The Happy Thieves

"Thieves" opens with Jimmy (Rex Harrison ) snitching a painting from a museum, and meeting his chick out front. Harrison will go on to win the Oscar for My Fair Lady in 1965. His co-star and partner in crime is Rita Hayworth as "Eve". Hayworth really should have won SOMETHING for her work in Gilda back in 1946, fifteen years before. Also watch for Britt Eckland, who married (and co-starred with ) Peter Sellers in the 1960s....she was also a Bond girl in "Man with the Golden Gun". This part in "Thieves" was only her second role...the first was "uncredited redhead" in GI Blues, with Elvis ! So... after stealing the painting, they have lost it, and now Eve and Jimmy have to figure out what happened to it. The film is okay... but can't help thinking the part of "Jimmy" could have been someone with more personality or style. Not sure who would have done it better. Overall, its pretty slow-moving. Story by Richard Condon, who also wrote Prizzi's Honor and Manchurian Candidate. Directed by George Marshall, who had started in the silents... such a prolific actor, writer, director.

The Happy Thieves gets off to a good start. Art thief Jimmy Bourne (Rex Harrison) steals a painting from a Spanish villa. He hands it over to Eve Lewis (Rita Hayworth) for transport to Paris. Once she arrives, Eve is shocked to discover the painting is missing. They have no idea how the stolen painting could have been stolen. To make matters worse, they are contacted by a man who has photographic proof they stole the painting. His silence comes with a heavy price tag. Jimmy and Eve must steal a gigantic, heavily guarded Goya from a Paris museum. Can they pull it off?

On paper, The Happy Thieves looks like a real winner. It's got a lot o things that usually appeal to me. Rex Harrison is an actor I usually enjoy. His work in My Fair Lady, for example, is fantastic. Likewise, I usually really enjoy Rita Hayworth. Gilda is one of my all time favorite films. The Happy Thieves is billed as a Euro- heist/comedy - a "genre" that appeals greatly to me. Finally, there's some nice cinematography, interesting locations, and strong actors in supporting roles. It all should have worked.

Unfortunately, The Happy Thieves is no where near as good as it should have been. The problem - it's as dull a movie as I've seen recently. Harrison, Hayworth, the heist/comedy elements - none of it can completely save this dud. The Happy Thieves is a chore to get through without falling asleep. It's about as dull as a kitchen knife at a beach house rental - and that's dull. Call it a missed opportunity. A generous 4/10 is the best I can rate the movie.

