User Reviews

Shown last night on Turner Classic Films, THE FUZZY PINK NIGHTGOWN was based on a novel that was published in 1956. The story is simple: A man has just been released from prison after four years, serving a major crime sentence for something he did not do. The man and his friend are hired by a conniving film studio head to waylay the studio's leading bombshell actress, who has just made a film about a kidnapping, and subsequently "demand" a ransom. Gradually the man and the star get to know each other, fall in love, and various complications emerge (dealing with the man's friend/associate in the fake kidnapping, with the miscalculation of the producer who finds few people in the public believe it's a real kidnapping, and with the suspicions of the Police Detective who has been involved with the man since arresting him in the first crime four years earlier).

Like most situation comedies, the central story line makes little real sense. If a man is freed after any time from a prison, either because he was erroneously arrested or because he was guilty but has served his sentence, he will try to avoid idiotic plans that can land him back into jail again. Ralph Meeker was wrongly convicted of second degree murder, and then the real killer was discovered. He is (as is repeated several times) not a real convict (meaning he is not "hardened" - at least supposedly). If so, he certainly would not be roped into such a silly publicity stunt that could be made to look like he is criminal (and end up returning him to jail). Ironically Meeker would shortly play another victim of "judicial injustice" but in a great serious film - he was one of the three soldiers who are court-martial-ed and shot for cowardice under fire in PATHS OF GLORY.

His friend Keenan Wynn is a sillier type of mug (Wynn at this time was usually playing side-kicks like Kirk Douglas' friend in MY DEAR SECRETARY or "mugs" like the gangster - with James Whitmore - who is trying to collect a debt from Howard Keel in KISS ME KATE). Interestingly enough, during this film Jane Russell quotes Shakespeare's line "Conscience doth make cowards of us all", and Wynn mulls over the line - making the viewer momentarily think of that glorious duet almost a decade earlier with Whitmore of "Brush Up Your Shakespeare". But KISS ME KATE was a better comedy. Anyway Wynn ends up a voice of reason (!) trying to water down Meeker's bitterness as much as he can. Again it stretches realism to a breaking point to think of Wynn doing this, but he is so disarmingly nice that one roots for him all the same.

Russell, as the bombshell actress, is turned into a "Marilyn" clone. This too, like the "Shakespeare" reference for Wynn, makes one think of her appearance a few years earlier with Monroe in GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDS (again, a superior film), wherein she briefly wears a blond wig to disguise herself as Marilyn. But she openly reveals it's a fake to Meeker and Wynn to help them avoid problems with the police (their friendly nemesis Fred Clark). For her pains Meeker just throws her gesture in her face as proof of her phoniness (which it really isn't).

As the movie producer/chief conniver, Adolphe Menjou acts as voluble and dyspeptic as he usually does in such roles, but he was also Oliver Niles, producer - friend of Norman Main in the 1937 A STAR IS BORN, and he was the more wolfish but competent Broadway producer in STAGEDOOR (again two other better films). This movie is full of moments that ironically recall better films.

Don't get me totally wrong. While not great cinema, or even good cinema, it is amusing enough. Watch the scene where Russell and Wynn get drunk on his eggnog (it's around Christmas time) made from eggs and straight booze. Or see Clark in any scene - especially when he confronts Meeker and Wynn at their "hideout" (he doesn't know it is one) which is too expensive for them to afford. His cat and mouse with them is worth watching, and reminds us of what a fine comic actor he was. Or Menjou telling the police (Clark and an equally unimpressed Milton Frome) and a "Hedda Hopper" clone (Benay Venuta) of how he definitely did not fake a kidnapping for publicity purposes. Venuta hands the bow-beating, supposedly sorrow-struck Menjou a handkerchief to wipe his eyes - which, of course, have no real tears in them!

Towards the end, when Meeker and Russell are speeding in Clark's stolen police car (don't ask!) to get to the airport, they go up a road along a small cliff-side mountain that looks familiar to us. They are trying to stop Wynn from collecting a $100,000 ransom fee and fleeing with it to Mexico. The road and cliff are very familiar: they are the same road and cliff that Spencer Tracy and the cast of IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD drove in the opposite direction, when Tracy's "Captain Culpepper" had the stolen money in his car and was planning to flee to Mexico. I tell you, every point in this film reminds you of an earlier or later better movie!

may contain Spoilers ** pretty good story of a movie star Laurel Stevens (Jane Russell) who disappears, and happens to have a movie opening that very night. Fuzzy Pink Nightgown has some similarities to the more modern "Ruthless People". Directed by Norman Taurog, who directed many Elvis movies, as well as Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis. Also Keenan Wynn (Dandy), who was the crazy Colonel Guano in Dr. Strangelove, has done TONS of films and TV appearances. Ralph Meeker (Mike) had done a mix of TV shows and movies. Fred Clark (the married man from "How to Marry a Millionaire"; was also the neighbor Harry on Burns/Allen TV show) plays Sergeant McBride searching for Laurel. Adolphe Menjou plays the director of the film being shown in the story, and may or may not be involved in her disappearance. The film wavers between a love story, an adventure/drama, and a comedy. Good film, but probably would have been stronger if it stuck to one theme.

