Doutor, O Sr. Está Brincando!

OK, it's not quite that bad, but it sure gives a good example of qualified people turning in inferior performances. I blame the screenplay writer here. I suppose the idea of an unwed mother would have been handled much better in the 1970's or 80's, but the "powers that be" decided to do it with 1960's censors in place. The result is as seen here, with total ignorance of the topic. The issue of sex is steadfastly avoided. And don't look for any real controversy either. Actual sex was a thing not yet acknowledged in old folk's movies (like any movie with Rock Hudson/Doris Day). And this movie has a character named Dick Bender. I mean, c'mon!

The late 1960's to early 70's was kind of an awkward time for Hollywood. The country was changing a great deal and it took American movie makers a few years to get the pulse back. You got quite a few movies like this, which didn't know who its audience was. This wasn't going to please the older crowd, who were still pining for Hope & Crosby road pictures, and it wasn't going to please the rock & roll crowd, whose tastes in music had moved WAY beyond anything heard here. LSD was still legal when this film came out, and The Stones' and Hendrix were playing on the radio. Kids were not going to be impressed with George Hamilton in a suit and tie.

You can see B&W TV's with antennas, and knobs that had to be turned to change channels, and hear some rather bland, third rate rock and roll. It's little more than a light dusting of attitudes from people that were already old in the 60's. Oh, and look fast to see Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) in a full blown 60's 'Fro.

Brylcreem, and Vitalis, and Dippity Do, oh my!

I grew up with these shows...Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds, Sandra Dee... And, no, they didn't earn kudos from critics. As John Wayne was to the Western, these ladies were to the romantic comedy. My wife and daughter love this movie -- not for the fact this girl got herself in 'trouble', but for the three lovable guys who want to rescue her from the shame (remember the time period) of having a baby out of wedlock. The people who are knocking this movie are probably not on Social Security and probably enjoy the trashy R rated movies or crass television shows that pass themselves off as Romantic comedies. This was a time when morality was embraced, not made fun of. If you enjoy the old fashion era, this won't disappoint.

If you are a Sandra Dee fan 1967's "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" is arguably her best performance and a must have for any fan. Although the movie itself is lousy she is confident and alluring in the challenging starring role, its really a mega role as she is in every scene.

Like Debbie Watson in "The Cool Ones" (also 1967) Hollywood was trying to remake Dee into a star they could continue to take to the bank as changing tastes were taking a toll on their traditional type of material. Neither movie had much going for it in the script department and both were a couple beats behind the times even though the whole idea had been to showcase Dee and Watson in more with-in screenplays.

In the long run the failure of the two pictures probably did not make that much difference as the roles for those in this wave of actresses were getting scarce and often bizarre. Jane Fonda did "Cat Ballou" in 1965 and Barbarella in 1968. Tuesday Weld turned down Bonnie & Clyde in 1967 and did "Pretty Poison" in 1968, "I Walk the Line" in 1970, and "A Safe Place" in 1971. Decent enough parts but few and far between.

The hot players in town in the late 60's were Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Steve Blauner - BBS, who knew Hollywood needed new audiences of young people-and who were cultivating new talent and new ideas. Weld was able to crash their party even though she was not a new face. I can see them adding Dee to the cast of 1968's "Head" which could have been a game changer for her. The story was fluid enough to create a part, after all they used Annette in a spot and Dee would have offered a similar campy appeal. But as a game changer that is grasping at straws.

A very pregnant Heather Halloran (Sandra Dee) is rushed to the hospital. She is accompanied by her stage mom Louise Halloran (Celeste Holm), two cops, and three guys eager to marry her; next door neighbor ladies man Dick Bender (Bill Bixby), shoe salesman Hank Judson (Dwayne Hickman), and entertainment manager Pat Murad (Dick Kallman). The movie recounts how they got there. Louise has always pushed Heather to be a star. Heather is constantly pushing away the advances of lascivious men. She gets hired as a secretary to wealthy businessman Harlan Wycliff (George Hamilton) who warns her against flirting with him.

It's a single gal sex comedy. The morality is 50's. It's trying to push the envelope by having a pregnant single girl start the movie. It's a lot of grabby guys chasing Sandra Dee and she pushes them off. It's funnier to have a flustered guy failing to get into a girl's pants than to have a girl struggling against pawing lascivious guys. The point of view makes it less funny. Heather does try to be a party girl and that's a little off brand for Sandra Dee. It's all a little off.

Pretty blonde Sandra Dee (as Heather Halloran) is rushed to the hospital to give birth. With her are pushy mother Celeste Holm (as Louise) and three men claiming fatherhood. The prospective daddies are playboy neighbor Bill Bixby (as the nicely named Dick Bender), shoe salesman Dwayne Hickman (as Hank Judson) and blond musician Dick Kallman (as Pat Murad). The blessed event is put on hold while we flashback to discover who impregnated Ms. Dee… We learn Dee is an aspiring, but reluctantly so, singer. After years of struggle, she takes a job as secretary for brainy businessman George Hamilton (as Harlan W. Wycliff)...

We aren't certain why Dee was in college, but she went parking with a lot of guys she would not kiss...

In his office shaving mirror, Mr. Hamilton begins to stare at Dee's sexy legs. He quickly becomes another suspect in the pregnancy mystery. If you really think there is any mystery here, "Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!" This type of sex comedy - a little sex, a lot of sneering innuendo - peaked with the popular films made by Doris Day in the early 1960s. Dee was the teenage "box office" queen. By 1967, both Dee and the genre were out of style. She looks cute, has a great supporting cast and gets beautifully colorful sets. This film is, at least, pleasant for those reasons.

***** Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (4/28/67) Peter Tewksbury ~ Sandra Dee, George Hamilton, Celeste Holm, Dwayne Hickman