Bedtime Story (1964 film)

Bedtime Story
Original film poster
Directed by Ralph Levy
Produced by Stanley Shapiro
Written by Stanley Shapiro
Paul Henning
Starring Marlon Brando
David Niven
Shirley Jones
Dody Goodman
Aram Stephan
Parley Baer
Marie Windsor
Rebecca Sand
Frances Robinson
Music by Hans J. Salter
Cinematography Clifford Stine
Edited by Milton Carruth
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • June 10, 1964 (1964-06-10)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office est. $3,000,000 (US/ Canada)[1]

Bedtime Story is a 1964 comedy film made by Pennebaker Productions. It was directed by Ralph Levy and produced by Stanley Shapiro with Robert Arthur as executive producer from a screenplay by Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning. The music score was by Hans J. Salter and the cinematography by Clifford Stine.

The film stars Marlon Brando, David Niven and Shirley Jones, and was later the basis for the 1988 comedy film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine.

Plot

Lawrence Jameson is a refined, elegant con artist living in the French Riviera town of Beaumont-sur-Mer. He masquerades frequently as the deposed prince of a small European country, seducing wealthy women into donating money and jewellery to his revolutionary "cause". Meanwhile, Corporal Freddy Benson is a small-time operator in the US Army stationed in Germany, conning his way into the hearts (and wallets) of young women with sob stories about his sick grandmother. His attempt at seducing the daughter of a local burgomaster backfires when her father arrives home early, and Freddy is nearly arrested until he blackmails his colonel into giving him an early discharge.

On a train to Beaumont-Sur-Mer, Freddy cockily displays his skill as a conman to Lawrence, whom he believes to be a henpecked husband. Lawrence, believing Freddy's "poaching" will endanger his own activities, attempts to distract him into leaving town, then when that fails, arranges for his arrest. Lawrence has him released and buys him a plane ticket to America. Unfortunately, one of Lawrence's former conquests is on the plane and mistakes Freddy for a revolutionary in the employ of "The Prince". Freddy returns and blackmails Lawrence into taking him on as an apprentice.

Freddy is taught to play The Prince's mentally challenged brother Ruprecht, a tactic to scare women away from trying to marry the prince. They are successful, but quarrel when Lawrence refuses to pay Freddy until he can acquire the culture necessary for Lawrence's style of con. Freddy decides to set out on his own, but since Lawrence believes that there is not enough room in Beaumont-Sur-Mer for both of them, the two make a bet. The first one to steal $25,000 from a selected mark will stay.

They choose Janet Walker, a naive American heiress, as their target. Freddy poses as a soldier who has suffered psychosomatic paralysis. He wins Janet's affections with a sad story about being betrayed by his first love and convinces her that he needs $25,000 to pay for treatment by a celebrated Swiss psychiatrist, Dr. Emile Shauffhausen. Lawrence then masquerades as Dr. Shauffhausen, agreeing to treat Freddy's "condition" with the stipulation that Janet pay the $25,000 directly to him. The two battle for Janet's affections, ruthlessly sabotaging each other, with Lawrence coming out on top, more often than not.

Lawrence discovers that Janet is not wealthy after all, but merely a contest winner, and that she intends to sell off the remainder of her winnings to pay for Freddy's treatment. Since he only preys on wealthy women who can afford it, Lawrence attempts to call off the bet. Freddy refuses, but suggests that they change the bet: the first to get her into bed will win. Lawrence refuses to try to seduce Janet, but bets that Freddy will fail to do so.

Freddy has Lawrence kidnapped by some paratroopers he fools into believing Lawrence is trying to steal his girl. He then convinces Janet of his love by "conquering" his paralysis and walking. Lawrence has been present the whole time, and he now declares that Freddy is cured. Lawrence explains that he told the soldiers he had been a British Army paratrooper during the war, then filled them in on Freddy's lies. The angry soldiers keep Freddy occupied until Lawrence puts Janet on a train. However, just as the train is departing, Janet receives a telegram stating that Dr. Emil Shauffausen has been dead for over 40 years. Confused and distraught, she returns to her hotel room, where she finds Freddy, who apparently succeeds in seducing her.

Lawrence gracefully accepts defeat. Freddy surprisingly has had a change of heart; he found he could not take advantage of Janet, that his feelings for her were genuine. Instead, he has married her, is going straight, and they are returning to America. Lawrence reflects that Freddy has gotten the better deal in the end, but is distracted from this train of thought when his next target, a ravishing and extremely wealthy blonde, walks into the room.

Production

Filmed on location at Cannes, the comedy was written and produced by Stanley Shapiro (who received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1959 romantic comedy film Pillow Talk).

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "Big Rental Pictures of 1964", Variety, 6 January 1965 p 39. Please note this figure is rentals accruing to distributors not total gross.
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