User reviews

Light-hearted and amusing tale where Martin gets Curtis to pretend he is a member of the FBI to cover up Leigh catching him kissing another girl.

Yes, that's about it but its OK, Tony Curtis doesn't put himself out too much, Dean Martin is his usual cool self and coasts easily enough through the proceedings but it is the energetic and likable performance from Janet Leigh that surprises.

Same year as Psycho!

Worth seeing if you are a fan of any of the three stars. Nothing brilliant but never a dull moment.

I'd always wanted to check out this well-regarded if rarely-seen comedy – for the record, some years back I missed out on its sole Italian TV screening (that I know of). For Tony Curtis, it meant something of a follow-up to the classic SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) – where he's forced, with his co-star (in this case, Dean Martin), to pass himself off as something he isn't (an F.B.I. agent), leading to misunderstanding, various complications and imminent danger.

Similarly, a female is involved in the shenanigans (Curtis' on and off-screen wife Janet Leigh) though, here, the whole ruse starts off because of her: Chemistry Professor Curtis' fling with a female student is discovered by his jealous wife, so he turns for help to his best pal – TV writer Martin – who procures him with papers (and a gun) denoting his Bureau affiliations; Leigh is finally convinced of this and, soon after, is contacted by a real F.B.I. operative (James Whitmore) who uses her to keep track of just what Curtis and Martin are up to!

One of the highlights of the film is the extended yet splendid incident in a restaurant: Leigh accepts Curtis' excuse to go on the town with Martin, believing it to be another federal job – but, in her over-eagerness to help, effectively blows his cover…which then lands the F.B.I. itself in hot water! The biggest trouble, however, is that enemy agents take the two men to be the real deal and kidnap them (and Leigh) in order to extract vital information they believe Curtis is in possession of! The aftermath of this sequence is again hilarious as, dazed by the drug he's been given, Curtis thinks they've been taken to a Russian sub and persuades Martin to flood it…but it transpires that they're in the basement of the Empire State Building!

The script (adapted by Norman Krasna – who also produced – from his own play) balances witty dialogue with inspired zany situations, which are then delightfully put across by an excellent cast. Both male stars, in fact, were already adept at this type of thing (crooner Martin also sings the title tune), but Leigh surprisingly proves a fine comedienne in her own right: it's a pity that her marriage to Curtis was crumbling by this time which is doubly ironic given the film's plot, but they were professional enough not to let the real cracks show in their performances.

Although the premise first hearing about it and reading it didn't exactly grab me and didn't sound plausible for a minute, the star power did attract me enough to see 'Who Was That Lady' anyway. Also had heard the title song beforehand, sung by none other by Dean Martin, and was quite impressed. Tony Curtis, Dean Martin and Janet Leigh's careers were all hit and miss but they were always likeable enough and always did their best regardless of what was thrown at them.

Which is the case here with 'Who Was That Lady'. Can definitely see why the reviews here are mixed, with some really liking it and others being indifferent. Everybody is not at their finest and did have better material, but it doesn't waste them either. As for me myself, my opinion is somewhere in between, finding enough to enjoy but not really loving it and wishing that it could have been more. With it not starting off all that promisingly but it got better.

The story is very thin at times and is often very implausible and a little more complicated than it needed to be (even for a concocted story between characters intended to be that way). It could have gotten going quicker.

In terms of the writing, 'Who Was That Lady' did in my view at times try too hard for laughs, meaning some of the material is strained. While everything with the Russians is quite fun to watch and suspenseful, the film feels like a different film towards the end. Going from frothy romantic comedy to thriller.

However, the glossy production values are skillfully done. The music has energy and charm and the title song is vintage Martin, which will be a delight if a fan of him (have personally always loved his voice). The direction becomes more at ease when the film gets going and the dialogue has plenty of wit and is very amusing in many parts. The restaurant scene is a joy and very memorable.