A triumvirate of art thieves are blackmailed into stealing a famous Goya painting from the Prada museum in Madrid. Jimmy Bourne (Rex Harrison) is the actual thief, Eve Lewis (Rita Hayworth) smuggles the artworks out of the country and Jean-Marie (Joseph Wiseman, soon to be more famous as Dr No, 1962) creates the forgeries that replace the stolen masterpieces. Hayworth is the least reliable of the trio, her drinking (she had a problem in real life) jeopardizes their slick operation. Not only is the painting they have stolen slipped through their hands but the thief Dr Victor Munoz (Gregoire Aslan) has not filmed the theft but is now above a bit of murder on the side Harrison and Hayworth are a delightful pairing. Hayworth has abandoned the sultry in favor of the winsome, Harrison shifted from sarcasm to dry wit. He is always one-step-ahead but never overbearing, and the thefts are carried out with military precision. Even when let down by colleagues, who are inclined to scarper when threatened, he takes it all in his stride, the calm center of any potential storm. And there is genuine chemistry between Harrison and Hayworth though his matter-of-fact attitude tends to undercut the kind of passionate romance that moviegoers came to expect from top-class players thus paired. His proposal, for example, comes by way of dictation, "the new Mrs Bourne." It would have been tempting for Hayworth to act as the ditzy blonde (brunette, actually) but instead she plays it straight, which is more effecting. Bourne is the archetypal gentleman thief ("there is a touch of larceny in all successful men") and Eve does her earnest best to keep up ("I want so much to be a first-class crook for you, I'm trying to be dishonest, honestly I am.") there is never the remotest chance of them being confused with real gangsters. "I thought that stealing was the only honest way Jimmy could live with himself," says Eve. In truth, their characters set the template for better-known later heist pictures like How to Steal a Million (1966), Gambit (1966) and A Fine Pair (1968) - all reviewed here - which couple one determined thief with one less so. Of course, heist pictures rely for much of their success on the actual heist. And Bourne's plan for the Prada is brilliantly simple and carried out, as mentioned, with military precision. The get-out clause, which, of course, is how such films reach their conclusion, is more realistic and human than the other movies I have mentioned. What's more, there are number of excellent sight gags and great throwaway lines, while Jean-Marie and Dr Munoz are well-written, the villain's motivation particularly good. Other incidentals lend weight - their apartment is opposite a prison, the security guards at the Prada are caring rather than the idiots of How to Steal a Million, and sub-plot involving a bullfighter (Virgilio Teixeira, Return of the Seven, 1966) also sheds light on Bourne. There is a jaunty whistling theme tune by Mario Nascimbene (One Million Years B.C., 1966) which maintains levity throughout. The movie does tilt from the gentleman thievery of the initial section into something much darker, but, so too, do the two principals and, unusually, rather than in the usual contrived fashion, Bourne and Eve undergo personal transition by the end. I found the whole exercise highly enjoyable. It's very under-rated. My only quibbles are that it is shot in black-and-white, which seems bizarre when Spain, the location, is such a colorful location. The title, too, is an oddity. This was the only picture produced by Hayworth in partnership with husband James Hill. They split up before the picture was released which might explain its poor initial box office. Hill was an experienced producer, part of Hill-Hecht-Lancaster (The Unforgiven, 1960), but this proved his final film. Hayworth, too, had previously worn the producer's hat for The Loves of Carmen (1948), Affair in Trinidad (1952) and Salome (1953). Hayworth was still a marquee attraction at this point, taking top billing here, and second billing to John Wayne in Circus World/The Magnificent Showman (1963). But this is quite a different performance to her all-out-passionate persona or the slinky deviousness of Gilda (1946).

"The Happy Thieves" from 1961 is about art thieves Jimmy and Eve (Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth) who steal a painting from a museum. A painting belonging to Duchess Blanca (Alida Valli) is stolen from a castle in Spain by the two thieves, but then it's stolen from them by the Duchess' cousin.

Eve wants to call it quits, but the thief, one Dr. Munoz (Gregoire Aslan) blackmails the couple and wants a piece of art from the Prado museum. They have a duplicate made by Jean Marie Calbert (Joseph Wiseman), planning to switch the paintings during a farewell bullfight for the duchess' fiancée, a matador.

A few things could have helped this film. One was a color production. It is Europe and does deal with art, after all. The second thing that would have helped was a more exciting actor as Jimmy. Rex Harrison was a marvelous actor but somehow wrong for this role, not dashing, charismatic, or romantic enough. The last thing that would have helped is a faster pace.

"The Happy Thieves" was based on a book by Richard Condon and directed by George Marshall, both very accomplished, but this isn't the best representation of either one. Hayworth, in her forties here is beautiful, graceful and does a good job. The film was produced by her last husband, and she later pronounced it "rubbish." It moves fairly slowly, but the painting-switching scene is very good. Not awful, not great. Seeing Rita Hayworth is always worthwhile.

One of two feature films released in 1962 based on novels by Richard Condon. This is the other one.

Dismissed as "absolute rubbish" by Rex Harrison, despite Mario Nascimbene's twee score's attempts to convince us otherwise it's garrulous and unfunny but painless enough. The stars got an expenses paid holiday in Madrid out of it, and as photographed by Paul Beeson it's good to look at; as as are two handsome actresses then in the autumn of their careers who share one scene together. Alida Valli is wasted in a supporting role as a countess but Rita Hayworth - whose problem drinking is unchivilrously referred by her co-star in the film itself - is rather touching and chicly dressed in Pierre Balmain.