"Strange Bedfellows" is a very funny movie. The plot is superb, but it just misses the continuity of the great comedies Rock Hudson and Doris Day made. Still, Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida have excellent chemistry and some hilarious scenes. Gig Young as Richard Bramwell, is very good but still not up to the roles that Tony Randall played in "Pillow Talk" of 1959 and "Lover Come Back" of 1961. The comedy here is in a few riotously hilarious scenarios, with very snappy dialog spread between these scenes. And, there are also a couple of scenes of light satire.

The first spoof is in a desert setting, where Hudson's Carter Harrison closes an oil lease deal with an Arabian Sheik. After they say goodbye, Carter mounts a camel and rides off while the sheik and his aides get in a fancy limousine and drive off. Another is at a meeting of the International Society for Freedom of Expression - ISFE. The London group plans to protest outside the American embassy because a U. S.museum won't display a lewd sculpture by an Italian artist, Petracini. He insists that he doesn't have a lustful bone in his body and that his sculpture is pure art, while he lustfully eyes Lollobrigida's Toni Vincente up and down.

This film must have the funniest scenes ever in taxi cabs. As Carter, in one taxi, pursues Toni in another, he tries to relay messages to her. His driver relays his message to the radio operator, who relays it to Toni's driver, who then tells her. The dialog is very funny in the first place, and open to wild interpretations by the taxis drivers and radio operator. These are howlingly funny scenes that repeat when Carter chases after Toni a second time and catches the same taxi driver. At the film's end, Carter and Toni together get in the same taxi with his driver from the earlier scenarios.

The next riotously funny scenario had me laughing continuously as Carter pursues Toni on foot in the Soho district. He buys a couple of bouquets of flowers and mistakenly enters a mortuary. But, he's so focused on finding Toni, he doesn't pay attention to the "shop" he has entered. Terry-Thomas, the Assistant Mortician greets him, and the ensuing dialog between the two men is hilarious.

Just before this, Carter had caused a major street disruption. Later, as he tries to stop Toni from riding as Lady Godiva, fighting breaks out. The ensuing fracas involves motorists, a bobby, the ISFE members, and Carter. The next day's headlines are all about the American oil executive causing a street riot. One headline reads, "Yankee Doodle Flips His Noodle."

This film did quite well at the box office in 1965, with ticket sales of $7.3 million. It is a hilarious and fun movie that is very much screwball comedy. Here are some favorite lines. For many more, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.

Carter Harrison, "What's wrong with my image? You make it sound like I've just been named leper of the year."

Carter, "You don't know what kind of a nut I was married to." Richard Bramwell, "No, no, I don't. What kind of a nut was she?" Carter, "She was a half Italian fruitcake, that's what she was." Richard, "Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. What was the other half?" Carter, "Gorgeous."

Carter, "Um, I suppose an artist used to live here." Toni Vincente, "Yes, he was quite famous. He died." Carter, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Toni, "He was 98." Carter,, "Oh, well."

Carter, "I must say, she didn't seem very surprised. Does she usually walk in and find strange men in your bed?" Toni, "Every morning. She validates their parking ticket."

Toni, "Petracini happens to be the world's leading expressionist sculptor. He does wonderful things with a blow torch." Carter, "To whom?"

Carter, to Harry Jones, "I'll thank you to keep your food-stained beard out of my affairs...and my eggs."

Carter, "If you saw six people waiting in line for a bus you'd join 'em because you thought they were picketing something."

Toni, "Oh, I could kill you." Carter, "With what - a slogan?"

Toni, "My father was a martyr to humanity." Carter, "Some martyr. He got drunk and fell off a wall."

Carter, "Let me get this straight. You're picketing the American embassy in London in order to keep fig leaves off of lewd Italian horses in Washington, D. C.?" Toni, "It's not the fig leaves, it's the principle."

