Un dimanche à New-York

After growing up with Peter Nero's soundtrack (sparkling piano playing), I FINALLY got to see this movie on TCM, and it was worth the wait. The leads, male and female, are a feast for the eyes (oh, to be a young swinger back then...) in a simple story that takes place during one day. The lead theme, of Fonda and Taylor meeting and spending part of the day together, and the consequences, is well-matched with a funny subplot that has Robertson (as Fonda's brother) and his lady-love trying to schedule some quality time together. Culp's Pepsodent smile has to be seen to be believed. Entertaining, lighthearted film.

... AKA the unraveling of the motion picture production code and the sexual revolution that began in earnest in the 60s. Most films about sex in this era are pretty unwatchable today because they are trying to shock you with controversies that are long dead, and plus they take such a mechanical view of sex.

This film is different. It stars Cliff Robertson as an airline pilot, Adam, who has a swinging bachelor pad. But he also has a 22 year old sister (Jane Fonda), Eileen, who thinks she is the last virgin in New York. After breaking up with her boyfriend she goes out in search of a stranger with which to lose her virginity. She finds a likely candidate, but then she finds out that in 1963 lots of men don't mind being the second guy, but their Victorian values reveal themselves when they discover they are about to be the first.

And Adam's swinging 60s libertine view of sex? That becomes "not with my sister you don't!" when he discovers Eileen's plan. If you ever want to know what things were like on the dating scene when women still had no real career paths and were expected to quit those jobs anyways and be housewives when they married , just as all of that was about to change, watch this film. Plus it has some of the finest actors of the era who are mainly known for drama in a very funny comedy.

If you're one of those shallow enough to complain, as another reviewer does, when a film "betrays it's Broadway roots," you're probably not sophisticated enough to appreciate the very real pleasures of a film like Sunday IN NEW YORK where the lines in the screenplay actually contribute enormously to the enjoyment of the film. While not quite as well crafted as the classics of the genre, Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK or Jean Kerr's MARY, MARY, Sunday IN NEW YORK benefits enormously from Norman Krasna crafting the screenplay from his own successful Broadway play.

Krasna is, in fact, prescient in several of his lines where he acknowledges that "in the future" people will take these things more in their stride - at least to the extent of premarital sex at the age of these characters - but while the age of experience may have shifted, the frustrations and anxieties of initiation probably never will and following "innocent" Jane Fonda, her protective but experienced brother, Cliff Robertson and the object of her temptation, Rod Taylor, through these beautifully filmed 105 minutes will provide not only enormous fun for those grownup enough to enjoy the ride without explosions and chase scenes (actually, there are a couple of those!) but a wonderful window on how we viewed our sex lives only a few years ago.

Sunday IN NEW YORK may be on a craft level of Neil Simon's first Broadway (and film) hit, COME BLOW YOUR HORN, but Krasna had been providing satisfying works for both Hollywood (WIFE VS. SECRETARY, MR. AND MRS. SMITH, WHITE Christmas) and Broadway (DEAR RUTH, KIND SIR) for decades before Simon started, and this represents some of his best comedy writing. It's a second tier joy. Consider making it a "flying double feature" (Robertson plays an airline pilot with TWA which is complicating HIS sex life) with the British BOEING BOEING, and you've got a great Sunday's escape in any city you please. Solid literate fun.

Was Jane Fonda really this young? In this coy 1963 sex farce written by comedy veteran Norman Krasna (Alfred Hitchcock's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", "Indiscreet"), she plays Eileen Tyler, a 22-year-old girl from Albany paying an unexpected visit to her airline pilot brother Adam in the Big Apple. She is reeling from a fight with her fiancé Russ who is giving her undue pressure to put out before they marry. Adam assures her that waiting for the wedding night is the right thing to do and then deceives her into thinking he is doing the same. Naturally, he turns out to be a womanizer planning to shag his girlfriend that day. Feeling like the only virgin in the world, Eileen meanwhile engages in a flirtation with a reporter named Mike Mitchell. Complications ensue with mistaken identities and morality questions thrown in to make the plot more interesting.

As if you couldn't tell from the swinging title tune sung by Mel Torme, the film is an idealization of early-1960's Manhattan single life that merely toys with the idea of premarital sex well before the concept of free love came into vogue. Guided by TV director Peter Tewksbury, there is a mechanical sitcom feel to the proceedings, but the real NYC locations help and the three leads are game players. Fonda is adorably adroit in a preview of her bouncier work in "Barefoot in the Park", and Cliff Robertson plays Adam's double-standard hypocrisy with agility. However, it's Rod Taylor, fresh from filming Hitchcock's "The Birds", who shines the most as Mike in a deft turn. Jazz pianist and composer Peter Nero supplies the loudly intrusive soundtrack. This film (released just a week before JFK's assassination) has yet to make it to DVD.

The plot of "Sunday in New York" is very adult. At the same time, it's a mainstream release in 1963, meaning that although adult the studio would have to pull its punches in the film. In other words, while the story clearly is about sex, they don't mention sex nor is the film especially risque by today's standards.

When the story begins, Eileen (Jane Fonda) arrives unexpectedly in New York City to spend some time with her brother. As for him, Adam (Cliff Robertson) is a womanizing pilot...and he has his latest conquest coming to the apartment. Not surprisingly, Eileen's arrival throws a monkey wrench into his plans. So, Adam spends most of the rest of the film trying to get some alone time with one of his girlfriends....and Eileen vacillates between wanting to stay pure or getting laid.

The acting is very nice, with four excellent leads. The story is also interesting, as it challenges some of the traditional views of women held at the time...and has a clever script. Not a must-see but an enjoyable time-passer.