WALK DON’T RUN
(director: Charles Walters; screenwriters: story by Frank Ross & Robert Russell/ Sol Saks; cinematographers: Harry Stradling, Sr.; editors: Walter Thompson/James D. Wells; music: Quincy Jones; cast: Cary Grant (Sir William Rutland), Samantha Eggar (Christine Easton), Jim Hutton (Steve Davis), John Standing (Julius P. Haversack), Miiko Taka (Aiko Kurawa), Ted Hartley (Yuri Andreyovitch), Ben Astar (Dimitri), George Takei (Police Capt), Teru Shimada (Mr. Kurawa), Louis Kiuchi (Mrs. Kurawa); Runtime: 114; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Sol C. Siegel; Columbia; 1966)
“Agreeable fluff romantic comedy.“
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Charles Walters (“Easter Parade”/”Lili”/”High Society”)in an agreeable way directs this agreeable fluff romantic comedy, that received a mixed reception from critics. It’s based on the story by Frank Ross & Robert Russelland is written bySol Saks. After thirty years in the business, the 62-year-old Cary Grant calls this so-so venture his last feature film.It’s an updated remake of the Oscar-winning 1943 George Steven’s film The More the Merrier.
Distinguished British electronics industrialist Sir William Rutland (Cary Grant) comes to Tokyo at the time of the 1964 summer Olympics. Unable to get a place to stay because of the housing shortage caused by the crowds attending the Olympics and because he arrived two days earlier than his hotel reservation, Rutland goesto the British embassy for help. When he gets none, the aggressive Rutland swipes a card on the bulletin board advertising to share a flat and persuades the reluctant proper beautiful single young lady landlord Christine(Samantha Eggar) to share her apartment with a man instead of a female roommate as requested. Soon Rutland invites an American Olympic athlete (a member of the walking team) and architect, Steve (Jim Hutton), to share the apartment with them, when he meets him on the street and learns the lanky young man also arrived two days early to study Tokyo’s architecture and has no place to sleep. It isn’t long before busybody Rutland finds himself playing cupid to the young couple, even though she’s engaged to the stuffy diplomat at the embassy named Julius P. Haversack (John Standing, in real-life a titled Baronet). The mild comedy also has fun with the neurotic actions of Christine to adhere to a tight schedule for bathroom and kitchen use, some Russian snoops, and the overly polite Japanese friends of Christine’s observing the threesome sharing the flat.
Walk Don’t Run works because Cary is so smooth he can play charm and comedy in his sleep, and this is a film he could have done in his sleep.
REVIEWED ON 3/20/2010 GRADE: B-