Der Fuchs geht in die Falle

This is one of those pictures from the 60's that's not to be taken seriously but enjoyed just for the fun of it. What helps you do that is the stars, as well as some familiar TV faces.

I confess that I'm not a Kirk Douglas fan, but there are some movies where I make an exception, and this is one of them, as a comic role is not his usual forte, but here he does very well with it. I also think he has good chemistry with Mitzi Gaynor, who's great in every role she plays.

And who can help liking a movie with the one-and-only Thelma Ritter in it? There's no one quite like her!

Gig Young plays the kind of role he's famous for and does it to perfection.

There are familiar TV faces: William Bendix, Julie Newmar, Dick Sargent, William Windom, Leslie Parrish, as well as a couple that may not be as familiar, until you take a second look: Elizabeth MacRae (Luann on "Gomer Pyle"), and Alvy Moore (Mr. Kimble on "Green Acres"). Quite a cast!

Watch and enjoy!

For Love or Money stars Kirk Douglas as an attorney to Thelma Ritter, a very wealthy widow, with three daughters. She wants Douglas to match them with marriageable suitable men. The comedy begins as Douglas tries to be a matchmaker to all three sisters with hilarious results! However, there's a catch...Douglas can never let on to the sisters that he's trying to play cupid for them or let them know the role their mother is playing in the matchmaking.

The reasons for watching this light romp are the screen chemistry between Douglas and Mitzi Gaynor, who plays the eldest of the three sisters and is very head strong. In addition, its a great film to watch for all the Thelma Ritter fans, who are use to her playing maids (All About Eve, A Letter to Three Wives). She plays the role of the wealthy widow like she was born into it.

Another reason to watch is the climax at the end, which I will not spoil, because you just don't see it coming. It made this film a joy to watch.

Now, here's an issue...this film never made it to video or DVD. For anyone looking to watch this gem, you will have to search for it on cable.

Rock Hudson and Doris Day must have been otherwise occupied as lead roles which had their names on them go to Kirk Douglas and Mitzi Gaynor in For Love Or Money. For Kirk this was his third and last film that could be classified a comedy, the others being My Dear Secretary and Top Secret Affair. As for Mitzi her kind of musical films were just not being made any more, in fact this film would be here exit film as the rest of her career was concentrated in summer stock and musical theater.

This is yet another film about a crazy will where unless Thelma Ritter approves of their marriages, by the terms of her late husband's will the three daughters are summarily cut off from their trust funds. The three daughters are Mitzi Gaynor, Julie Newmar, and Leslie Parrish. Not that these three would ever find trouble getting husbands, but Ritter has specific ideas for all of them.

So William Windom is paired off with Parrish and Newmar gets Dick Sargent. Windom is a childhood play mate of Parrish and Sargent is a straight arrow IRS agent.

The hard one to deal with is Gaynor. Ritter has picked out another millionaire Gig Young who's a pretty idle yachtsman. He's also Kirk's best friend.

Douglas is appointed the trustee of the estate and his job is to affect these marriages. But when it comes to Gaynor he just can't keep his mind on the task at hand.

Maybe Kirk and Mitzi are doing Rock and Doris roles, but the rest of the cast slips comfortably into type casting niches. William Bendix is also here, he plays Ritter's confidante and gumshoe, constantly checking on Kirk's progress. This film reunites Douglas and Bendix, a dozen years earlier they were partners in Detective Story.

Of all the cast I liked Gig Young the best. Both he and Tony Randall took turns as comic foils for the leading men during films of this era and Young is at his goofiest as Douglas's pal whom he tries for about half the film to get together with Gaynor. Something always comes up and Douglas is getting less and less willing to do his assigned part for this Ritter daughter.

For Love Or Money has a nice pace to it and between this and Top Secret Affair are his best in the comedy genre. I lean to Top Secret Affair, but For Love Or Money has a lot of merit. Best scene in the film is poor Gig Young in his all together clinging to a buoy in San Francisco Bay hoping the fog doesn't lift too soon.

The film holds up well after 50 years, fans of Kirk and Mitzi will like it.

this was Mitzi Gaynor's last film, and I wonder why (probably because she was earning millions in the Nevada night clubs where she was arguably the No 1 entertainer, certainly the no 1 female entertainer) she should have gone on to make more films as she had blossomed into a very beautiful sophisticated actress, and had learn ed how to act and not be too over the top as she had tended to be in some of her earlier films, there was a lot of musicals made in the sixties and seventies that were miscast and box office flops, if only someone had had the vision and casted her in some of these films, they would have been unforgettable instead of forgettable, she did go on to have a fabulous career in show business, and is one of the all time greats. LOOK OUT FOR MITZI'S new box set of 8 of TV shows, that she is working on at the moment, also look out for her new web site which is coming shortly. If you are interested in buying Mitz's TV shows,, contact MITZIGAYNORDVD@GMAIL.COM

What's "For Love or Money" about? It's about 108mns long. Starring Kirk Douglas, Mitzi Gaynor, Gig Young, Thelma Ritter, and directed by Michael Gordon, "For Love or Money" is Universal Studios-plush (i.e., tacky) and frantic like a '30s comedy, but badly in need of a Cary Grant (though I'm afraid even Grant couldn't do much with this script). The action begins with Ritter in a helicopter hovering over Douglas' sailboat and shouting orders at him through a speaker (sunning himself with a broad on-deck, Douglas doesn't even hear the helicopter until it's right above them). Kirk is an attorney, Ritter is a rich battle-axe with three nubile daughters, and for some reason she wants him to play matchmaker so her children don't wind up married to beatniks. Gordon keeps Douglas leaping about, constantly answering ringing phones and juggling conquests (the oddest attempted match-up may be statuesque Julie Newmar with Dick Sargent as a tax investigator). Gaynor plays this juvenile fare very low-keyed and on the seductive side, but she's continually being stood up or put on hold (one aches for her to do this quiet come-on in a different picture). How bad is "For Love or Money"? After an hour, all I could concentrate on were the decorations in the various apartments and wondering if it was actually just one set being systematically redressed. NO STARS from ****