Esconderijo para o Amor

Seeking a peaceful Easter vacation without parents, handsome blond Tommy Sands (as Gordon Slide) and likewise cute light-haired Toby Michaels (as Blythe Holloway) decide to spend their break at Mr. Sands' empty Balboa beach house. The two college students are not lovers; they are, and appear intent on remaining, platonic. After moving in, Ms. Michaels sends out signals she may be available for intimacy, but Sands doesn't seem interested. Following a boating mishap, Sands and Michaels are rescued by the Coast Guard. Leading the group, handsome Hampton Bays, LI clam-digger Fabian (as Guiseppi "Seppi" La Barba) is attracted to Michaels. The two begin dating, which leads Sands to question his feelings for Michaels...

Whatever made Sands bleach his hair for this one erred. If the goal was differentiate Sands from Fabian, it wasn't needed; young viewers of the time would certainly know Tommy Sands from Fabian. If anything, they made Sands look like a blond Frankie Avalon. Sands sings the title song (by Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and Fabian is credited with singing the chorally-sung "You're Only Young Once"; both were at the end of their hit record careers, and neither song made the national charts. Adults Jan Sterling (as Sandra Slide) and Edward Andrews (as Clyde Holloway) are adept as the parents who just don't understand. Elizabeth MacRae (as Jackie) is an older floozy who amusingly tries to get Sands aroused.

***** Love in a Goldfish Bowl (7/12/61) Jack Sher ~ Tommy Sands, Fabian, Toby Michaels, Jan Sterling

A talky, frenetic teen comedy in Technicolor that passes the time pleasantly enough. The picture of Eisenhower on the wall of Edward Andrews' office and one of the character's reminiscences about Fiorello la Guardia indicate just how long ago this all was.

In addition to former bad girl Jan Sterling as the hero's mother who "took up surfboarding at 39" and "read Scott Fitzgerald once and nothing else since" and Majel Barrett - later famous as Nurse Chappell in 'Star Trek' are two future bad girls: Susan Silo who later played The Riddler's devoted moll Mousey. And Elizabeth MacRae, as the party girl who was greeted with only slightly more enthusiasm thirteen years later as Meredith, the woman who picks up Gene Hackman at the wiretappers' convention in 'The Conversation'.

I saw this film way back when it first came out and the only thing I remembered about it was that Tommy Sands dyed his hair blond for this production. Seeing it now I think it was clear that they wanted both him and Fabian to have a distinct look. Tommy's hair was as black as Fabian and they could have been related. Since Jan Sterling was playing Tommy's mother it was Sands who got to become a blond like her.

The other thing I learned that the title song which is sung by Sands over the opening credits was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David one of their early numbers. The song Love In A Goldfish Bowl is hardly counted as one of their masterworks, pleasant though it is.

With the Code still firmly in place the film is an innocuous teen comedy about a boy and girl with parent issues who run away from school in Colorado and live at the boy's mother beach house in Balboa over spring break. The boy being Sands and the girl being Toby Michaels. You might best remember Toby Michaels whose career wasn't long as the ill fated trading post owner's daughter in Sergeant Rutledge. Her father is a rather well meaning but pompous US Senator played by Edward Andrews as only Andrews can play it.

Tommy's mother is Jan Sterling a jet setting socialite who probably didn't halt partying even having Tommy. He's a free spirit like his mother.

Things go all right until a sailing accident brings in the Coast Guard and a handsome sailor played by Fabian. After that all kinds of complications set in.

Love In A Goldfish Bowl was no strain on any of the performers. I'm only guessing about Tommy Sands's blond hair. Someone ought to ask him about it.

I am a great fan of the beach movie genre, i know they are corny and dated, but that's their charm. They are a great snapshot of 60's America. However, this isnt a Beach Movie as it came out two years before the first one, but its like the bluepront of genre before it got started. Tommy Sands plays the Frankie Avalon character and Toby Micheals plays Annette. Fabian plays the bad guy as he would in subsequent films. I kept expecting a cheezy surf number to come on, with Dick Dale and Donna Loren, but I guess thats before their time in the movies and isnt the point here. Edward Andrews and John McGiver play the father and school teacher elements and well cast they are too. It was a pleasant suprise to find this online, as I thought I had seen all the films of this genre, but it just goes to show you have to keep looking. Watching the once, but not something you would want to watch again. Recommended.

A good movie with Tommy Sands headlining..but where is the release? If this was released and made available to the public, they would be acquainted again with Mr. Sands and enjoy his talent even more. He was a really good singer and one who broke many molds in the recording industry and is not receiving the recognition. He was first with the MTV style, he was discovered by the Colonel long before Elvis, he made movies with true acting ability, and he married a famous singers daughter who tried to sing. His story is out there for the telling and now can be told since the strong hold is gone. Tommy deserves more. He has paid his dues and its time this country embraced him and declared him a national treasure.