A Flea in Her Ear

Rex Harrison is miscast as a barrister in Paris who's been lax in the sack lately with his wife; after receiving some evidence that he's visited the local No Tell Hotel, she sets up a rendezvous between herself as an admirer and her possibly-unfaithful husband. What with randy men exhausting their women, plus a revolving bed and Harrison in a second role as a portly porter, this had the ingredients for a kicky romp; unfortunately, director Jacques Charon hasn't the knack to keep our fancies fulfilled (imagine this scenario with Clive Donner or Richard Lester at the helm!). Funny dialogue early on in this adaptation of Georges Feydeau's play "La puce à l'oreille" ("The Flea in Her Ear") by John Mortimer, who had already translated the play in 1967 as a television movie in the UK. Whimsical title song composed by Bronislau Kaper and Sammy Cahn, and performed by Claudine Longet. *1/2 from ****