Sunday 7 August 2016

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957 Frank Tashlin & scr)

Cheeky film (is title a dig at rival Universal's Rock Hudson?) glorifies in taking pot shots at TV, radio and ads and is very funny. Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield are terrific, with the always great John Williams; plus Betsy Drake, Joan Blondell, Henry Jones. Film also gleefully promotes its own studio's product, thus reference to the Mansfield-Grant Kiss Them For Me, the previous Mansfield-Tashlin The Girl Can't Help It and Peyton Place (also 1957). And I thought only Scorsese did a fade to yellow....

Shot by Joe MacDonald in Cinemascope (which along with colour is also brightly advertised).


Frank Tashlin's favourite of his own films (as revealed to Peter Bogdanovich)

"I wanted to make a picture where I got a laugh faster than anyone else... Also, I hate credits..."

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