Curtis is likeable and has strong comic timing, while over-eager at times. Leigh is charm personified and brings a lot of vitality to a role that's fairly thankless and plot device-like. Martin works very well with Curtis and amuses. The chemistry between Curtis and real-life wife at the time Leigh are sweet without being too sugary, one would not have guessed that they were apparently having marital problems at that point. James Whitmore is enjoyably subtle and Larry Storch steals his scenes even if his character seemed as if it was lifted from another film.

Summing up, quite enjoyable though am a little mixed on what my thoughts are. 6/10

When Janet Leigh interrupts assistant chemistry professor husband Tony Curtis at work she finds him in the arms of a female student ,and promptly sets about leaving him and petitioning for divorce .He turns in desperation to his friend -a TV scriptwriter played by Dean Martin.Together they concoct a story that he is an FBI agent whose romantic activity was all in the line of duty .Somewhat implausibly she believes the far fetched tale and the marriage is once again set fair.Or it would be but for unexpected complications--the real FBI are not amused by the deception;Martin siezes upon the deception as a cover for his serial womanising and some foreign spies believe Curtis and Martin may have secrets they can use.It builds to a frantic climax deep in the bowels of the Empire State Building, The movie has pace and this is what sustains interest for the script is pretty feeble -thin to the point of anorexia.The movie zips along briskly enough to paper over the cracks in the script and while rarely laugh out loud this is a genial and engaging comedy very much of its period in its attitudes to women who are here confined to domesticity and looking good.

Strong performances all round with James Whitmore especially good as an ulcer ridden FBI man and John mcIntyre as his superior.

Chemistry professor David Wilson (Tony Curtis) gets caught by his wife Ann (Janet Leigh) kissing one of his students. She vows to divorce him. He is distressed and recruits his TV writer friend Michael Haney (Dean Martin) to come up with a story to tell his wife. Michael tells an outrageous tale and Ann surprisingly buys it all.

Times have changed. A cheating husband is no longer so cute. In order to update this, the kiss needs to be shown as all student driven. Only then would anybody root for the couple to reunite. As a comedy of its day, one could see where the fake identity comedy gets its laughs. It works with what it has. Janet Leigh is nowhere near the blonde dimwit that she needs to be. Curtis and Martin are playing it with a wink and a smile. It is a comedy from another time.

Delightful marital / spy comedy; Tony Curtis & Dean Martin are an inspired comic teaming (somehow, this was their only film together!), while Curtis & Janet Leigh, who were then married in real life, have a palpable, physical chemistry together. James Whitmore deadpans effectively as the real FBI man, while Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing almost stop the show (in a positive manner) in the dinner scene. *** out of 4.

"Who Was That Lady?" has no deep theme underlying the comedy, but neither do many of the best comedies. This one begins as it ends, with laughter. It's not belly laughs all the way through, but even the laughless parts consist of plot mechanisms that are per se at least amusing and serve as set-ups for later guffaws. There are moments when you'll feel as if you're about to split with laughter.

A summary is in order, although it will sound silly. An assistant professor of chemistry at Columbia (Curtis, who lives with his wife, Janet Leigh) in a pad no assistant professor would allow himself to dream of, is caught being kissed by one of his students. Leigh enters his office at the wrong moment, turns on her heel and walks out to go home and begin packing. (All we see of this opening scene are the legs of the three participants.)

A desperate Curtis calls his old pal Martin, a writer of TV mysteries, to help him figure out a way to keep his wife. Over drinks of lab alcohol Martin comes up with something like, "I've got it. You know why you were kissing that girl? Because you're a secret agent in the F.B.I. and she's a Russian spy." Curtis believes this is the dumbest story he's ever heard. But Martin pulls down the shades and locks the doors and tells him that he, Martin, is himself an F.B.I. agent, having been trained at Quantico while Curtis thought he was on duty in the Army. Martin even pulls off his sock and shows him four dots tattooed on his heel, the sure sign of a secret agent. "J. Edgar Hoover has five."

