Fitzwilly

I was surprised by one review deeming it unethical. The butler was in the wrong though for unselfish reasons. The story both had romance (& like another reviewer I too had a crush on Barbara Feldon in my preteen 1960's years) and rebuke: she saw the butler's heart and insisted that he end his life of crime and help the old lady only through honest ways. Good heart & bad action was changed to good heart & good action, wasn't it. And it was great fun too. This is a film that I'm looking to get my hands on. Dick van Dyke has had some good films (eg Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and this is one of his best.

Dick Van Dyke plays the title role in this gentle comedy about the staff of an eccentric old woman who thinks herself far richer than she is. Dame Edith Evans's money disappeared a long time ago, but she's such a grand old girl that no one can tell her otherwise. So she dispenses checks as a leading philanthropist while Van Dyke and her entire household staff have become experts at pulling heists to pay her to the manor born style of living. Not incidentally as a side benefit, they live pretty good too.

It all might fall apart though when Barbara Feldon is hired as a secretary to help with one of Evans's projects, Dictionary For Dummies. Staff always gets cleared through Van Dyke as the butler. He's thrown for a loss. Equally Feldon gets suspicious of strange things going on.

Van Dyke and Feldon have a good chemistry going with them. Evans is properly dotty as the role calls for. Best in the supporting cast as John McGiver as one of the servants who is a former minister. He needs reassurance from Scripture every time the crew pulls a heist.

There's a hilarious final caper during Christmas shopping season at Gimbels which as we know is no more in New York City. I guess someone decided that Gimbels needed a cinema advertiser the way Miracle On 34th Street is for Macy's.

After 50 years Fitzwilly still holds up quite well.

Dick Van Dyke is the title character and 'Fitzwilly' is the affectionate way folks refer to Claude Fitzwilliam. He's the perfect butler and very devoted to his lady. However, she doesn't realize that she's apparently broke and in order to continue living her lifestyle, Fitzwilly and the other servants perform capers!! However, their next one is going to be tough, as Juliet (Barbara Feldon) was just hired by the mistress and this newcomer doesn't realize the staff are a bunch of thieves...so much of the film consists of the gang trying to keep her busy and away from their planning. However, when she does discover their plans, she isn't against this! So what's next? See the caper film yourself and see.

This is a very amiable caper picture. While it's not a classic like "Rififi", director Delbert Mann and the cast do a nice job. Additionally, the ending offers a nice surprise and the film is worth your time.

By the way, if you do see this, look for a very young Sam Waterston in a small role as one of the thieves.

First, let me just point out to one reviewer (bop pop, or something like that) that Fitzwilly is NOT a Disney film, so if you find it immoral, well, don't blame them.

Secondly, it IS just a movie, and considering some of the horrible junk that has been brought out by Hollywood over the years- some of which was intended for children, some not- it's hard to even think of this charming, little film as immoral, disgusting or anything else.

I initially sought out this movie- and bought it before seeing it- simply because I'm a huge "Get Smart" fan, and therefore, adore Barbara Feldon. I've read a few of the male reviewers saying they had big crushes on her. I didn't get to witness this miracle comedy until my late teens during the early 90s when Nick @ Nite began showing it, but as a young woman, Barbara Feldon became an iconic role model to me- and to many others I know.

After viewing this movie, I was thankfully not disappointed, which sometimes can happen when you watch or buy a film simply because someone you like from another show is in it. Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Feldon had wonderful chemistry. There were also quite a few supporting roles played by sometimes veteran character actors and some just starting out (including a very young Sam Waterston- before his incredible "Law & Order" days).

The humor was witty and sweet, and the premise was (and I think most people should know this) not to be taken seriously. I think we all know it's wrong to steal or to lie or to break the law, but there are quite a few films that create heroes out of anti-heroes and most people aren't complaining about them. (For instances here are a few I pulled off the top of my head- "Chicago", where the main characters are murderers, dishonest lawyers and bribe taking wardens; "Thelma & Louise", where two women start out on a fun trip, but through unfortunate circumstances, become outlaws on the run; and even "Pirates of the Caribbean", where the audience is rooting for Jack Sparrow, a fun-loving guy with a good heart, but who is, after all, still a pirate.) Some have said this is a children's movie. I certainly think it's safe for a child to watch it, but sometimes the subtle humor might go over their heads. I think it's just a fun, lovely movie, with wonderful actors, having a good laugh, and creating an enjoyable couple of hours.

Fitzwilly is one of the great caper-comedies from the 60's with a fine cast of outstanding character actors. You may not recognize names like John McGiver, John Fiedler, or Noam Pitlik; but, you probably know their faces. The great comedies of the 50's, 60's and 70's were filled by actors like these who, although not well known to the public, were well known amongst their peers. They give consistently good performances in a variety of roles. I knew Pitlik's name mostly from the credits of the "Barney Miller" tv series, but I've seen him on dozens of tv shows and movies from the 60's and 70's. It's these types of performers who are often missing from today's comedies. Too often, the film is built entirely around the lead actors, without gifted character actors to flesh out the scenes. It's these character ensembles that separate many of the classic comedies from the star vehicles of today.

Dick Van Dyke is wonderful as the scheming, yet lovable Fitzwilly and he is matched by the beautiful and bright Barbara Feldon. I had a huge crush on her as a child, dating from her role as "99" on "Get Smart." She exudes warmth, charm, intelligence, and a sense of fun. Together, they make a great couple. Van Dyke's film career is often hit-or-miss, but, this is definitely a hit.

As a side note to a previous review, this film was not produced by the Disney Studios. I assume the confusion is based on Van Dyke's many previous Disney movies. As far as morality goes, the people who were being hurt by the scams were mainly faceless corporations; an easy target for the general public to forgive. The Robin Hoods of the world are generally forgiven their larcenies as serving a greater good. Since it is established that Miss Vickie is very generous with her money, we can forgive the robbing-the-rich because it does, mostly, end up with the poor. Anyone who has ever grumbled about store prices is likely to forgive someone who "sticks it" to the companies who "rob" their customers. Yes, it's not that simple in the real world; but, this is a movie, after all.