Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

David Swift

Writers:

Jack Finney (novel)
James Fritzell (writer)

Release Date:

22 July 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Slam! Bam! Here comes Sam!...Caught in the Middle of a Two-Woman Jam!

Plot:

Sam Bissel is a wholesome family man with a loving wife, Min, and two loving daughters. They lead a happy suburban life...

Plot Keywords:

Private Investigator | Inheritance | Milk | Billboard | Advertising

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	Sam Bissel
Romy Schneider	...	Janet Lagerlof
Dorothy Provine	...	Minerva Bissel
Mike Connors	...	Howard Ebbets (as Michael Connors)
Edward Andrews	...	Mr. Burke
Louis Nye	...	Reinhold Shiffner, detective
Robert Q. Lewis	...	Earl, neighnor
Joyce Jameson	...	Elsie Hooker
Anne Seymour	...	Irene Krump
Charles Lane	...	Jack Bailey
Linda Watkins	...	Edna
Peter Hobbs	...	Phil Reisner
Tristram Coffin	...	Sonny Blatchford (as Tris Coffin)
Neil Hamilton	...	Larry Boling
Riza Royce	...	Miss Halverson

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Bradbury Building - 304 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The name of the advertising firm for which Sam Bissel works, Burke & Hare, is clearly a reference to William Burke and William Hare, two Irish laborers living in 18th century Edinburgh, Scotland who became notorious as history's most famous "body snatchers" who, until they were discovered by the British authorities, killed at least 15 travelers and then sold their corpses to medical schools for dissection.

Quotes:

Hertz Commercial Man: [after finally being lowered into convertible] Man, that's *real* coffee!
[in tears]
Hertz Commercial Man: Oh, noooo!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cut Ups (1966)

One of those "Comfort Movies"

I grew up in the 50's & 60's so this is what I call a comfort film. Aside from the plot, I get a kick from watching the morning scene of everyone waking up in the upper class 1960's suburbs, the office scenes, the morning commute, the after work cocktails, the clothes. Remember the business hat? Everyone wore one with their business suit until Jack Kennedy hit the scene bare-headed. Kind of like Clark Gable taking off his shirt and not wearing a T Shirt. I've always felt that the scene where Sam Bissell does the double-take on the car full of commuters next to his car and sees sheep was an innocent preview of the coming unrest of "The 60's". So while it's a great comedy with great actors/acting I watch it to take me back to a time when there was no globalization and no competition for the US. Everyone was making "good money" and there were no threats, no negativity. Several of the films from approximately 1958-1965 were like this - I've always felt the 60's officially began between that period after Kennedy was shot and the Beatles landed in NYC (which is the starter's gun). Certainly How To Murder Your Wife is a close second, YUM YUM Tree, some of Doris Day's movies, Ride The Wild Surf (best fiction Surfer Movie ever made). What a great time to grow up. So don't be a Nurdlinger - watch this movie. Hope this adds an enjoyable note when you watch this movie.