Adequate....this is the best way to describe this rather lackluster film. It sure could have been a lot better but comes off as just an ordinary sort of thing--something you can easily skip.

The film begins with Jane Russell playing a self-absorbed mega-star--the type who does what she wants and gets what she wants. In many ways, she comes off like a higher-powered Jane Mansfield--and this performance seemed a bit overdone. Anyway, her new film is about to debut--a film in which she is kidnapped. But when she is kidnapped for real, folks all think it's just a lame publicity stunt and no one takes much notice. And, when the kidnappers (Ralph Meeker and Keenan Wynn) only demand a small payment for her return, Russell becomes indignant and actually tries to get them to up the amount they are demanding. It's all kind of kooky and a bit reminiscent of the much better film "Ruthless People" (1986).

Although the plot does sound promising, it never comes off well--mostly because the direction and Russell come off very flat. With a better script and direction it COULD have been a much more interesting. Worth a look but don't expect much.

I saw The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown today on Amazon Prime. It is a fun movie. The relationship between actress. Laurel. Stevens ( Jane Russell) and kidnapper. Mike Valla ( Ralph Meeker) really works well. I do not get the negative reactions that posters have towards the movie, is it laugh out loud classic like Animal House? Of course not. It is a Romantic Comedy ( without being a "Chick Flick" which I hate). I can tell you I doubt this movie would be made today ( as it was filmed) because of the shots it takes at the Hollywood film industry and that Mike is a tough guy who can handle a relationship with Laurel, instead of being a weak character. Is it perfect? Not in the least. Spoilers Ahead: There is one scene where Jane.knocks out Policeman McBride ( Fred Clark) and she and Mike steal his car and nothing happens to them. That is not happening in real life. But except for that I liked the movie. Again a fun movie that deserves 8/10 stars.

I remember seeing this picture as a kid but recall only the title. It now resembles nothing so much as a high fifties artifact. The unexplained super deluxe beach house complete with private beach is done up in fieldstone and knotty pine, in other words, fifties heaven. The music is by Billy May, the heir apparent to irrelevant big band music jazzed up in fifties fashion. Then there's the reliable fifties trope whereby the feisty bitchy woman is tamed by the alpha male who it is agreed upon will be "the boss". In fact the pairing is the typical one whereby the designated "good looking" guy (just check out the impermeability of what was considered "good looking" in any other period) gets the girl. We have to go through the whole story to arrive at the obvious, predestined ending. To go deeper, the limited cast of three, (and a few others) captured mostly on one set, functions as a sort of fifties commedia dell'arte. We have the hero (Ralph Meeker), his dumb guy assistant (Keenan Wynn) and the beautiful lady (Jane Russell) who must be tamed. There's even a policeman (Fred Clark) to play straight and a denouement based on switching suitcases.

I hadn't remembered that the title, obviously used to lend the picture an undeserved prurient aspect, is a terrible misnomer considering its in black and white. Is that '57 T-Bird being drive at the beginning of the picture fire engine red? Who knows. It just seems odd in the extreme for a film with a color in the title to be made in black and white but it is understandable that in that it was a low budget affair produced by Jane Russell and her husband, former football hero Q back (Cleveland and Los Angeles Rams) Bob Waterfield. Not only was FUZZY shot in black and white, but also in academy ratio and not wide screen. There aren't that many sets either so it resembles independent productions of today. However the crafts people, cameraman, editor etc. were first rate.

This picture was a flop when it came out, the last picture that Russ-Field made and really the last starring role for Jane Russell, save for a couple of those weird A. C. Lyles nostalgia fests where vintage actors go through the motions in generic scripts as if it were 20 years earlier and they still had careers.

The central character, a spoiled brat ego maniac female star, is relevant today, but the whole thought about kidnapping isn't funny or even amusing anymore, even though the kidnapee turning the tables on the kidnappers story has had a long and honorable history since at least O'Henry and maybe existed in 4th century B.C. Greece. Not recommended except for decoration, fashion, design and American Studies students who need inspiration to do a paper for school.