''For Love or Money'' is a

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film distributed by Universal International, produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Michael Gordon, and starring Kirk Douglas,

Mitzi Gaynor Mitzi Gaynor (born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber; September 4, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films include '' We're Not Married!'' (1952), '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' (1954), '' The Birds ...

, and

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''Come Fill the Cup'' (1952) and '' Teacher's Pet'' ...

. It was written by

Larry Markes Lawrence Wolcott Markes (September 24, 1921 – May 19, 1999) was an American comedian, singer and screenwriter. Markes was born in Brooklyn, New York, and decided at an early age to become a writer. Soon after graduating from the University ...

and Michael Morris, and released on August 7, 1963. The supporting cast features

Thelma Ritter Thelma Ritter (February 14, 1902 – February 5, 1969) was an American actress, best known for her comedic roles as working-class characters and her strong New York accent. She won the 1958 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and received ...

Julie Newmar Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer, August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real-estate mogul. She won the Tony ...

and

William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, who typically played rough, blue-collar characters. He is best remembered for his role in ''Wake Island'', which earned him an Academy ...

. To date, this remains the last film starring Gaynor before her retirement from acting.

Plot

Lawyer Donald Kenneth "Deke" Gentry ( Kirk Douglas) is given the task of playing matchmaker for the three daughters of his wealthy client Chloe Brasher (

Cast

* Kirk Douglas as Donald Kenneth "Deke" Gentry *

as Kate Brasher *

as Chloe Brasher *

as "Sonny" John Dayton Smith *

as Bonnie Brasher *

as Joe Fogel * Leslie Parrish as Jan Brasher *

Dick Sargent Richard Stanford Cox (April 19, 1930 – July 8, 1994), known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on ABC's fantasy situation comedy ''Bewitched''. He took the name ''Dick ...

as Harvey Wofford *

Elizabeth MacRae Elizabeth Hendon MacRae (born February 22, 1936) is an American actress who performed in dozens of television series and in nine feature films, working predominantly in productions released between 1958 and the late 1980s. Among her more widel ...

as Marsha *

William Windom William Windom (May 10, 1827January 29, 1891) was an American politician from Minnesota. He served as U.S. Representative from 1859 to 1869, and as U.S. Senator from 1870 to January 1871, from March 1871 to March 1881, and from November 1881 ...

as Sam Travis * Willard Sage as Orson Roark *

Billy Halop William Halop (February 11, 1920 – November 9, 1976) was an American actor. Early life Halop was born to Benjamin Cohen Halop and Lucille Elizabeth Halop on February 11, 1920. Halop came from a theatrical family; his mother was a dancer, and ...

as Elevator Operator

Production

This film is noteworthy for a few reasons. After appearing in a variety of films such as

westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

and historical epics, Kirk Douglas was starring in a romantic comedy film, a genre that many people were not used to seeing him in. Also, Mitzi Gaynor had not appeared in any other film after ''For Love or Money''. She stated that she was "too ordinary for films" and that she would be better off entertaining audiences through different ventures. Prolific supporting actor William Bendix, extremely popular in the 1940s, only appeared in three more theatrical films after this one. Douglas' car in this movie is a red 1962 Chrysler 300 Sport Convertible.

Reception

Leslie Parrish was nominated for a Golden Globe as "Most Promising Newcomer - Female" for her performance in this film. Many people noted that this film was similar to romantic comedies made famous by the classic comedy team of

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

and Doris Day. Supporting actors like Thelma Ritter and Gig Young, who, starred with Hudson and Day in other films, make an appearance here. Some were fairly critical of Douglas' performance in a romantic comedy film while others were pleasantly surprised by the actor's versatility.

Home media availability

Universal released this film in 2013 as a stand-alone DVD from the print-on-demand ''Universal Vault Series''. In 2016, it was re-released as part of the '' Kirk Douglas Centennial Collection'', a five-disc set featuring seven other films (''

Spartacus Spartacus ( el, Σπάρτακος '; la, Spartacus; c. 103–71 BC) was a Thracian gladiator who, along with Crixus, Gannicus, Castus, and Oenomaus, was one of the escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprisin ...

'', ''

Man Without a Star ''Man Without a Star'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by King Vidor and starring Kirk Douglas, Jeanne Crain, Claire Trevor and William Campbell. It was based on the novel of the same name, published in 1952, by Dee Linford (1915–19 ...

'', '' The Last Sunset'', ''

Lonely Are the Brave ''Lonely Are the Brave'' is a 1962 American black and white Western film adaptation of the Edward Abbey novel '' The Brave Cowboy'' directed by David Miller from a screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands and Walt ...

'', ''

The List of Adrian Messenger ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' is a 1963 American mystery film directed by John Huston starring Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Dana Wynter, Clive Brook, Gladys Cooper and Herbert Marshall. It is based on a 1959 novel of the same name written by ...

'', '' The War Wagon'', and ''

A Lovely Way to Die ''A Lovely Way to Die'' is a 1968 American crime neo noir directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Kirk Douglas, Sylva Koscina, Eli Wallach and Kenneth Haigh. A police officer resigns from the force and becomes a bodyguard to the wife of a w ...

''). Prior to these official releases by Universal, it was common to find this film in a DVD-r format.

References

External links

* * * {{Michael Gordon 1963 romantic comedy films 1963 films American romantic comedy films Films scored by Frank De Vol Films directed by Michael Gordon Universal Pictures films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films