The Facts of Life (film)
| The Facts of Life | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
| Screenplay by | Norman Panama |
| Story by | Melvin Frank |
| Produced by | Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
| Starring | Bob Hope Lucille Ball |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | Frank Bracht |
| Music by | Leigh Harline Johnny Mercer |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Language | English |
The Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as married people who have an affair. Written, directed and produced by longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the film is more serious than many other contemporary Hope vehicles. The film features an opening animated title sequence created by Saul Bass.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design (for Edith Head and Edward Stevenson). Lucille Ball was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Comedy.
Plot[]
As the yearly vacation of six neighbors, the Gilberts, Masons and Weavers, approaches, Kitty Weaver and Larry Gilbert find themselves frustrated with the routine. When their spouses are kept away from the vacation, Kitty and Larry find themselves alone in Acapulco, with the Masons bedridden with illness. Forced together, Kitty and Larry fall in love. However, when the vacation is over, they face difficulties deciding whether to continue the romance.
Cast[]
- Bob Hope as Larry Gilbert
- Lucille Ball as Kitty Weaver
- Ruth Hussey as Mary Gilbert
- Don DeFore as Jack Weaver
- Louis Nye as Charles Busbee
- Philip Ober as Doc Mason
- Marianne Stewart as Connie Mason
- Hollis Irving as Myrtle Busbee
Awards and nominations[]
Academy Awards[]
Won: [1]
Nominated:
- Best Art Direction, Black and White (Joseph McMillan Johnson, Kenneth A. Reid, and Ross Dowd)
- Best Cinematography, Black and White (Charles Lang)
- Best Original Song (Johnny Mercer for "The Facts of Life")
- Best Original Screenplay (Melvin Frank and Norman Panama)
Golden Globe Awards[]
Nominated:
- Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Lucille Ball)
Reception[]
In a positive contemporary review in The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther called the script "... a wonderfully good-humored estimation of an essentially pathetic state of affairs" and wrote: "It is a grandly good-natured picture, full of thoroughly sparkling repartee and word-gags and sight-gags that crackle with humor and sly intelligence."[2]
In 1964, Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote that the film "... was probably Bob Hope's best picture."[3]
References[]
- ^ "NY Times: The Facts of Life". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (1961-02-11). "Screen: 'The Facts of Life' Opens". The New York Times. p. 27.
- ^ Kauffmann, Stanley (1974). Living Images Film Comment and Criticism. Harper & Row Publishers. p. 202.
External links[]
- The Facts of Life at IMDb
- The Facts of Life at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Facts of Life at the TCM Movie Database
- The Facts of Life at AllMovie
- The Facts of Life at the American Film Institute Catalog
]
- 1960 films
- English-language films
- 1960s romantic comedy films
- Adultery in films
- American films
- American romantic comedy films
- American black-and-white films
- Films about vacationing
- Films directed by Norman Panama
- Films directed by Melvin Frank
- Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award
- United Artists films
- Films scored by Leigh Harline
- 1960 comedy films