Hotel für Liebespaare

Only the silliest of the silly need register at the Honeymoon Hotel, a ridiculously dated 1964 comedy starring Robert Goulet and Robert Morse, two entertainers who only made a handful of movies. Neither one of them sings in it, but even if it had been turned into a musical, it still probably wouldn't have been saved. I sat through it for Nancy Kwan, Goulet's main love interest.

Jilted before his wedding, Morse and his best man Goulet decide to go on the honeymoon anyway, since it's all been paid for. At the very least, they'll have a good time and pick up a girl or two - but they failed to realize it was a honeymoon-only hotel. Every couple besides them (cue endless '60s jokes about two men sharing a room) are married, so good luck finding any women. There is Nancy, though, a fitness instructor, and Goulet catches on quick. She's very cute with her "Kwan bob" and shows off her figure with swimsuits and minidresses. Determined to show her up (but failing to do so) is Jill St. John, once again playing an unbelievably stupid bimbo. Whenever I see her in a movie, I stifle my frustration at her terrible acting and focus on the greater problem at hand: that Hollywood continued to write such characters she could play. Why hasn't every feminist in the country written her dissertation on St. John's insulting piece-of-meat characters and how they set back women's rights for years? Even Marilyn Monroe played more realistic roles.

But, if you absolutely love St. John, Kwan, both Roberts, Keenan Wynn, Elsa Lanchester, and Anne Helm, you can try this movie. You might not get all the way through it, but you can try it.

Unbelievable that this is what they came up with as a debut for the two talented Broadway stars. My God, universally ripped apart by the critics of the day. It's a painfully embarrassing display of bad direction and a bad script. OUCH!!!

A 60's sex farce with little charm, mainly because the male characters are so unlikeable. Robert Goulet plays a guy who deliberately prevents his friend (Robert Morse) from reconciling with his fiancée so that he can try to score with a woman he's fallen for (Nancy Kwan). His boss comes to the same place with one of his lovers, and both his boss's wife and his friend's fiancée show up, thus setting off mayhem/musical chairs as the horny men try to not to get caught with the wrong women.

To its credit, the film's interracial romance is presented as any other, but it's hard to understand why Kwan's character would be attracted to Goulet's, and certainly hard to root for him. Jill St. John plays the lover and she does what she can, but her character is so ditzy and her big moment ends up being running into a plate glass window with her breasts. And then of course, the wife and fiancée characters are shrews. Kwan gets a scene to show off some dance moves, which was one of the few highlights. Also look for Elsa Lanchester as the chambermaid, and note the apartment set was the same used in 'Sunday in New York' a year earlier.

Hen-pecked Jay Menlow (Robert Morse) is marrying Cynthia Hampton. He and his womanizing friend Ross Kingsley (Robert Goulet) are caught commenting on other women. She cancels the wedding. Ross convinces him to go on the honeymoon anyways. The two guys arrive at the Boca Roca Hotel, but it's strictly for honeymooners only. The hotel insists on it. Ross is taken with social director Lynn Jenley (Nancy Kwan) and refuses to leave. She happens to be Cynthia's friend. Jay starts to crack, but Ross sabotages his reconciliation with Cynthia. Ross needs more time chasing Lynn.

I really like this movie until a certain point in the middle. I don't like what Lynn does after finding out Ross. There are many ways to get revenge on him. She picks the wrong path. It's not vicious enough. I would suggest stealing his big black book and start wrecking havoc on his life. It goes down the wrong path and the story thread comes to a dead end. This has some fun as a screwball sex comedy. More importantly, it has an inter-racial romance without making a big deal out of it. It does have some issues, but it is still good light fun.

When Jay's wedding doesn't go off as planned, he takes the best man on the vacation to the Boca Roca Hotel, which is for married couples only. Robert Morse (a year before The Loved One!) is Jay Menlow, and his buddy is Ross, played by the dashing Robert Goulet. running around in a towel. Lots of silly doubletakes and looks by the hotel staff, played by Bernard Fox and Elsa Lanchester. Jill St. John is Sherry, who swishes and sways through the whole movie... she's drunk most of the time, and doesn't seem to know or care with whom she ends up. keep an eye out for Sandra Gould from bewitched.. she's the hotel operator. it's all very predictable; a bedroom farce, where the men keep almost getting busted. this one even has Ross' boss ending up at the same hotel, complicating things even more. pretty silly. not much chemistry between the players. and some bits go on WAY too long.. the kaluga dance on the patio (was juliet prouse busy that day? ) Film directed by Henry Levin. fun fact: Lanchester was married to Charles Laughton for thirty years.