''I'll Take Sweden'' is a 1965 American comedy film directed by

Frederick de Cordova Frederick Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 – September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life De Cordova ...

, and starring

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

, and

Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is an American actress and model. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over t ...

Plot

Single father Bob Holcomb, a widower, is unhappy with the guitar-playing boy Kenny his daughter JoJo chooses as a husband-to-be. An executive with an oil company, Bob accepts a transfer to the firm's Stockholm branch and he takes JoJo along, hoping it will distract her. Sweden turns out to be far more liberal sexually than the United States. Bob, having met an attractive interior designer, Karin, decides to take her away for a romantic weekend at a mountain resort. JoJo has accepted an offer to go to a jazz festival from Erik, who is Bob's new assistant. Originally seen as a respectable suitor, Erik turns out to be a playboy and a cad. A girl thought to be his cousin, Marti, is actually a former girlfriend. Bob invites Kenny to Sweden in an attempt to get Kenny and JoJo together. Kenny is invited by Erik to have dinner with Marti and also to the festival. Bob sends Erik to Saudi Arabia but he does not go, sending his subordinate. He also tells JoJo he is going away for work but he really goes with Karin to a resort, but stops at the festival on the way. Kenny takes Marti to the festival. JoJo spies her father in the restaurant at the festival while talking to him on the phone. He is still claiming to be working while she is supposed to be home alone. After originally telling Erik she wanted to go home, she tells him she now wants to go to the same resort her father is heading to. Marti tells Kenny she is not really Erik's cousin and both admit they are in love with their former partners. They also decide to go to the mountain resort. At the resort where the three couples continue to awkwardly encounter one another. