Bernardine

The first time I saw this movie was 1999 on tv and I thought it was pretty good. I was 13 at the time and I didn't really like old movies (like this one) but this was was different. Pat Boone's character reminded me of an early Ferris Bueller or Zack Morris. He didn't really care about his grades, he was really popular and really cute. The story is about a group of friends that think there is one perfect girl out there named Bernardine. One of the friends finds his own Bernardine and the guys try to get those two together. Their plans flop and a whole bunch of things go wrong. But in the end everything is okay.

Atrocious college comedy follows a group of campus goof-offs, who seem to do little more than chase after girls. One of the most idiotic scenes in movie musicals has to be Pat Boone, in the boys' locker room, instructing Richard (Dick) Sargent on the art of picking up chicks, crooning "Technique" à la Harry Belafonte. Boone, playing the coolest of the kids (!), is repugnant enough in his striped shirts and sweater vests, but if cinematic justice were at all serving, this picture would've put the kibosh on squeaky-voiced Sargent's career ("Ohh, gee!"). Terry Moore plays the telephone operator the guys get hung up on, and her placid demeanor and condescending smile suggest she's no brainier than the boys. * from ****

I am amazed at the 'good reviews' given to this movie. I saw it in 1957 when it came out and the whole audience in London yawned their way through it. I saw it again in 2000 on TV just to see if it really was as hopelessly bad as I remembered it. Believe me, it was. In fact, it was worse than I recalled. It is PAINFUL to watch Dick Sergant and the others. The film was advertised as a vehicle for Pat Boone - all he did was sing a few songs alone on screen and utter a couple of words. I still do not understand the point of this movie. American white middle class kids could NEVER have been this dumb - I think that this is what the executives wanted them to be - stupid and willing to watch this rubbish. How on earth did Janet Gaynor and Dean Jagger get themselves involved in it? I am only giving it ONE out of TEN since there is no zero or a negative number.

He is so handsome and adorable on his parents' TV show now running on Antenna TV, that I'd really like to see this movie. He mentions this picture in the episode entitled Ronnie Gets A Movie Role and it lead me to this site to see what I could learn about it. Ronnie is so affable and good-natured, I was sorry to learn that he passed away in 2007. But I can still see his movie Bernadine, which is based on a successful stage play by Mary Chase. The guy in the NY Times liked it a lot, stating "The original cutting edge of "Bernardine" is gone, but on the whole, you still couldn't find a nicer bunch of people." I can't wait to see it, and when I do I'll revise this review and post my actual opinion.

The big screen debut of one performer and the farewell role of another. That's how Bernardine will go down in cinema history. Certainly for not any great merit of its own.

I took note that Bernardine was a play on Broadway and was written by Mary Chase who had written the wonderful and whimsical Harvey. I was thinking it would be something like that. Just an average comedy where some of the jokes don't quite come off.

Pat Boone who was the clean cut answer to Elvis Presley back in the day made his debut on the screen in Bernardine. The real lead is Dick Sargent and Boone is one of his pals and both have conceived of their ideal woman as someone they've named Bernardine.

Sargent is really quite the Mama's boy and Mom is Janet Gaynor who made her farewell big screen appearance here. Sargent hooks up with Terry Moore, but later Boone fixes her up with his older brother James Drury of the United States Air Force

When Bernardine was on Broadway circa 1953 rock and roll had not arrived. By 1957 the kids already seemed dated. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Bill Haley were quite the seismic event musically.

On the plus side Pat Boone revived the 30s hit Love Letters In The Sand in this film, had a hit record and to this day the song is identified with him.

If you're a Pat Boone fan Bernardine will be fine. But definitely don't expect another Harvey.