User reviews

Some may consider the Rock Hudson / Doris Day comedies of the 50's and 60's to be dated, corny, and sexist to boot but I find them still to be clever and sparklingly funny, and, viewed today, wonderfully innocent. The comic chemistry between Doris Day and Rock Hudson was unique and ranks with other classic pairings such as Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. This movie will always have a nostalgic place in my memory, as it was the first 'adult' comedy I saw. I was fifteen and saw it in Radio City Music Hall with my church youth fellowship group on a trip to New York. My, how risque it seemed! Of note is Jack Oakie's delightful bit as the southern colonel in what turned out to be his last feature film ("Just a tay-uch!")

LOVER, COME BACK is a stylish and sophisticated sex comedy that reunited Doris Day, Rock Hudson, and Tony Randall in this story of rival advertising executives (Day, Hudson) who, though they've never met, can't stand each other and are always competing for the same clients which once again sets up a clever mistaken identity scenario that allows Rock to pretend to be someone else in order to woo an unsuspecting Doris. This is Doris and Rock's best film, IMO...a sparkling romantic comedy with a strong screenplay and once again, Doris again exemplifies the 60's working woman....one of the few actresses during this time in Hollywood consistently playing working women competing in a man's world. Doris and Rock get strong support from Randall, Jack Kruschen, Ann B. Davis, and especially Edie Adams. Doris' "virginity" never had more sex appeal than it did here.

In New York, Madison Avenue is the center of advertising world and like in a beehive, divided in workers and drones. Carol Templeton (Doris Day) is a professional that has just arrived from Omaha, Nebraska, to work in the Bracket, McGalpin & Gaines Advertising expecting to be a winner through hard work. The unethical Jerry Webster (Rock Hudson) works in the Ramsey & Son and entertains his clients with sexy women, bribe and booze to ensure contracts for his agency.

When the Southern J. Paxton Miller (Jack Oakie) comes to New York to close the contract of the Cera Miller account, Carol prepares a presentation to the old man. However, Jerry wins the account bringing Miller to a nightclub with strippers, booze and a party later in his penthouse with the strippers led by Rebel Davis (Edie Adams).

Carol is upset and goes to the advertising council to throw Jerry out of the advertising business. However, Jerry lures Rebel, who is going to testify against him, offering the position of VIP girl in TV commercials for the new product VIP. Then he asks the team to not broadcast but only file the footages since VIP that does not exist. However, the insecure Peter 'Pete' Ramsey (Tony Randall), who has inherited the Ramsey & Son, orders a massive advertising campaign broadcasting the commercials to show himself off to his employees. In order to save his job and the agency, Jerry hires Doctor Linus Tyler (Jack Kruschen), who is a lonely man, to develop VIP.

Meanwhile, Carol decides to take the VIP account for her agency and she visits Dr. Tyler. However, she meets Jerry instead and believes that he is the famous scientist awarded with the Nobel Prize. Now Carol wants to convince Dr. Tyler to come to her agency and the cynical Jerry uses the situation to seduce Carol.

"Lover Come Back" is really a delightful and witty romantic comedy, with a funny story and a great screenplay that was awarded with the 1962 Oscar. Tony Randall is hilarious and his insecure character is among the funniest I have ever seen. Rock Hudson and Doris Day are excellent, showing magnificent chemistry. The two guys that stumble with Jerry Webster everywhere are also very funny. My only remark is to the disappointing rushed ending that gives the sensation that something is missing and makes Carol Templeton a stereotype of the women in the 50's and 60's. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Volta Meu Amor" ("Come Back My Love")

In New York's Fifth Avenue 'hive' of advertising agencies, the executives are either 'workers' or 'drones'. The former are industrious and diligent (and female), and the latter (the men) get by on wining and dining their clients. Carol Templeton is very much a worker, and she resents losing an account to Jerry Webster, the drone of all drones. One of Jerry's schemes (should that be 'scams'?) is the invention of "Vip", a non-existent commodity. He markets the new product so successfully that Vip becomes an overnight sensation. Throw in a severe case of mistaken identity, a nutty professor and a bungled seduction, and you have all the ingredients for a pleasant and well-constructed romantic comedy.

