Updated RankingThe Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)
★ ★ ★ – Very Good Personal bias. I have never seen a more accurate representation on screen of my wife. Judy Holliday has a few shares in a large company and she uses them to ask simple, direct questions about how the company is run until the Board give her a job to keep an eye on her, and that’s when she really starts to show her worth. There’s a small diversion about acting that doesn’t pay off for her or co-star Paul Douglas, but the rest is solid gold. I had to watch it twice to show it to Mrs. 1SO, and it only took 10 minutes before my wife exclaimed, “that’s me!”
Operation Mad Ball (1957)
★ ★ ½Co-written by Blake Edwards, Jack Lemmon channels his Oscar winning Ensign Pulver hustler into this Sgt. Bilko knock-off that’s full of energy and sexism but light on genuine laughs. Film takes a major downturn about an hour in when Mickey Rooney joins the mayhem, determined to act bigger and louder than Lemmon.
Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
★ ½I knew this sex comedy starred Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. I didn’t know I was also getting Henry Fonda coupled with Lauren Bacall. That perk quickly wore off, and not because of the dated sexual politics I went in aware of. The jokes become increasingly desperate until this resembles a bad parody film. Characters lose all dimension, taking the charm of the cast with them. It culminates with a race to the airport that’s a sub-Love Bug comedy stunt show.
How to Murder Your Wife (1965)
★ ★Despite the title, this isn’t AS sexist as the previous two films. A surprise supporting performance by Claire Trevor and an innocuous one by Jack Lemmon in the lead role see to that. It’s also not funny… like ever. Sometimes wild and sometimes timid, it’s a film that just exists.