Send Me No Flowers
| Send Me No Flowers | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Norman Jewison |
| Produced by | Harry Keller |
| Written by | Julius J. Epstein Norman Barasch (play) Carroll Moore (play) |
| Starring | Rock Hudson Doris Day |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Editing by | J. Terry Williams |
| Studio | Martin Melcher Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 1964 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $9,129,247[1] |
Send Me No Flowers is a 1964 American comedy film, directed by Norman Jewison and starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, and Tony Randall. After Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back, it is the third and final film in which Hudson, Day and Randall starred together.
The screenplay by Julius J. Epstein is based on the play by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore, which had a brief run on Broadway in 1960.[2] The title tune was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach.
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Synopsis [edit]
George, a chronic hypochondriac, wakes up in the morning after a series of dreams dealing with health issues and takes his daily pills. His wife, Judy, locks herself out of the house when receiving a delivery from the milk man. She made her way in at the side window and makes breakfast. Judy gossips to George about the Bullards' divorce with many false assumptions about the split.
When he experiences chest pains, George goes to the hospital for a checkup and overhears his doctor discussing the diagnosis of a terminally ill patient who had two weeks to live with an associate. He assumes that Dr. Morrissey was talking about him and was distraught. On the train back home he tells his friend, Arnold that he will die soon and decided to not tell Judy knowing it will upset her. At night he dreamed about Judy marrying Vito who is only out for their money. Worried about her, he made plans before his death. He visited a funeral home operated by Mr. Adkins to buy a burial plot. There he gets the idea that he should seek a husband for Judy. He asks Arnold to help him find a new husband for his wife so he will know she is taken care of.
On a golfing trip Judy's go- cart malfunctions and is saved by her old college beau Bert, now a Texas oil baron. George agreed with Arnold that he will be great for Judy. During the night out, George forces Judy to dance and talk to Bert. When George ran into Linda Bullard, she kissed him thanking him for the conversation. When Judy sees them she walks out, thinking that the only reason he is pushing her to spend time with Bert is to have an affair with Linda. He then tells her that he is dying.
Upset, Judy puts George in a wheelchair. When Dr. Morrissey made a visit and tells her that George is fine, she thinks George is lying to get out of his affair. She rolls him out of the house locking him out. The next day Judy left to buy a train ticket. At the train station he tells her that he is dying and had bought a burial plot. Thinking it is another lie she went home to get her bags. When Mr. Akins delivered the burial contracts, she realized that George was telling the truth and forgives him.
Performance [edit]
The film grossed $ 9,129,247 in the U.S. (Per Nash Information Services, LLC)
Cast [edit]
- Rock Hudson ..... George
- Doris Day ..... Judy
- Tony Randall ..... Arnold
- Paul Lynde ..... Mr. Akins
- Clint Walker ..... Bert
- Hal March ..... Winston Burr
- Edward Andrews ..... Dr. Morrissey
- Clive Clerk ..... Vito
- Patricia Barry ..... Linda Bullard
Principal production credits [edit]
- Producer ..... Martin Melcher
- Original Music ..... Frank De Vol
- Cinematography ..... Daniel L. Fapp
- Art Direction ..... Robert Clatworthy, Alexander Golitzen
- Set Decoration ..... John McCarthy, Jr.
- Costume Design ..... Jean Louis
Reception [edit]
Critical response [edit]
The film was the last comedy for Doris Day and Rock Hudson and received mixed reviews. In his review in the New York Times, Bosley Crowther called it "a beautiful farce situation" and added, "Julius Epstein has written it . . . with nimble inventiveness and style. And Norman Jewison has directed so that it stays within bounds of good taste, is never cruel or insensitive, and makes something good of every gag." [3]
Variety felt "[it] doesn't carry the same voltage, either in laughs or originality, as Doris Day and Rock Hudson's two previous entries." [4]
Time Out London calls it "probably the best of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson vehicles . . . nicely set in a pastel-coloured suburban dreamworld, but the ineradicable blandness gets you down in the end." [5]
Channel 4 says, "it would be churlish to complain that it is a little bland, fairly predictable and has an unsurprising happy ending. There's enough humour in the ensuing misunderstandings and enough skill in the playing and direction to stifle not just criticism but even the odd yawn." [6]
References [edit]
- ^ Box Office Information for Send Me No Flowers. The Numbers. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ Send Me No Flowers at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ Variety review
- ^ Time Out London review
- ^ Channel 4 review
External links [edit]
- Send Me No Flowers at the Internet Movie Database
- Send Me No Flowers at the TCM Movie Database
- Send Me No Flowers feature article at Turner Classic Movies
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