Tammy Tell Me True

The Tammy movies are never going to be confused for high art. They were meant to be light hearted fun that you could take your kids to.

The sequel continues the same corny story but the big difference is Sandra Dee replacing Debbie Reynolds. I love Sandra Dee and think she made the perfect Gidget bur she is not Debbie Reynolds. She deserves credit for taking the chance on following Reynolds because she knew there would be comparisons. Of course Sandra was head and shoulders better than Debbie Watson.

The story has Tammy going to college and just as in the original she is responsible for others rediscovering their love or hooking up with their true mate. Beulah Bondi has the role Mildred Natwick had in the original of the wise old woman. Bondi, like Natwick, was one of the great supporting actresses in Hollywood and lends a touch of class to the movie.

As for the rest of the cast, John Gavin is no Leslie Nielsen. Nielsen really was a good straight actor and Gavin is as stiff as a tree in comparison. The rest of the supporting cast is similarly a notch below the original.

If you like Sandra Dee, check out Gidget. It's just as much fun but with a better story and cast.

Pete is at agricultural college. Tammy Tyree (Sandra Dee) decides to go to college herself. She encounters poetry reading Tom Freeman who teaches public speaking. She joins his class. She needs a job and tries to be companion to elderly Annie Rook Call. Mrs. Call's niece rejects her but Annie is desperate for freedom. Annie runs away to join her on her boathouse, the Ellen B.

This is a sequel to Tammy and the Bachelor (1957). Sandra Dee replaces Debbie Reynolds. Sandra is laying it down thick and play it up to the rafters. That has a charm of its own like a simple caricature. The fish-out-water is fun but some of the reactions go too far. It's fun until it becomes awkwardly unreal. Nobody would laugh at some of those moments. When that feels out of place, it takes away from the resolution's poignancy. Despite some clunkiness, this has a sweetness and charm to it.

Sandra Dee assumes the role of Tammy Tyree, uneducated backwoods girl living on a shanty boat on the Mississippi River, formerly played by Debbie Reynolds in 1957's "Tammy and the Bachelor". There's not much connection between the two films aside from our heroine: Tammy's beau has disappeared to agricultural college and her grandpa has been jailed for making corn liquor without a license. Producer Ross Hunter, he of the well-upholstered "women's films" popular in the 1950s, would seem an odd choice for a romantic comedy about a Bible-quotin' young gal without any schoolin'--or an impressive wardrobe--hankerin' to go to college, but at least the production is bright and cheery, like Tammy herself. Dee does well in the lead, while Hunter has her comfortably paired with John Gavin, her crush from "Imitation of Life" (he was too old for her there--and he's probably too old for her here--but they have an easy rapport). Tammy's plain-spoken, unpretentious nature garners her a friend in Beulah Bondi's wealthy dowager, Mrs. Call, which offers some pleasant asides and a satisfying wrap-up in court. Glossy, perky, but also exceptionally thin and sugary...likely to cause bad reactions in viewers not in the mood for a heavy helping of syrup. Dee played Tammy again in 1963's somewhat improved "Tammy and the Doctor." ** from ****

In this Tammy movie Sandra Dee takes over in the main role. This time we find Pete off to cow college and Tammy wants to get herself some learnin' as Grandpa is still in jail over the corn liquor. Tammy gets the Ellen B. houseboat towed downstream to be close to the Seminola College and then the calamities begin! This time Tammy falls for a speech professor and befriends an older woman with an overbearing niece. Some of the situations and phrases would never be uttered in today's age. But this is a snapshot in time. Definitely will make you laugh, just don't think too much about it. Worth a rental.

I just watched this movie for the first time and I was completely hooked! The main actress has so much spunk and sincerity. I discovered that her real name is Sandra Dee. I had heard of Sandra Dee, but I had never seen her before. I think she was a fabulous actress! Also, this movie has a timeless story which could apply in any era. I loved the movie and Sandra Dee was amazing. I think Sandra Dee could have acted in any era. I was born in 1975 and it is difficult for me to relate to the acting style of older movies before my time. This one was certainly an exception. I was sad to find out that she died this year at 60 years old. I intend to see more of her films.