Three Blondes in His Life

Jock Mahoney plays the lead in one of those b&w B movies which the cop and lawyer shows on TV were rapidly replacing. Jock travels from New York to L.A. to investigate the disappearance of a fellow insurance investigator and, as a result, quickly becomes acquainted with the three blondes of the title. The "mystery" which confronts him fails to adequately intrigue the viewer and the blondes with whom he interacts lack the hoped-for fascination. The final product of all Jock's efforts is a bare-bones time-killer which evokes its era -- beginning with the title song accompanying the opening credits -- without giving one the slightest urge to re-visit it.

Those looking for a point of interest in this material might consider how it presents Jock Mahoney. Despite his "hunk" status, usually emphasized by frequent "beefcake" scenes, he's shown here in virtually every scene wearing a suit and tie, and he seems to have no sexual interaction with any of the blondes. (They're interested; he's not.) This state of affairs makes the movie seem more like a product of the early 1950s rather than the early 1960s. Jock does have two bare-chest scenes, but they're curiously staged. In the first, he's shown lying belly-down in bed, shirtless, and the only glimpse you get of his chest is an oblique one as he reaches out to answer a telephone. In the second, Jock unbuttons and removes his shirt but you don't see him directly but rather watch his image as reflected in a mirror. It's almost as if Jock's physique is so striking a sight that it must be shown to the viewer only in rationed and carefully-controlled circumstances.

Just watched this again after about five years, and I'm still struck by the wonderful hard-boiled ambiance of the film, which perfectly captures the male-fantasy element of detective fiction. As a reader of things like Mike Shayne crime novels, I think that THREE BLONDES IN HIS LIFE captures the alcohol-soaked, blonde-loving, tough-guy feel of the typical Shayne novel better than any of the movies that featured the Shayne character. Jock Mahoney (see my review of I'VE LIVED BEFORE), always a reliable leading man with great physical charisma and macho attitude, is perfect as an insurance detective out to crack the case of a phony robbery staged to hide a jewel theft, a case that eventually involves murder. A former agent for Mahoney's company has gone missing and is implicated in the crime, and this agent had three blondes in his life. Soon, they are involved in Mahoney's life. I love the way that when Mahoney walks into a room to visit one of these women and question her, he first is offered a drink (he's a bourbon drinker), and then the woman either comes on to him, or puts up a shrewish front as a cover for the fact that she really WANTS to come on to him! The film is rather low-budget, but is shot very imaginatively. I commented to my fiancée as we watched this that it had the technical feel of a 50s syndicated TV crime show,with small but efficiently shot sets, but had excellent location photography also which helped create a nice atmospheric Los Angeles feel to it. It's also lit like a TV crime show. Imagine my surprise when I checked the IMDb credits and saw that director Leon Chooluck's only directing credit other than this is the HIGHWAY PATROL TV series! Chooluck has a long string of credits as production manager on a number of interesting b-movies, many of which I've loved, and he obviously learned how to organize an efficient production. Another interesting aspect of the film is that the production company, Cinema Associates, was a group of four people, one of whom was the legendary Haskell Wexler, of MEDIUM COOL fame. THREE BLONDES IN HIS LIFE captures the ambiance of a paperback-original detective novel better than most similar films I've ever seen. It features a strong, cool leading man in Jock Mahoney, and it deserves to be much better known. Check it out.

Everything is in the title, the athletic handsome Jock Mahoney investigates about a colleague disparition and meets 3 sexy blondes who are really "thirsty". There are 2 unforgettable violent fights rarely seen with such energy. Quite fun and entertaining.

I sometimes refer to the 60's as a forgotten decade movie-wise and here is another good example you won't have heard of, with stars that may not be familiar. It is a straightforward, strictly private eye genre film that PI genre fans will enjoy.

Jock Mahoney was an old-style cool hunk. Check him out ladies, he was very tall with former-movie-Tarzan/stuntman/athlete-fit good looks. Does his own stunts here including being kicked head first down a flight of stairs which he handles with effortless athleticism. Not an actor's actor who "emoted" but the kind of cool dude that wears well for 2 hours and sauntered through Hollywood in those days.

Jesse White gives a clinic on how to be a character actor and works well with Mahoney. Anthony Dexter is perfect as the oily, sleazy gigolo bartender type that populated TV and movies of the era.

Former Miss Denmark Greta Thyssen effectively steams up the screen bombshell/Jayne Mansfield style. She was also a competent actress (see a Perry Mason episode she did) and possibly could have been more of a star under different circumstances.

Despite its lightweight nature this film has some unique little touches such as a glam babe playing piano in the restaurant (I mean really playing it, not fake). You will also note the endless parade of Buicks (why? deal with General Motors?). These Buicks are dinosaurs now but were considered flashy and swank back then.

Catch this film to view an era of Los Angeles and film making that is gone forever and should be remembered, back when a large chunk of the movie business was lightweight and made for entertainment.

Love this little film. It's hilarious and unintentionally tongue-in-cheek. As a mystery, it's not mysterious. Duke Wallace spends most of time making time with the "titular" blondes and ogling Jesse White's secretary who is actually the most attractive girl in the cast. I always liked White. He spends his time either being Jock's sounding board or telling him to calm down when his secretary is in his office. After being kicked headfirst down a flight of stairs (a great stunt), Jock reaches into his jacket's breast pocket for his cigarettes that miraculously weren't crushed when he belly surfed down the stairs. The closing brawl was great although the editing interrupts it with shots of Valerie Porter. Television (77 Sunset Strip, Johnny Stacatto) was doing a much better job at this kind of detective story when this was filmed.