The Private Lives of Adam and Eve

i saw this movie on late-night t.v. back in 1962. i had no idea what it was about, as i had never watched it anytime before. i was a teenager and really am a fan of teen oriented movies, and like Paul Anka and his singing, i decided to see the movie and observe where it was headed. i noticed it was in b&w and an obscure film. after seeing it, i looked for it to play maybe at a later time but years passed and it was never shown. this makes me realize the rarity and vintage appreciation of the film as i myself am a vintage-teen movie buff and i try to collect as many 40's-50's-and 60's movie that i can find .some are shown on pay-cable t.v., others on e-bay to purchase, most reproduced on to d.v.d. the private lives of Adam and eve, i feel, even though the story is weak, due to it's obscurity and the vintage of its production era, it's a collectors prize.

This is one of the very strangest films I have ever seen. Several travelers are en route to Reno, when thunderstorm causes them to take refuge in an abandoned church. Falling asleep, the two leads dream they are Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The "Eden" sequence, up until the "expulsion" is in color. The first twenty minutes of the film are actually pretty decent, and seem to build up to something good, but the dream sequence in "Eden" is just too silly for words. The sight of Mickey Rooney playing the Devil in a padded snake suit is alone worth watching the film for. Paul Anka sings the theme song and has a rather minor role in the film. Also noteworthy is Tuesday Weld who does not appear in the dream sequence, but who sparkles during her screen time. The film ends with Eve requesting a pickle from Ad. A definite must-see!

I saw this movie when I was 6 or 7 and it enchanted my young mind. In my polluted older age mind the enchantment remains. (I would love to see it again, but I can't find it anywhere.) I recall that several people are on a bus and have to stop and take refuge in a church on the side of the road because of a severe thunderstorm. They spend the night in the church and one of the people on the bus has a dream about the Garden of Eden. Some of the people on the bus are characters in the dream; Mickey Rooney, the bus driver, is the devil. If anyone who reads this knows how I can get a copy of it, please email me with the information - afainca75@hotmail.com.

Very peculiar comedy is alternately clever and lame... but ultimately it succeeds in providing some mild amusement. It's hard to fathom why it was so soundly condemned in its day, perhaps making a surreal comic travesty out of part of the Bible was just too far ahead of its time. It is certainly far less irreverent than "The Life of Brian." Some sequences (such as the devil's playing piano and having a barbecue) may have provided the inspiration for such scenes as the Herod scene in "Jesus Christ, Superstar." Another thing that might have irritated the bluestockings is the fact that Adam, Eve, and Lillith are definitely hot, Milner looking better out of his clothes than he ever looked in them. It's kind of like a sexy, live action Flinstones, altogether harmless and amusing. Catch the cave scene where A&E quarrel over moving the boulders (furniture)and the one in which the devil convinces Eve to cut her long hair (strategically pasted to her breasts) only to reveal a leaf -pattern bra underneath! It's full of little comic gems and some funny dialog regarding the pair's living conditions and social standing. Eve: "If I had a mother, I'd go home to her!" Adam: "Don't be silly...I AM your mother!"

So this movie is silly? It has plenty of charm and light heartedness! It's innocent and funny. It's really worth a look especially if you're a (female) Martin Milner fan! You can find this on video currently at www.thevideobeat.com It was worth the purchase because it had been so long since I had seen it and it was only more charming since I've become older. Mickey Rooney as the devil? Can you imagine Andy Hardy in a padded snake suit? I found that extremely hilarious, just that alone! I'm not really a fan of Mamie Van Doren, so her part is difficult to watch (though I'm sure she would be a sight for the male audience). All in all, the cast is excellent, the story is sweet. I honestly can't understand why the decency brigade tagged it...I know things were strict growing up, but there's really nothing dirty at all about it...unless you have a really filthy mind?