the other being on the Mad Men TV show, obviously inspired by this one) reprising his stage performance as a young man making his way to the top of a corporation. The opening moments of the film are nothing short of irresistible, as our protagonist shoots up from the mailroom to an executive position thanks to an improbably prescient book and ambivalent morals. (It’s both a strength and a problem of the film that we’re never sure if there’s a shred of sincerity to the way he acts.)  Bright colourful backdrops and musical numbers satirize the way big Manhattan-based corporations were seen in the popular imagination, and this broadly comic approach has helped the film age remarkably well: even when it’s depicting some horrifying sexism, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying feels as if it’s laughing at itself and the elements it wants to showcase as terrible. There are some very funny bits (although my favourite part, when the protagonist is confronted by someone who has read the same book, is a bit short) and the film keeps some energy even in its inevitable third-quarter lull. Michele Lee is quite good in the female role, but it’s Kay Reynolds that I liked best as a supporting character. I’m picky about 1960s musicals but How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is one of the good ones of the era – even if it’s not quite as well known as it should be, either as a colourful example of its era or as a remarkably enjoyable film by itself.

  • A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

    A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On TV, July 2020) One of the most fundamental questions in filmmaking, for filmmakers and critics alike, is “why this film?” Why would someone of Gene Kelly’s stature, for instance, decide to direct A Guide for the Married Man? I strongly suspect that the answer boiled down to money, specifically how Gene Kelly’s musical comedies were a thing of the past and mid-1960s audiences paid to see sex comedies. The premise of the film is blatantly immoral (the titular “guide” is to instruct men in adultery) but don’t worry—as with most 1960s sex comedies, it doesn’t lead anywhere particularly shocking. But “not shocking” doesn’t quite mean “innocuous”—the male gaze of A Guide for the Married Man is overwhelming enough to think that in-between the lecherous camera’s habit of focusing on naked backs and long legs, it couldn’t be remade today. Executed as a series of vignettes featuring an ensemble cast alongside leads Walter Matthau and Robert Morse, the film is uneven almost by design, even if there are a few comic gems here and there. Matthau is quite good as the protagonist, while Morse looks a bit like a naughty Mark Hamill. Meanwhile, director Kelly has a sure eye for comic material and his bright and colourful portrait of the ongoing sexual revolution is nice and naughty enough to fit with the other 1960s sex comedies. The ending is all wholesome, which is what was needed for the playful tone of A Guide for the Married Man. Still, I can’t help but think—why accept this project at all?