Salt & Pepper

I thought this would be worth watching: 60s caper movie with Rat Packers fallen on unhip times, trying to juggle their increasing fogeyness with the galloping modernity of the late 60s. I thought at least there'd be some unintentional ironic fun to be had in comparing their view of 60s London with Austin Powers, and that they'd both be similarly and amusingly inauthentic. But the fun stuff isn't there. There are too many scenes of Pete and Sammy in cheap hotel room/dressing room/cellar/police station shots, when Sammy Davis sings, it's not the knockout like Sweet Charity's Rhythm of Life that you're hoping for, and the copy of Crosby/Hope's Road series is never pulled off because neither of these blokes is a good enough comedian and the script is terrible anyway. It's like watching your dad trying to be funny.

Also, there aren't enough pretty girls in pretty 60s dresses. For a better version of this sort of thing, you'd be better off watching the Man from UNCLE movies. Robert Vaughan is a little bit of an old git in them, but he's self-mocking and sexy, Ilya Kuryakin is genuinely dishy, and they have proper party scenes with proper pretty frocks and just enough plot to pay attention to. This movie, not funny, not pretty, and more than a little embarrassing, isn't even good enough to laugh at.

An attempt to bring back the glory days of the Rat Pack. Both Davis and Lawford were middle aged men at that time. That's a little long in the tooth to play swinging cats in England. The plot is something about the men fighting off false charges after their hip night club is closed down. Full of jokes that probably would have worked better on Laugh-In, but then, maybe not.

This is just too goofy and corny to rate well. The editing and continuity are clunky, but that's not the worst of it. The goofy 50s sitcom musical cues are beyond cliche, the dialogue is fit only for 50s sitcoms, and the movie is so stupid that it can only be enjoyed by cultural deficients or hipsters who like their fare drenched in superficial ironies.

It has historical merit as an exaggerated view of fashions, looks and behaviors of London's famous swingin' 60s. This film was meant to be hip at the time, so it can be viewed by modern eyes as a window into what director Donner thought would sell as 'cool.'

Salt and Pepper (1968)

** (out of 4)

Charles Salt (Sammy Davis, Jr.) and Christopher Pepper (Peter Lawford) are friends who own a nightclub in Soho and after a woman is found dead there they are held on suspicion. Pretty soon the two are working as undercover spies to try and track down why so many other agents are being killed.

The 1960s were full of various spy movies and Rat Pack member Dean Martin was having a major success with his series. It was an obvious idea to try and get others into the mix and with SALT AND PEPPER both Davis and Lawford got to get back up on the big screen. Sadly, the end result isn't nearly as good as one would have hoped for.

For the most part SALT AND PEPPER is a mildly entertaining film that works largely because of the two leads and their performances. There's no question that they've got a nice chemistry together and their timing bouncing off each other is quite good. Davis is given an extended music sequence and Lawford gets to be that classic British charmer. The two of them make the film worth watching and especially if you're fans of theirs.

With that said, outside of them there's really not too much going on here. The plot itself is rather routine, boring and it never offers up any fresh or original. I'd also argue that the direction is rather lackluster and there's not really much humor to be found in the screenplay. Technically speaking the film is well-made but there's just not enough entertainment here to make it worth recommending.

I thought this movie was pretty hep and funny, given its age (came out in 1968). You can't go wrong in this goofy spy film set in swinging 60's London. Sammy plays Charles Salt and Lawson plays Chris Pepper, nightclub owners of the Salt and Pepper Club by night and spies by day. There's pretty girls and Sammy and Lawson getting into all sorts of trouble while still looking cool. Sammy is working his usual swinging self with numerous wardrobe changes and Lawson being the brains of the group. The duo work well together, especially during exchanges to each other. Some folks might not like this lighthearted film so it's not to be taken too seriously. Davis's song "i like the way you dance" features.