Obviously this film was intended for a young audience, which is why none of the posted comments mention the presence of Tyrone Power Jr., who is the only reason I watched this movie.
"California Casanova" doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is - light entertainment featuring attractive people with lots of hair, makeup, and great bodies.Ruth Landers produced this film for her daughter Audrey, who gives a sweet performance as a young woman being pressured by her thug boyfriend to stay with him.
The plots are a little bit disjointed. There's the Landers plot, which ties in with the Jerry Orbach plot. Orbach brings his usual wonderful professionalism to an offbeat role for him, that of a fake count trying to give some class to a nerd - Tyrone Power Jr. Tyrone Power Jr. resembles his late father so much, particularly in the first shots of him, that I got goosebumps. Were he a stronger actor, his career might have at least approached that of his father's, but he's never really been able to rise above decent parts in independent films and bit roles in larger ones. He does a lot of indicating, i.e., shaking his head, grimacing, etc., as he did in "Cocoon." However, circa 1991, he was gorgeous, and his love scene with Landers was sheer perfection. His entrance as a polished, classy gentleman was very similar to his father's entrance in "The Razor's Edge," though I suspect that was more of a coincidence than an actual choice on the part of the director. He also, at least when the film was made, did not have a good agent - his role in this film was as much of a lead as Landers', yet he is billed below the title.
Landers gets to show off her singing voice in the film, and she's quite good. All in all, "California Casanova" is mindlessly diversionary and of definite interest for old film buffs who will be glad to see that the son also rises.