This was the second of the three Day-Hudson movies, and probably the best. Tony Randall is consistently funny as Peter Ramsey, the ineffectual company boss. Day does the humour very well, even if the main part of her duties is to pull a series of exasperated faces. There's a good split-screen graphic and a funny moose joke. Rock's woollen suit is amusing, and I liked the witty conclusion to the aquarium scene. Just one thought - why is Doris's hair so resiliently bouffant immediately after she steps out of the sea?

Everybody knows now that Rock Hudson was gay, but it goes without saying that this was far from universally acknowledged back in 1961. Is it my imagination, or does the film contain a vein of subtle "Rock-is-one-of-those" drollery? He makes a tongue in cheek speech to Doris, telling her that he can never be a real man to her. When the effeminate co-worker informs Doris that he has a lilac carpet in his apartment, she does a highly significant double-take. Rock keeps saying things like "I am not undersexed!" He tells Doris that he's taking her in - is he doing the same to the movie audience?

Finally, given that no lovers part, and indeed there ARE no lovers in the entire film, one wonders about the choice of title ...

Classic Day/Hudson sex comedy, with the two playing battling ad execs. This one is very funny and well paced, with the usual battles and confusion between Day's gullible virgin and Hudson's charming cad.

What struck me most about this movie was exactly what an awful, awful person Hudson plays. An interesting aspect of movies of this time is how many of them feature male characters who have no morals or scruples, but even by the standards of the time Jerry Webster seems particularly odious. And for me this is what makes this movie 7-star instead of 8-star. Because the movie insists that you have some sympathy for his character. If he were not played by a charming handsome guy no one would have sympathy for him. He deserves a horse-whipping. He doesn't get one, alas, but the movie is quite funny.

Of the three Rock Hudson-Doris Day films my absolute favorite is Lover Come Back. It's not only a good sex comedy for Doris and Rock, but it's also a very funny satire on the advertising business of Madison Avenue.

In Pillow Talk Doris was an interior decorator and Rock a songwriter. They haven't changed their characters at all, but now are both in the advertising business.

Through an incredible combination of circumstances I couldn't possibly write Rock has created commercials for a product that doesn't exist and the doofus son of the agency he works for, Tony Randall, has ordered them given full blown airing. With Doris nipping at his heels for unethical practices, Rock and Tony hire a nutty scientist played by Jack Kruschen to come up with some kind of product for the commercials.

In the meantime Doris mistakes Rock for the scientist and now we're back to the plot of Pillow Talk as Rock decides to make some time with Doris. It gets pretty wild and wacky, especially after Kruschen invents something that has some very unforeseen consequences.

All the cast members do just fine in this very bright comedy that has me splitting a gut with laughter every time I see it. In addition to the cast members mentioned, I should also single out Edie Adams as the southern model who Hudson makes the commercials with.

Also to be singled out in what turned out to be his farewell screen performance is Jack Oakie who plays the southern client who Rock steals from Doris and gets all the wacky nonsense started.

Even given the changing mores, Lover Come Back holds up quite well and today's audience will love it as I do.

Both Rock and Doris are caught up in the VIP madness. Trouble is that no one knows what VIP actually is. You see that Rock made it all up to get Edie Adams off his back. Unfortunately, his "crazy" boss, Tony Randall, doesn't know this and as a result the hilarity begins.

Rock Hudson excelled in comedy roles when he would be imitating others so as to fool Doris Day. Remember Rex Stetson in another Rock and Doris film? As Jerry Webster, the advertising Casanova in this film, Rock gave a totally memorable performance. Doris plays Carol Templeton, a devoted advertising executive who can no longer stand losing accounts to Jerry, since he knows how to wine, dine and bed prospective clients.