Curtis is convinced. And Martin begins tattooing his heel with a pen and an electric fan. Queried by a still puzzled Curtis, Martin tells him, "Me? In the F.B.I.? I couldn't even get to be an eagle scout, you jackass." As far as the dots go, Martin doesn't know about Hoover but everybody in his fraternity at Cornell has them.

I'm going to avoid going into this because it would spoil things. Suffice it to say that in order to convince Leigh that Curtis really is an F.B.I. agent, Martin goes to his prop department at CBS and has a fake F.B.I. ID card printed and requisitions a pistol. The F.B.I. gets wind of the fake card. So does the C.I.A. So do the Russians. In the end, a drugged Curtis and Martin wake up in the basement of the Empire State Building, believing they've been kidnapped and are aboard a Russian submarine. I swear I'm not making this up. They decide to sacrifice their lives and sink the submarine, which they attempt to do by hugging each other, then turning every valve and faucet in sight, pulling levers, releasing cascades of water, until they short out the electrical circuit of the Empire State Building.

I'm going to leave it there, I think. It hasn't appeared much on TV lately, and that's the only reason I can think of why there aren't any previous comments on this hilarious comedy. Really, folks, it doesn't deserve to pass unseen. Everyone in it is at his/her comedic best. Even James Whitmore manages to evoke a sympathetic smile or two. And Barbara Nichols in a small but important role has never been funnier. In a Chinese nightclub, Martin and Curtis promise her a job on TV, a proposition which they argue should be discussed over the course of a weekend at the shore. Nichols excuses herself and phones her agent: "They're talking' about a job," she tells him, "but now they're throwin' in Atlantic City." She and Joi Lansing are the prey in this scene. "Get a load of the way these gals are assembled," Martin mutters to Curtis. And adds: "They sing and dance -- like rabbits."

It's not sophisticated but when you come right down to it comedy doesn't really need elegance to be funny. Was Feydeau sophisticated? Was Aristophanes? Was Daffy Duck?

The movie defines the word "farce."

Tony Curtis and Dean Martin are good performers, but the characters they play are pathetic. The FBI "thing" gets tiresome. Janet Leigh looks great, as usual. There are few really funny lines throughout the movie, but the viewer can easily get distracted during "dead zones" of absurd planning and plotting.

The highlight of this movie occurs when the Coogle sisters (Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing) enter the restaurant. The movie is worth watching if only for this one memorable and provocative scene.

I have rated this movie a 6, but I almost gave it a 5.

David (Tony Curtis) is a bad husband. You learn this when his wife (in the film and in real life), Ann (Janet Leigh) finds him kissing another woman. It appears their marriage is now over and Michael (Dean Martin) gives David some very bad advice...to tell his wife he is an FBI agent and kissing the girl was just part of his job! Surprisingly, Ann is incredibly gullible and he's eventually able to convince her! Now, the marriage appears to be back on...but David and Michael have no idea how much trouble they are in, as soon the REAL FBI, CIA and enemy spies ALL converge on the dopey pair of carousers when they are out with a couple other women!

This is an unsual film, in that you don't like the main characters but it still manages to work. The film is VERY silly and at times a bit too much...but generally provides a few cute laughs. Well worth seeing and a bit better than I expected.

Right to be surprised when you find out that this screwball comedy with extravagant plot ridiculous and childish humor in 1960 was twofold nominated for film award "Golden Globe", namely in the categories of Best Actor and Best Film. If the first tape of George Sidney (Kiss Me Kate) is quite tolerant of his romantic escapades, foolish pretense heroes Dean Martin and Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh heroine's reaction to all this, the next story tape makes a roll in the direction of incongruity is happening that is not only not to laugh want to even see it's not worth it.

It all starts with the fact that Columbia University chemistry professor David Wilson catches kissing a young student in the eyes of his wife, Ann. Wife confronts him and immediately wanted to divorce. His friend Mike comes up with his legend: "FBI agent and he kissed the girl, in order to fulfill its top-secret mission!" For the more convincing it also provides him a fake identity and a pistol. All work is done! Few fool about before her and took off with the blame, our heroes can go on a spree with other women. But here's the rub - Blessed David all took so seriously that starts everywhere to poke their nose in their "cause." She asked with great curiosity, how is service and what it's like to be always on the "knife edge".