Carter, to Harry, "You keep your big nose out of this." Harry Jones, "The same charm. The same sophisticated wit." Carter, "Oh, butt out!" Harry, "And getting sharper all the time."

Richard, "Boy, you really did marry a nut." Carter, "A nut? I married a whole plantation."

Richard, "Look, if you wanna commit suicide, use my razor. It's electric, but you can hang yourself on the cord."

Julius L. Stevens, "Did she say poison darts?" Richard , "An explorer, J. L. One of those crazy Italians. Climb anything."

Carter, "She'd never leave with me - not with the Lady Godiva thing. She'd suspect something immediately. And that's precisely what that bearded vulture's waiting for." Richard, "She wears a beard?" Carter, "No, she doesn't wear a beard. I have other enemies in this thing."

Carter, not knowing he's talking to a mortician, "It was all my fault, and before I had a chance to explain, she left a note and was gone - just like that." Terry-Thomas, Assistant Martinican, "Well, that's life sir, isn't it? Here one moment, gone the next."

Harry Jones, "Did a lady just run out of here?" Assistant Mortician, "Oh, no sir. Once they're in, they're inclined to stay."

Magistrate, concluding the court hearing, "Thank you, Mr. Harrison. I hope you get her back ... if that's what you want."

Witless farce from the usually-estimable comedy writer Melvin Frank, who also produced and directed, stars Rock Hudson as an American oil company executive in London, married but estranged from fiery Gina Lollobrigida for the past seven years, who must present a happily-united front for the company's general (why? so it'll "look good"). When Rock first meets Gina, she's an artist painting protest slogans on signs and walls--but the movie is so bashful, her signs are always half-finished so we won't know what she's protesting against. They marry immediately (presumably so they can have sex without guilt),but the next morning find they have nothing in common. Frank, who co-authored the screenplay with Michael Pertwee from a rather old-fashioned story he originated with Norman Panama, substitutes shouting for snap--and Lollobrigida does must of the shouting. Hudson tries to keep up with her, but his colorless brand of acting assures that he'll blend in with the furniture and nothing more. Atrociously shot by cinematographer Leo Tover, with the phony backdrops and scrappy rear-projection upstaging even Gina Lollobrigida in a variety of 'kooky' outfits. * from ****

This film will make you appreciate how well written and well directed the Rock Hudson/Doris Day romantic comedies were.

Hudson has a tendency to be stiff, but here it is worse than I've ever seen it. Gina Lollobrigida was 38 and possibly because her character is supposed to be a political activist, she doesn't wear much make-up. She looks rather plain and not glamorous, so it is a mystery why Hudson falls for her. If you're expecting the Italian sex symbol, Gina Lollobrigida, this is not the film. Gig Young plays the Tony Randal sidekick part to Hudson. Young is a good actor, but really is too handsome for the sidekick role.

There is no reason I can think of to watch this film, except for perhaps a short scene where Rock Hudson wakes up in bed with another man. Hudson is quite calm about it. Lollobrigida explains that he had no other place to sleep, so she put him in bed with Hudson. She asks Hudson if he minds. He answers that he doesn't mind. It is only because of what we know now about Hudson's sexuality that the scene is funny and sticks out. I an pretty sure that this is the only film where Hudson is in bed with another man.

The movie's 1950's puritanical tone destroys the sex comedy aspect. Since this was made in 1965, when censorship was ending, it is unfortunate that the producers didn't seek to take advantage of the new freedom. For example. Gina is a member of a group that supposedly supports artist's freedom of expression. The group has Gina ride nude on a horse like Lady Godiva to protest an artist's censorship. However Gina doesn't really go nude, but wears a flesh colored body stocking. This destroys the whole point of the protest and destroys any hope of the viewer seeing Gina looking sexy.

So, in summation, if you want to see Rock Hudson's dullest performance, Gina Lollobrigida's least sexy performance, and Gig Young as a bumbling sidekick, this is the movie for you.