The dialogue is crisp and riotous at best. Edie Adams as Rebel will make you laugh out loud with a darling southern accent. Jack Kruschen has his moments as the embittered chemist who can be bought. Interesting to note that both Adams and Kruschen appeared together the year before in "The Apartment." As is the case with this film as well, they weren't in any scenes together.

A romp in every sense of the word.

Rock Hudson, Doris Day, and Tony Randall are excellent - the movie is not so much. First of all, the film is a one of those sophisticated (?) '60s "sex comedies". There are suggested sexual situations throughout: Mr. Hudson is, I believe, fairly explicitly stated as a promiscuous man; and, Ms. Day makes a conscious decision to have out-of-wedlock sex with Hudson. Also, there are "gay jokes"; and, there are suggestions of marijuana use (note the scene where Hudson explains away an uncomfortable situation by saying he smoked a funny cigarette, lacking a label).

The advertising industry is effectively satirized. The VIP storyline is funny. The scenes between Hudson/Day and Hudson/Randall are witty and well-played. I liked Hudson and Randall with their beards. You'll get to see Hudson in his underwear (boxers) and Day in a bathing suit (one-piece, alas).

BUT, the script is filled with tired old jokes. The ending is too rushed. Very distracting are the blurring of Doris Day's close-ups in this film. The other performers have very clear close-ups. I would rather they not blur Ms. Day's close-ups, or just blur everyone. I suppose this is a feature of several of Day's sixties films - it's unfortunate.

******* Lover Come Back (1961) Delbert Mann ~ Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall

This Doris Day/Rock Hudson comedy is a vast improvement over their previous one, "Pillow Talk". At least, both stars seem to be having a relaxed time with one another, under the direction of Delbert Mann. It helps a lot that the tremendously talented writing team of Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning are around to give the movie lots of laughs with what they created.

The idea of warring advertising executives works well. Doris Day plays the uptight Carol Templeton, a girl from the provinces that manages to land a plum job in a Madison Avenue firm and lives in a fantastic Manhattan apartment that was only to be found in the movies. Carol dresses with style, but one wonders whose idea was to have her wear those hideous hats she constantly sports.

Carol's enemy turns out to be Jerry Webster, the playboy adman who steals everything from Carol's reach. As played by Rock Hudson, this is one of his best roles in comedy. Somehow he made us believe he was that man who has a knack to get what he wants, especially from the adoring women he charms.

The basic premise of the film is the constant battle between Carol and Jerry. Both stars do some of their best work as they clash over the new product that suddenly appears in ads all over the place. VIP is something nobody knows about, yet Carol wants to get the account. VIP turns out to be a product that gives its user a great feeling for only 10 cents. Sampling the product at the Ad Council, where Carol takes Jerry to be tried for his unprofessional conduct, turns out to be one of the best things that ever happened to Carol and Jerry and all the ones that have a taste of the product.

Doris Day was a beautiful comedienne. Her wholesome figure and natural charm is one of the best things this film has going for it. Rock Hudson also is excellent with his take of the lecherous Jerry. Tony Randall plays another of his neurotic characters. Edie Adams is only seen shortly, but in her few scenes, she is wonderful. Jack Oakie makes a great appearance as the Virginian with a taste for girls and booze on a business trip in Manhattan.

This is a comedy for Doris Day and Rock Hudson fans.

