A Guide for the Married Man (1967)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Gene Kelly

Writers:

Frank Tarloff (book)
Frank Tarloff (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 May 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A man gives his co-worker a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Philanderer | Betrayal | Cheating | Farce

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Paul Manning
Inger Stevens	...	Ruth Manning
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Mrs. Irma Johnson
Jackie Russell	...	Miss Harris, Manning's Secretary
Robert Morse	...	Edward L. 'Ed' Stander
Aline Towne	...	Mousey Man's Wife
Claire Kelly	...	Harriet Stander
Eve Brent	...	Joe X's Blowsy Blonde
Marvin Brody	...	Taxi Driver
Majel Barrett	...	Mrs. Fred V.
Marian Mason	...	Mrs. Rance G.
Tommy Farrell	...	Rance G.'s Hanger On
Linda Harrison	...	Miss Stardust, Rance's New Girl
Jason Wingreen	...	Harry 'Big Fella' Johnson
Pat Becker	...	Party Guest

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | West Germany:18 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Century City Shopping Center - 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The voice of director Gene Kelly can be heard coming from a television set.

Quotes:

Technical Adviser: [after losing her bra in "the heat of battle"] It's all right, Tiger. I've got another one at home.
Technical Adviser: That is not what's worrying me. What is worrying me is my wife coming home and finding it.
Technical Adviser: She'll just think it's hers.
Technical Adviser: Don't be ridiculous.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1 (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Guide For The Married Man

Good frothy fun...a perfect 60s time capsule sex comedy.

Walter Matthau has great fun in his role of a husband experiencing the "seven-year itch" who tries to learn the ropes of philandering by a co-worker buddy and expert adulterer (Robert Morse). Aided and abetted by a host of guest stars in flashback who offer the "do's" and "don't's" of extramarital affairs, our novice soon learns that cheating is a serious and very technical business. One misstep or a brief lapse of judgment...and it can be curtains for Casanova.

Matthau manages to keep the potentially smarmy material light and engaging while Morse is wickedly humorous as the no-nonsense "big brother." Of the numerous cautionary "lessons" offered by the guest stars, Joey Bishop, Ann Morgan Guilbert, Terry-Thomas and Jayne Mansfield manage to grab the biggest yuks in their brief scenes.

The irony of it all is that the late Inger Stevens, who plays Matthau's wife, is a spectacularly beautiful dish who, in my mind, has it all over the bump-and-grind shennanigans of Sue Ane Langdon and/or tawdry allure of Elaine Devry. Why Matthau's character would even consider cheating on the best looking femme in the picture is beyond me.

Nevertheless, relax and enjoy these comedy pros at work, guided by the assured hand of dancer-turned-director Gene Kelly.