"How to Murder Your Wife"

[dhermann1]

TCM had "How to Murder Your Wife" last night. Fun flick. It's very much a 60's period piece. It got me thinking. It would make an interesting double bill with "The 7 Year Itch" (1957). And you might even throw in "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" (1956) as a prequel. These flicks sort of trace the descent of American culture into stultified conformity that brought about the explosion of the 60's. The subject of the 60's and the whole Hippy thing has been kicked arouind a lot in these pages, and I always say you have to have lived through it to understand it.
In "The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit", the hero reconciles himself to the dull normal suburban life he has created for himself. In "The 7 Year Itch", Tom Ewell is drooling over the alternative to conformity (Marilyn Monroe) who is living right next door to him (or was it upstaris? Whatever.) Finally, in "How to Murder Your Wife" Jack Lemon finds himself "unexpectedly" married to the vavavoomalicious Virna Lisi (long story short, liquor has something to do with it.) He can't stand the feeling of being trapped and goes bananas, culminating in a court room scene where he gets acquitted of bumping her off (he really didn't but the jury doesn't know that) in the grounds of justifiable homicide. The point is, that Americans were so antsy for change after 8 years of dear old Ike, and apparent continuity with JFK, that they were ready to go totally wild just for the novelty of it.
"Murder" was released in 1965, just when the whole counter culture thing was about to erupt.
On another note, Senator Jack must love this film. The art direction is totally high 60's, skinny ties, narrow pants and lapels, glitzy furniture. There's even a touch of James Bond, as he plans a pretend murder caper. As a child of the 60's, I thought that stuff was cool back then, and now I look at it and go "Gak!" Funny how every generation does this. I've been making great efforts to see the styles of this era with different eyes, and have been making considerable progress. I'm not quite ready to go totally Jetsons yet, but I no longer automatically gag when the younger members of the Lounge say "Look at the cool 60's item I just bought".
Life is so ironic!

 

[Feraud]

Too often we view the past through subjective rose colored glasses.
The 80s were narcissitic, the 70s were gaudy, etc. etc.
I enjoy reading comment by people (such as yourself) who experienced the decades as an adult. Film discussion within the context of society is expecially interesting.
I have not seen the films you listed in a while but will keep your words in mind for future reference.

 

[carter]

I still have a sweater that I gave my dad for Christmas in either 1967 or 68. It's wool. Hot for TX. I doubt I'll ever wear it. Should I sell it to a 60's nostalgia buff? lol

 

[dhermann1]

PC sweater? That's Perry Como. Remember him? They were big in the early 60's.

 

[Scuffy]

I really don't have much to add to this seeing as though I'm actually having a hard time seeing! lol It's way to early and the coffee hasn't kicked in yet. But at any rate Aimee and I got to see "How to..." last night as well and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is worth watching!

Again, sorry for lack of substance but I'll return later to redeem myself!!lol

 

[dhermann1]

Lack of substance is forgivable, as long as you're not sitting there chortling over the Indians annihilation of the Yankees. That would rile me. lol

 

[Jef Costello]

I love "How To"!

Yes, I saw “How To” again this weekend. I haven't seen it since I was a boy and saw it in a theater. I loved it then. It did make an impression on me, especially on what was seen as the horror of marriage! However, I must say the Italian woman he married… it was very hard for me to watch her kissing him and loving him, and thinking: “why would he want to get rid of her?!?!??!?”

I always remembered him drawing the imaginary button on the rail of the jury box and telling the all male jury: “now think for a moment, if this button would get rid of your wife forever would you push it?” And they do! And their wives who are in the courtroom (now why were the jurors wives in the courtroom?!) scream, and he is acquitted!

I also thought as a boy how wonderful it would be to have a manservant like Terry Thomas to take care of all my chores and clean my room!

But yes, it was innocent times, and frankly I do miss them a bit. Watch another movie of that era, “Guide To A Married Man”. The makers of that (directed by Gene Kelly with an all star cast) would have been strung up today! But was it all so harmful? In all these cases, they end up with a strong kick in the pants of morality (in “Guide” the husband almost has an affair but doesn’t in the end and comes running home to wife and kids with “Be it Ever So Humble, There’s no Place like home” playing in the background, and of course in “Murder”, he doesn’t actually murder her, and realizes that his misses her and she comes back to him). All the movies of that day were like that. I just watched a horrid mess of a movie, aptly named “The Big Mistake” yesterday, filled with unlikable people doing unlikable things to other unlikable people, with no sense of honor, justice, not to mention story. I mean, even “The Wild Bunch” also a movie of the 60’s had a grand sense of honor among thieves at the end. Now… it’s just thieves among thieves.

 

[Senator Jack]

On another note, Senator Jack must love this film.

Love? I wanted to call the restaurant we're opening 'Brash Brannigan's' (the partners didn't get it. )

Funny, you should pick 'Itch' for a companion piece as they were both written by George Axelrod, an interesting writer who seemed to capture the frustration of the mid-century American male. They got married too soon; they wanted to be free. Oddly, I read somewhere that he was married to the same woman for some fifty years. I'm currently reading through his works again for an article I'm writing about him. I'll let you know where it can be found.

Truthfully, some of his work is uneven. The original script for Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter is yet another take on Faust and the sanitized film version is actually better. His first novel, Blackmail, is standard pulp, and Paris When it Sizzles is pretty unwatchable. But, of course, there's his screenplay for Breakfast at Tiffany's which redeems him and Lord Love-a-Duck (which he also directed) is brilliant. Axelrod, a genuine cynic, promoted it as 'the film that's against everything.

By the way, the soundtrack for HTMYW is worth finding. Neal Hefti (of Batman and Odd Couple fame) composed and conducted and it's often on my hi-fi while I'm having that evening cocktail. Now where's that damned valet when I need him?

Regards,

Senator Jack

 

[Edward]

But, of course, there's his screenplay for Breakfast at Tiffany's

Mostly a beautiful film, though when I read the book I was disappointed they'd changed the ending for the screen version.

 

[Senator Jack]

They forced Axelrod to change the ending for Itch, too. In the original play, Richard does sleep with the girl upstairs and in the film he doesn't. Though it was the fifties and attitudes were starting to relax, Hollywood was still wrestling with the Hayes code. Rock Hunter had to be thouroughly reworked for the same reason: a lot of dialogue about prostitutes and homosexuals.

 

[John in Covina]

How to is an old favorite for me as i saw it in the movies too.

Add to this "Good Neighbor Sam" and the hilarious "Guide for the Married Man"
as a triple bill for the time period.