Tammy and the Bachelor

The story begins down in the bayou in Louisiana. Tammy (Debbie Reynolds) lives there with her grandfather (Walter Brennan) and she knows nothing about life outside her little part of the world. When a pilot unexpectedly drops in (literally), Tammy falls for Peter Brent (Leslie Nielson) but their time together is rather brief. He has to get back to his society family as well as his fiancé. But, when Tammy is left alone when grandpa is sent to jail for moonshining, she goes to the city to stay with Peter and his family.

The story is a sweet little romance film. Audience members will very likely guess how it all will end...but the journey there is so pleasant you really won't mind. Excellent writing and acting and direction make this a sweet story...one well worth your time.

I saw this picture, right after seeing "Bundle of Joy," thus hoping for Debbie Reynolds patented radiance to be evident in this film as was the case with the former film. She didn't disappoint me. No one but Debbie could have performed Tammy any better (the song and the character). As to Leslie Nielsen, well, I saw a completely different side to his acting ability that we are not used to today. His chemistry with Debbie was nearly perfect. This film is about a young lady who has to move from the Louisiana Bayou because her guardian is taken from her. She falls for the son of her hostess and there are problems; but the rest is for you to discover. If anyone ever liked Debbie in anything, this is a must see. If anyone wants a romantic comedy to enjoy, this is a good pick. What makes Debbie so wonderful in all her pictures, is that she is able to use her facial expressions so well. They make the movie. You'll watch just to see them. This, like "Singin' In the Rain," "Bundle of Joy," and "Two Weeks With Love," show them perfectly. They are all quintessential films to watch her expressions in. They are often subtle, but if you watch close enough, you'll see them. And they'll make you all giddy and warm inside.

Debbie Reynolds plays a 17-year-old girl from the bayou who goes to stay with a friendly pilot (Leslie Nielsen) and his society folks after her grandfather gets thrown into jail. Corny, yet also surprisingly sensitive growing-pains comedy-drama is silly and trite only in retrospect. The film treats its protagonist and her emotions quite sympathetically and the film is sweet without being nauseating. Good support from Walter Brennan, Fay Wray, and the always fun Mildred Natwick. Followed by two sequels in 1961 and 1963, with Sandra Dee taking over the role of Tammy, as well as a failed mid-'60s television series. **1/2 from ****

Although never rated a "ten" by most, I was 10 years old in 1957 when my mom took me to see this movie. Quite naturally I immediately fell in love with Debbie Reynolds while hoping to wind up looking something like Leslie Nielsen at the same time. One`s age at the time a movie is first seen determines a lot. She was sweet and innocent, the song very beautiful and the leading man, although a little unsure of himself, was honorable. That was 43 years ago and of course we have all had a "reality check" - but, what can I say?

Plot—a backwoods southern girl is invited into a plantation manor after her father is sent to jail for bootlegging. The invite comes after she's rescued the hunky son from a plane crash. Now she's caught up in a humorous conflict of cultures while trying to adjust. At the same time, she pines for the son's affections despite his snobbish girlfriend.

Okay, after 70-some years of breathing my brain is turning to mush—Reynolds is charming, the song's cute, and I even enjoyed the suds this time around. Sixty years ago I hated the movie, but then I preferred rubber space monsters and Elvis's shaking' up the world. So I guess Reynolds and her song didn't really register. Truth be told, I still like Roger Corman's quickies and, of course, Elvis forever.

Nonetheless, in my now geezer opinion, the movie's a charmer, with occasional brain teasing moments. Tammy's a role the spunky Reynolds was born to play. Her sparkly innocence is winning from the git-go. Pairing her with the hunky Nielsen, however, remains a stretch. He towers over her like Tarzan in a spiffy suit. Still, her down-home truth-telling contrasts engagingly with the uptown sophisticates. I can see Peter (Nielsen) succumbing to her natural charm. But she's not all innocence. Behind her lack of education, Tammy has a perceptive inner eye, or a kind of backwoods wisdom. That compensates a lot for her amusing goofs in polite company. And catch the many innuendos I missed first time around. For example, when Tammy comes up with "of a carnal nature" while fending off masher Ernie's eager advances, I had to rerun the passage to make sure I heard correctly.

What also catches my eye this time is the subtle romancing of the ante-bellum South. The Brents represent the gentile side of the Old South transposed to the 1950's. In that sense, there's something of a nostalgia for the earlier time though it's not rubbed in. Then too, a contrasting note is sounded when Osia (Beavers), the Black cook, explains to Tammy the onerous meaning of her red bandanna headgear. So we're reminded of the Old South's not so gentile other side. And catch those colorful battleship cars. 1957 was about the peak year for showy fender fins that seemingly stretch into the great beyond.

Anyway, sociology aside, my age may be showing, but this time around I found the movie charming and occasionally insightful. So maybe something can be said said for geezer-years, after all.