The culmination of the first half of the film (which still was a little funny compared to those that started later) will be involved in their game is not clear from emerging Soviet agents and quite shameless and totally ridiculous encompassing theme of the Cold War.

Of course, the movie captivates enjoyable actors. Dean Martin and Tony Curtis lovely man, though not shine here with his skill, and Janet Leigh is incredibly charming, although it is in principle a very beautiful woman, it would be foolish to write this series dignity movie.

Tony Curtis was actually married to Janet Leigh when they made this. and it starts with Professor Wilson (Curtis) smooching a student when his wife (Leigh) walks in. some really good jazz riffs on the piano, right at the beginning, until his wife walks in. Then, the wife is off to Reno for a divorce! his buddy Mike (Dean Martin) gives him bad advice, and now he's in more trouble than ever. Can they convince Ann that it was all part of his FBI mission? the usual misunderstandings, fights. but can she forgive him? this one is silly but fun. there's clearly a magic between the actors here. and how far will they all go with the gag before the REAL fbi guy shows up, and it all blows up? Larry Storch is a russian spy, a couple years before F Troop! and even a special cameo by Jack Benny. directed by George Sidney. made some great, huge films over the years. This one is silly, zany, suggestive, and fun. it was 1960, so they could be as naughty as they wanted by this point.

This is a fairly well made comedy; engaging and fairly lightweight, it would be quite forgettable were it not for Janet Leigh's somewhat animated performance. It is not that the other leads did anything bad, they just didn't do anything exceptional here. Janet Leigh was at the time married to Tony Curtis and this would be the last of five films they made together. In a case of art imitating life (or vice versa) her marriage was almost certainly in trouble by this stage; she was divorced from Tony Curtis about two years later.

I'm just watching this film again on UK TV, broadcast on 'Sony Movies Classic'. The transfer from celluloid to video is mostly OK, but my enjoyment is marred by the sound quality; they appear to have used some kind of auto-sound level control in the transfer somewhere, which has the effect of amplifying every tiny sound even when it is meant to be quiet. Another good film wrecked for posterity then...? Not quite, but almost.

"Who was That Lady" is an amazingly creative comedy.Tony Curtis is a loving husband with a beautiful but very jealous wife.His best friend Dean Martin is hysterical! These two men plot to relieve Tony's wife Janet Leigh of her jealous suspicions with the most outrageous fabrications ever invented. I don't want to give away all the fun, but you have to see the number of schemes Dean Martin comes up with and she continually is more proud of her husband, an innocent professor,who was seen by his wife being kissed by a female as she leaves class.Janet Leigh wants to know who was that lady kissing you and why,she then decides to just leave him.So he goes to his womanizing buddy for advise. He's desperate therefore takes some crazy idea and tells her he's doing work undercover for the govt..Some real spy's over hear and trouble ensues.

All this star power--what a waste. Doubtless in 1960 this seemed a passable comedy, even clever, and it didn't raise an eyebrow that a man's highest goal was to fool his wife into abject devotion so he could have "good home cooking" with "romance on the side" whenever he wanted.

Dean Martin grates on contemporary taste in everything he ever did. Tony Curtis fares better and Janet Leigh suffers through a thankless role here.

By all accounts Norman Krasna was an objectionable little man, out to wreak his revenge on women and on all the world for his own shortcomings. He earned his reputation as someone who could turn out scripts quickly and cheaply for notoriously rapacious producers. His style of 'humor' though simply hasn't aged well.

Spare yourself this particular bit of painful and extremely unfunny misogyny.

A great film made even better I suspect by the performances of the two leading men, two other actors in the parts would have made it less enjoyable. Tony and Dean were perfectly cast and at their comedy best. Janet Leigh was also superb in this.