After her rather saucy turn in "Pillow Talk", I'm surprised "Lover Come Back"'s co-screenwriter Stanley Shapiro (who also had a hand in "Pillow Talk") has Doris Day taking backwards steps and playing the untouchable good girl once again. Appearing slightly matronly in her blonde bubble 'do, Doris is kept stressed and exasperated while the rest of New York City has a good time. She's an advertising executive competing with Rock Hudson for clients. She meets him and falls for his "innocence", but only because he's courting her under an alias. This plot-thread is borrowed from "Pillow Talk", as most movie-buffs will notice, but the comparisons really end there. Only one scene utilizes the split-screen technique, and "Pillow Talk" third-party Tony Randall has no moments on-screen with Day. Ann B. Davis, as DD's secretary, stands in for Thelma Ritter. Yet overall, it's just not as fresh or as funny as the first teaming, and Doris' character isn't thought out properly (and she makes a sudden personality change at the end that seems written to comply with 1961's morals). Stylish, and with amusing sequences, this "Lover" is over-extended and feels a little heavy. **1/2 from ****

I love this movie. It's one of the wittiest and funniest comedies I've ever seen, and I can watch it over and over again without getting tired. I like "old" movies, but most comedies of the 50's and 60's contain some scenes where I can't help feeling a bit embarrassed because they are so old fashioned and can't be understood or laughed at 50 years later. But this movie is still perfect, although the mentalities have changed so much. The actors (Day, Hudson and Randall) are wonderful and there are not many pictures that catch the 60's better: the furniture, the clothes... And besides, is there an actor (or man) nowadays who has so much sex-appeal as Rock Hudson without looking as if he was 15 or without having many muscles and no brain? I love the song "Lover Come Back" and the opening credits too. If you like romantic comedies with wit, spirit and great actors, watch this one!

and with a lavender floor joke!... among an avalanche of gay jokes, a marijuana joke, and plenty of virgin cracking gags. ...LOVER COME BACK is - in widescreen - an hilarious all star advertising comedy with a gorgeous Doris Day (in a million spectacular outfits) and a very he-man Hudson poking fun at his image. If you have seen the 1957 sex farce WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER also with Tony Randall and also spoofing the advertising industry, this sparkling 1961 comedy is a worthy chaser.. as well as fleshing out the PILLOW TALK imagery and settings. I found this film to be really funny, and in superb colour art direction and photography that just made it a treat to watch. it does not matter that it is dated by our clever new standards, or that Hudson really did turn out to be gay, because this film is already having fun with itself... and recalls how witty and delightful these pix were designed to be. The recent DOWN WITH LOVE attempt with Ewan Macgregor and Renee Zellweger miscast completely only shows how these 60s pix got it right the first time and should be left alone and not 'spoofed' as they already were satires and ideal as they prove in this DVD. Randall as usual is hilarious.

The laughs are all on target in this witty replay of the kind of chemistry DORIS DAY and ROCK HUDSON had in PILLOW TALK. Again they're directed by Delbert Mann with a screenplay by Stanley Shapiro who wrote their former hit. It has a lot of the same situations, but no matter, it's still very, very funny.

Once again Hudson is a shallow creature who tries to outwit the competition (he and Day are competing for accounts at an advertising firm), and once again TONY RANDALL is a best friend who gets a lot of laughs in another amusing supporting role.

EDIE ADAMS, ANN B. DAVIS and JACK OAKIE (in his last role), are all given funny lines and situations. It's Day at her best in a role that showcases her at her sunniest as a light comedienne. Sunny until her temper explodes! Summing up: Even better than PILLOW TALK.

Even though it seems like Doris Day and Rock Hudson made as many films as Tracy and Hepburn, they actually made just three for Universal between 1959 and 1964. The trio of films Day and Hudson made hardly reflects pinnacles in cinema history, but they show what deft writing, nimble direction and expert farceurs can do to make these soufflé-light romantic comedies thoroughly enjoyable. As my favorite of the three, this frenetic 1961 farce evolves from a familiar act of deception initiated by Hudson's character, at which point it becomes a series of humiliations and comeuppances for both principals before the inevitable happy ending.

Directed by Delbert Mann and written by Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning, the movie works the exact same plot devices as 1959's "Pillow Talk", even the split-screen confrontations, but converts the pair into highly competitive advertising account executives at separate agencies. This time, Day is even more priggish as Carol Templeton, who loathes Hudson's Jerry Webster, as he manages to steal accounts under her and everybody else's nose by holding wild parties for the prospective clients. In an effort to pacify an ambitious model who wants to become a TV star, he shoots her in commercials for VIP, a product that doesn't exist.

Through the incompetence of his nominal boss Pete Ramsey, the commercials hit the airwaves, which force Jerry to recruit reclusive scientist Linus Tyler to invent a product for VIP. In her effort to steal the VIP account from Jerry, Carol mistakes Jerry for Linus, and the rest becomes inevitable. Since Shapiro also co-wrote "Pillow Talk", this one gets even more far-fetched, but its lightning-quick pace, plethora of sexual double-entendres, constant tweaking of Madison Avenue ad agencies and a wildly improbable ending make it a funnier movie. Both Day and Hudson show themselves to be expert at this type of formulaic romantic comedy, and perennial third-wheel Tony Randall plays Ramsey with his trademark boastful befuddlement. The 2004 DVD contains only the original theatrical trailer as an extra.

I was a little concerned during the first half of the movie. Its a little bit of a slow burn and the humour is pretty limited.

Once we hit the half way point it it ignites itself and becomes legitimately funny.

The 3 leads also improve as the movie get going.

A nice fun movie worth hanging around for :)

Lover Come Back is directed by Delbert Mann and written by Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning. It stars Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall. Music is by Frank De Vol and Eastman colour cinematography by Arthur E. Arling. Plot finds Day and Hudson as rival advertisement executives who work for rival companies. Though having never met, both have had enough dealings with each other from afar to have formed less than favourable opinions of each other. When a chance meeting occurs, a case of mistaken identity sees Hudson's Lothario pretend to be a meek and virginal doctor type; which provides interesting results.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it. After Pillow Talk, the first and hugely popular pairing of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Lover Come Back follows a similar filmic trajectory. Pillow Talk's formula is a template well worth following, what is arguably surprising is that this is every bit the first film's equal. There's a bit of satire in the Oscar Nominated screenplay, as plot takes in the world of advertising, but mostly this is about great gags, both visually and orally, and the thrill of watching three lead performers expertly making the material work. The chemistry of the performers is set in stone, the colour appealing and director Mann keeps it brisk. Yes it goes exactly where you think it's going, but to be honest if it didn't end the way it did I would have put my foot through the TV! With purple faces, beards, sly sexual eggings, alcoholic candy and a horny moose! What's not to like here? A delightfully fun and engaging comedy. 8/10

My wife and I watched this movie on DVD from our public library. I looked it up after Doris Day died earlier this month (May 2019) at the age of 97. I recently watched a documentary of her life, part of it mentioned how she and Rock Hudson became good friends as a result of their movies together.

This one is set in New York advertising, Rock Hudson is the veteran, Jerry Webster, known to use every trick in his book to sway clients his way. Grand deception is part of it. Doris Day is the new advertising executive in town, Carol Templeton, she plays it straight and fair and assumes others do too.

Very quickly he and she are at odds over his stealing a $5Million client, they talk on the phone but she doesn't know what he looks like. So when she finds him in a Chemist's lab with lab apron on she assumes he is the Chemist, he doesn't correct her.

So most of the movie is Carol thinking she is working with the Chemist to develop a new product when in fact is was jerry playing her. A really fun movie with some delightful dialog. Day and Hudson were both in their 30s and in good form.

Witless, belabored comedy with a distractingly soft focus Doris Day outfitted in terrible hats. With dreary grayish blue set design, and a supporting cast made up of recognizable TV regulars, it plays like a dull sitcom. An obvious retread of Pillow Tak that lacks charm and sprightliness. The situations and characters are basically uninteresting and you'll find it hard to believe that the script for this laugh deficient film was nominated for an Oscar. It's one-note and repetitious. Hudson's is inoffensively dull and Day is up to her usual tired tricks:wide eyed surprise and exasperation. Not a fan of either performer though this seems like the dullest of their film pairings.