Boeing, Boeing

When the opening credits run, and the supporting female cast members ‘measurements' are shown beneath their names, you have no doubt you're in the 60's, bedroom farce, defined. In a role reversal of sorts Jerry Lewis plays straight man to Tony Curtis this time around .

Bernie Lawrence (Curtis) is an American newspaper man stationed in Paris, the man for whom there is never too many airline hostesses, just too little time. His delicately balanced, and timed to the minute, 4-way love life comes totally unwound when old pal Robert Reed (Lewis) arrives for an unexpected stay.

Cliché after cliché, time stamped in most every shot, Boeing Boeing is a tribute to a different type of filmmaking than we see today, a different morality, a different approach to comedy.

Wonderful Paris sights are an added treat. Recommended.

1965's "Boeing Boeing" is a dated but mildly amusing film starring Tony Curtis, Thelma Ritter, Jerry Lewis and Dany Saval. Curtis is a swinging bachelor living in Paris who is juggling three flight attendants at one time, all of whom live with him, and all of them are his fiancees.

He's able to do this with the help of his able housekeeper (Ritter) and his carefully worked-out airline schedules. Unfortunately, the new fast planes are goofing up the schedules. Adding to the confusion is a visit by his friend Robert (Lewis), a reporter. The two men and an exhausted Ritter try to keep the women from running into one another at the apartment as their arrivals overlap.

"Boeing Boeing" was originally a play that had a very brief run on Broadway in the 1960's and went on to become the mainstay of dinner theaters throughout the U. S. After a very successful run in London, it has recently been revived on Broadway starring Christine Baranski as the maid, Bradley Whitford in the Tony Curtis role, Gina Gershon as an Italian flight attendant and Maureen McCormack as a German one.

Not having seen the original play, it's hard to know what if anything in the film was changed from the play. In the current Broadway production, the Jerry Lewis character, done to great acclaim on both continents by Mark Rylance, is totally different - he's a shlub who's never seen a woman before. Lewis would have been perfect playing it that way - instead, in the film, the character of Robert is very against type, quite serious.

The handsome Curtis does comedy well and is a perfect playboy. Baranski currently does the Ritter role with a French accent, which wrecks most of the dry humor that Baranski, like Ritter, brings to a role. Ritter is very funny as she changes the photograph on the desk, cooks sauerkraut for the German flight attendant, tosses it when the French flight attendant arrives and makes a soufflé instead and basically wears herself out.

"Boeing Boeing" is pleasant and fun to watch as an example of that great comedy form, the farce.

"All you need is a timetable," explains playboy Tony Curtis (as Bernard Lawrence), an American reporter working in Paris. Mr. Curtis keeps three blondes in one apartment, each thinking she is Curtis' "one-and-only" fiancée. The rotating women are all airline stewardesses, on different timetables. Curtis' sexy arrangement is discovered by envious old pal Jerry Lewis (as Robert Reed). Mr. Lewis plots to take over the satisfying arrangement of women, after he learns Curtis may be transferred to New York. But, both men are threatened when the stewardesses' flight patterns change; and, everyone heads for the apartment bed!

Funnier than its reputation; perhaps, the film's celebration of pseudo-promiscuity distanced it from other sixties sex comedies - the "romance" between Lewis and Suzanna Leigh (as Vicky "British United" Hawkins) comes closest to "acceptable" for the genre. The other two women, hefty knockwurst-loving Christiane Schmidtmer (as Lise "Lufthansa" Bruner) and wispy soufflé-loving Dany Saval (as Jacqueline "Air France" Grieux), are more funny than romantic. Curtis is finely frantic; however, Lewis, in a lower key, and Thelma Ritter (as Bertha) are more outstanding.

****** Boeing Boeing (12/22/65) John Rich ~ Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, Thelma Ritter, Dany Saval

In my mind Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis are two of the best actors of that era, and they both bring to this film a star quality, which I don't think the film could do without. Jerry Lewis proving himself to actually be a good actor without having to resort to over the top slapstick. And I really don't think I need to say anything about the greatness that Tony brings.

The plot though kind of cute isn't all that, and I suppose nowadays is considered to be quite politically incorrect. However the plot is secondary to the interactions between the two main characters and the housekeeper which is really what the film is about.

I used to watch this film on a very regular basis, and I would encourage everyone else to do the same!

You'll enjoy this movie from start to end if you take it as it is: a fun, entertaining film with two wonderful leading men. Tony Curtis was a brilliant actor, and in comedies he's simply amazing. I spent a wonderful evening laughing out loud in certain moments. See it!