The Private Lives of Adam and Eve

This is a VERY strange movie, co-directed by cult director Albert Zugsmith and actor Mickey Rooney, that was barely released back in the day and has never appeared on legitimate home video. The "frame" story involves a motley assortment of characters taking a bus trip to Reno, Nevada when they're cut off by a flash flood and have to take refuge in a church. The movie then slips (for no apparent reason) into a long "Wizard of Oz"-type dream sequence where two of the characters, conveniently named "Adam" () and "Eve" (Mamie Van Doren), re-live the Garden of Eden adventures of their namesakes, with two other passengers, a loud-mouth promoter (Mickey Rooney) and his sultry wife (Fay Spain), becoming, respectively, "Satan" and his consort "Lilith". (Va-va-voom actress/model June Wilkinson also appears as another female minion of Satan).

The Garden of Eden story is a lot more goofy than funny, the heights of the (mostly unintentional) hilarity reached when Rooney appears in a snake costume, which kind of looks like a bad papier-mache snake has unsuccessfully tried to swallow a chubby, washed-up child actor. What's particularly strange though is that the Garden of Eden sequence only utilizes four of the eight passengers on the bus. Paul Anka is apparently only there to warble a couple of lame songs. But "the Velvet Fog" himself, Mel Torme, is completely wasted both as an actor and a singer. You wouldn't think you'd really need a sixteen-year-old Tuesday Weld (playing a teen runaway) when you have Van Doren, Spain, and June Wilkinson in the cast, but even in an abortive role, the vixenish Weld manages to out-sexy--and definitely out-act--all of her older, more voluptuous co-stars (SHE should have played Eve). Then there's the elderly but lecherous bus driver who narrates everything (and says at one point of Weld's character, "They used to call her 'bobby socks', but now they call her 'baby sex'").

I didn't find this completely un-entertaining just because of the unusual cast and just because it's so damn weird. It's definitely a throw-back to a bye-gone era when the mostly male movie audience was an unapologetic mixture of chauvinists, big-breast fetishists, and dirty old men. Ah, the good old days!

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!

One may say "The Private Lives of Adam and Eve" should be judged on its own terms, that of a low-budget drive-in entry without any aim other than being a mild amusement; that is to say, it doesn't aspire to be high art--but then, since it isn't amusing, it must be noted that the movie has questionable aspirations, without the proper handling to steer it in the right direction. A small busload of people en route to Reno, Nevada stop off in nearby Paradise, where the driver picks up a teenage hot-rodder and two married couples on the rocks; after their trip is sidelined by a storm, the passengers take refuge in a church, where one of the frightened couples share the same dream about the Garden of Eden. Co-directed by Albert Zugsmith and Mickey Rooney (who also stars), the film is a shambles on even the most basic cinematic level. In the crude but watchable black-and-white framing story, we at least have Cecil Kellaway as the Christian bus driver who suggests the group sings "Rock of Ages" when the flood waters come. This section also has Tuesday Weld as a possible runaway and Paul Anka as the crooning teen (he also sings the title song in the film's kickiest sequence). But the color dream sequence in Eden, with Martin Milner and Mamie Van Doren as Adam and Eve, is amateurish in the extreme, particularly with an excruciatingly hammy Rooney playing the Devil. Still, one can't dismiss the movie as camp quite so easily. There is quite a bit of serious talk early on about God and the Bible, and later Van Doren shouts and cries to the Heavens, asking God to speak to her. It's a mind-boggling venture that wants to be two different things: a quickie flick for sniggering teens and an earnest character portrait in the manner of John Steinbeck's "The Wayward Bus". But you don't have to see it to believe it, because the picture isn't worth seeing. * from ****

It's been years since I saw this movie, but I thought it was wonderful. It's about a group of travelers that get stranded in a storm and start talking about the creations with each traveler becoming a character in the creation. While there's some religious overtones this is a comedy and playing the devil is Mickey Rooney. The Devil (Rooney) trying to get Adam and Eve to take a bite of the apple. Dressed as the snake, his tail splashing in the water of a river and then dressed as an umpire. I can't remember what was said, I just remember I was laughing a lot and it was late at night. If you have the chance I suggest you watch this, it's worth your time. As it was said above this movie didn't win any awards, but I liked it and would buy it if they put it on DVD.

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.