The Marriage-Go-Round

In The Marriage-Go-Round, a Swedish exchange student comes to stay in the home of a happily married couple. The wife welcomes her with open arms, but she really shouldn't. We find out pretty early on she has designs on the husband; she wants him to father her child! Told in a funny he-said-she-said format, James Mason and Susan Hayward tell the audience about the time in their lives when their marriage was tested by the ridiculously attractive Julie Newmar.

While it's totally believable that James Mason would be propositioned in such a way, it isn't quite believable that he would be tempted to stray with Susan Hayward at home. She's far too strong and independent to portray a housewife who's let herself go. There are several jokes about her putting on weight and not being alluring enough for her husband. But it's Susan Hayward! Onstage, Claudette Colbert originated the role. She's a beautiful woman, too, but she would have been middle-aged at that time, still retaining the vulnerability of her youth, and far more convincing. Julie Newmar is wonderful, though; and she also played the role on Broadway. Hilarious, physically perfect, a flawless Swedish accent (patterned after her mother), and a master of intellect and sportsmanship, she fits the description of every man's fantasy and every woman's nightmare.

The fun part of the movie is, of course, James Mason. His delighted grin is hilarious, and you can clearly see him having a ball during the filming. It's no stretch to see why he was asked to play Hubert Humphrey in Lolita after being paired with a young girl in this movie. As this is a comedy, and he's the pursued not the pursuer, we can all have a good laugh.

The outside scenes of this movie were partially filmed in Lakeland, Florida (my hometown) on the Florida Southern College campus. The buildings were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and are situated adjacent to Lake Hollingsworth. It made a beautiful setting for this romantic comedy. Co-star Susan Hayward was one of my favorite actresses and of course, Julie Newmar was almost as smashing as Bo Derek in "10". I thought the plot was a bit sophisticated for the time (1961). More to my liking were the Doris Day - Rock Hudson comedies of the same period. A little less sophistication and more "slapstick" type fun films. Tony Randall's masterful comedic genius added greatly to most of them.

This really is dreck. What a waste of James Mason who still manages a decent performance despite having to deal with not so sophisticated sophisticated dialogue. The sript combines pop pyschology popular in the early 60s with sitcom like witticisms masking as Noel Coward level repartee. Not to mention that it's stagey and setbound with the main premise being pummelled to death. Newmar looks fantastic and was a decent enough actress but then you have Susan Hayward. A looker no doubt , but I've always thought she was a terrible actress who constantly seems to read her lines off of a greeting card. And what's with that voice ? A Joan Crawford baritone? Forget this one.

A pretty rarely seen 1960s sex comedy, if the view count on Letterboxd does any indication. I didn't love it, but I liked it a lot, just for being a rom-com of its time. There's something relaxing and carefree about movies of this sort from the 1960s - especially the early 1960s. That being said, this one didn't full me over like The Facts of Life (1960), but they do make a great double feature.

Julie Newmar was gorgeous in a very Anita Ekberg kind of way, and I was very pleased with her performance. But I kept thinking about To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything Julie Newmar - the 1990s comedy that had little to do with her, but the title does stay in one's mind.

Julie Newmar played a Swede in this movie. I don't know if she's actually a Swede though. Either she is, or she studied her accent from Greta Garbo movies. All Swedes sound like Greta Garbo to me. At least, when they are at their most Swedish.

The real standout star of the film though, was the house. Wow, they don't make them like that anymore! The layout and everything, so distinctly 1950s / 1960s. In other words, just beautiful!

I do like James Mason and what else can be said about Susan Hayward?. With the cast of capable actors, the story should be a given, and should work.

Somehow it doesn't. Is it just dated?. Is it just that romantic romps with hip chicks (Julie Newmar) and rock music have no resonance?. Despite the backdrop of Frank Lloyd Wright's house in Lakeland Florida, the story comes up banal and empty.

Perhaps it is the portrayal of Hayward and Mason as a married couple After the requisite jealousy, tantrums, and throwing around of suitcases, the couple gets back together. We still see formula like this today in recent films like "The Break Up". It just doesn't work, and leaves the viewer feeling they have witnessed somehow, another wooden version of Hollywood romance.