The Honeymoon Machine

This is the first movie I have ever seen that starred Steve McQueen(and it looks like it won't be the last). I loved this movie because it has that innocent but silly comedy that movies nowadays lack. I have looked for it in all the video stores but can't seem to find it. It is one of those movies that can cheer you up if you feel down. So, I will recommend watching it.

I turned this on in the middle or perhaps toward the end of the movie, not knowing what I was watching. I was immediately struck by Jack Weston's hilarious performance. He is priceless as a staunch obey-the-orders Naval grunt sent out on a mission that turns into a stunt worthy of Harold Lloyd. I really think he deserved an Academy Award just for the way he poured and downed glasses of bourbon, let alone his arabesque on the hotel lech -- I mean ledge (that's an inside joke -- watch the movie). Dean Jagger is admirable as always and the role of Admiral suits him to a T, er, an A; Steve McQueen is cool as the wisest smart Aleck in movie history; there's near-sighted Paula Prentiss and Jim Hutton along for the laughs. The scintillating dialog, tinged with Cold War obsessions, the breakneck pace reminiscent of Preston Sturges at his maddest -- gee, I wonder if the WHOLE movie is this good or I just lucked out and caught it at its best! But from the moment Weston attempts to search McQueen's hotel suite to the wacky end, it's a hoot.

This film works -- at least this vastly entertaining segment -- for me. And I'm a tough customer to please. Based on a play by Lorenz Semple, Jr. and he's no slouch!

In 1960 the great Steve McQueen starred in one of the greatest films of all time in The Magnificent Seven . Just a year later he made one of of his rare comedy movies in The Honeymoon Machine . Both films couldn't be more different but actually this isn't half as bad as I was expecting.

This is the story of a navy lieutenant , and his civilian friend use a classified computer from a ship to help them break the bank at a Venetian casino.

The reason I wasn't expecting too much from this is , despite McQueen being one of the greatest actors that ever lived he wasn't great a comedy . Or being kinder He wasn't a natural in the genre but this film just goes to show that he did have it in him , thanks mainly to a good cast alongside him and a funny script.

This was first a stage play and you can tell it is but that isn't a bad thing . It has that back and forth , stage farce feel about it and it works quite well on screen .

The persistent joke about Pam not being able to see without her glasses gets about tiresome but that's the only obvious criticism I can think of .

Good performances from Brigid Bazlen , who I've surprisingly not seen in any movie before and Dean Jagger who plays her father , contribute to what was a pleasant ninety minutes .

It's obviously based on a stage play as all the scenes take place in just a few rooms. But, bearing in mind it was made in the early sixties, its got some good gags and one-liners in. This was Steve McQueen's only real attempt at comic farce and its enjoyable to see him in the role, even if he is a little over the top on occasions. Originally his reviews were good, but he himself disliked his performance in the film. This film has never been released on video in the UK and is only very rarely shown on satellite TV. Catch it if you can - then see the posters for the film at THE STEVE McQUEEN FILM POSTER SITE

Lorenzo Semple's more deftly titled comedy, THE GOLDEN FLEECING, was missing something on Broadway. Even with master comedy director Abe Burrows at the helm and TV "name" Tom Poston in the lead (am I the only one who finds him dull?), it couldn't manage a better booking than the intimate Henry Miller's Theatre nor a run of more than 84 performances (Oct. 15 - Dec. 26, 1959) - ultimately bumped for the hit run of a serious Civil War drama, THE ANDERSONVILLE TRIAL which started 4 days later.

The Broadway run DID get a movie sale for Semple however, and hallelujah! Hollywood knew just how to handle the property. They polished the script, filled the roles with top drawer dramatic and farce players, changed the title to something sort of stupid, but which innocently implied sex (THE HONEYMOON MACHINE) and gave it a "Grade A" CinemaScope production.

Great farces MUST be played absolutely straight or they fall flat, and Dean Jagger's Admiral Fitch is a perfect example: he wraps up all the loose ends in a deadpan final confrontation even funnier than the "Hello, Daddy" court room scene in Streisand's hilarious WHAT'S UP DOC. The perfectly executed physical comedy of Jack Weston's drunken ballet on a hotel ledge is still funny (if possibly non-PC with the passing years), but probably the least funny part of this carefully scripted comedy caper film.

Steve McQueen, exuding more sex appeal than is normally on display in this sort of boulevard comedy, is a triumph his only unalloyed comedy role, showing a masterful gift for comic timing and farce delivery that makes it tragic he didn't find the genre to his taste despite the good notices he deserved and got. He's matched every step of the way by his fellow conspirators - especially Jim Hutton as the computer genius in a scam to use a Navy computer (the "machine" of the title) to perfect a "system" to break the bank at the Venice casino.

Naturally, romance (Paula Prentiss is a standout as a diplomat's straying fiancé - blind without her glasses) and other complications (like Cold War paranoia) ensue, and the result is one of those irresistible feel-good films which only gets better with repeated viewing.

There are those who just don't get the "well made" comedy, and since Hollywood rarely makes them anymore (they were a staple in the 1960's), we're not educating the palate for them these days. That's a pity, but for those who still DO enjoy them, this is one of the best. Take a 90 minute vacation on the Mediterranian!