The Right Approach (1961) Online

Peculiar, occasionally charming, often irritating comedic drama has five fun-loving bachelors--who live together in a converted nightclub in the Hollywood Hills--having money and girl troubles; newcomer Leo Mack (played by British recording singer Frankie Vaughan) stirs up more trouble when he arrives, but his smug self-confidence and dirty ambition may put him ahead of his roommates. The initial focus of the plot seems to be on drive-in waitress Juliet Prowse, whose low tones, stony stare and unplaceable accent makes her seem like a pod person. However, Prowse is put aside once Vaughan appears, and indeed she's lost in the shuffle until near the end (when her character's latest predicament isn't even solved!). Based on Garson Kanin's play, this sitcom-serious plot is full of joshing and wisecracks, but the main theme of a slimy worm infiltrating a group of nice guys and using everyone like a step-ladder is more interesting than the filmmakers give it credit for. Vaughan is appropriately loathsome, but this was surely not the right vehicle for a singer-turned-acting hopeful; he's all too convincing steals jobs and girls from the other knudnicks, and his gregarious falseness is grotesque. The other fellas (including Bing Crosby's son Gary) are a loyal, fun bunch, but the Hollywood scenario isn't utilized to its fullest advantage, and Martha Hyer is deadly as a writer for a show-biz rag (she's the type of proper, boring girl with the stiff hairdo who stands by her principles). A curious project, and with an interesting central set, but the hurried ending makes little sense. ** from ****

This script could have worked into a fairly enjoyable film, if only because many people like films about a common guy who makes it in show biz. Except for Jesse White as the hustling Hollywood agent, the acting was rather limp. There was no real excitement on the part of the cast in general.

Well, OK, Martha Hyer and Frankie Vaughn turned in some good performances for the characters they portrayed. But what's up with those laconic and lethargic beach-bum buddies who played Frankie's ("Leo Mack's") room mates? Though they all have had good film performances in the past,they all looked middle-age, and beyond, and thus seemed very noticeably mis-cast. More like a bunch of over the hill losers, than young up-and-coming dudes sharing a hut on the beach. Not your typical beach guys flick. Moreover, I think when the director told the roomies to act like they resent Leo's antics by reacting passively to his boasting, they somehow came across instead as disinterested in the film in general.

The lead character Leo does not suffer enough for his shameless climbing, and the film ends too suddenly to find out where he goes once he hits the threshold of the Big Time... but he does portray the role of show-biz climber well, nonetheless. Poor Leo, he is so naive after walking on everyone to get to the top, and then wonders why no one is excited for him! This could have been cast into a good film... with, say, a young Frank Sinatra as Leo Mack, and some younger roomies. Maybe not a bunch of older guys trying to be young bongo-beaters on the beach.

The late Frankie Vaughn (Let's Make Love) plays a ruthless young Hollywood hopeful who uses his friends (and anyone else handy) as stepping stones on his way to fame as a singing star.

After moving into the communal bachelor pad shared by his brother and three other struggling talents, Vaughn wastes no time in moving in on the girlfriend of one of the guys (Juliet Prowse as a hard-edged hash slinger) only to throw her over for a journalist he hopes will help his career (Martha Hyer).

What makes this film so fun is how transparently sneaky old Vaughn is. He is like a cartoon villain; complete with shifty eves, cheshire cat grin, and light-switch mood swings. All he's missing is a mustache to twirl.

The cliches fly, some bad songs are sung and we get to see Prowse dance a little bit. Mostly we get to see Vaughn be really mean to people, and he makes a delightful bad guy.

Frankie Vaughan plays an ambitious social climber intent on clawing his way up the Hollywood ladder to stardom. Instead of enjoying the journey, Vaughan's character of Leo Mack is focused entirely on his desired destination, meaning that he steps on or over the people he meets along the way. The character of Leo Mack draws people in and tends to confuse them into believing talent is present where it actually is not. This becomes apparent in the singing scenes, which, for the purposes of the film, are bizarre enough to make for fairly hard-to-stop-looking-at viewing. Thus a character with ruthless ambition who manipulates everyone and every event he can to go his way, with an absence of actual talent.

Copyright 19 April 1961 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at neighborhood cinemas: 17 May 1961. U.S. release: May 1961. U.K. release: 17 April 1961 (sic). 8,280 feet. 92 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Horace Tobey (Robert Casper), son of a rich Pasadena family, who is bent on making it on his own as a scenic designer, picks up Ursula Poe (Juliet Prowse), a rather tired carhop at Pappy's Drivin In. Ursula would not have dated him, but she has been informed of his wealthy background. She is annoyed when he takes her in his old car to "The Hut", an abandoned restaurant turned into the living quarters for a number of young men. Horace gets nowhere with Ursula. She is looking for security, spell "cash". Outside "The Hut" the red light burns, as the other lads forgather. When the signal rouge is on, it is the order of the night not to disturb the man on the make inside. The waiters are Mitch (Steve Harris) and Granny (Paul London), who are joined by medical student, Bill (David McLean), who was the bunch's sergeant in the army. Mitch mentions that his brother, Leo (Frankie Vaughan), is playing in a show in San Francisco. Bill offers to rob the kitty to pay Mitch's fare to visit his brother, but Mitch declines.

NOTES: "The Live Wire" opened on Broadway at the Playhouse on 17 August 1950. A 28-performance flop, it was produced by Mike Todd in the days before he bankrolled Todd-AO and married Liz Taylor. Playwright Garson Kanin himself directed a cast that included Scott McKay (Leo), Sheila Bond (Ursula), John Drew Colt (Rip), Jack Gilford, Peggy Cass, Pat Harrington, Murvyn Vye, Peter Turgeon, Elliott Reid and Rex Williams.

COMMENT: Passable entertainment. David Butler's direction seems tired and undistinguished. This was one of his last three films, the others being "The Girl He Left Behind" (1956) and "C'Mon Let's Live a Little" (1967). As for the acting, to say it lacks zest would be an understatement. Most of the players walk through their parts like somnambulists. Only Jesse White in a delightful caricature of a typical Hollywood agent and former child star Jane Withers as a down-to- earth photographer, give their lines any punch.

Although some far from gallant critics complained that Miss Prowse came across in CinemaScope as too plump, I did not join them. In fact I thought that both Misses Prowse and Hyer were nicely costumed and would look decorative enough were their expressions not so sulky. On the other hand, Frankie Vaughan does not display any stellar personality at all, either as actor or singer.

The script too often betrays its stage origins in its slow, deliberate pace. Most of the plot twists are pure soap opera. Only when the script gets on to the real Hollywood set does it become incisive. What a shame there are not more scenes like the one in which Vaughan up-stages the TV hero, or the coming-out party which the agent throws!

Sam Leavitt's black-&-white photography is well below his usual standard.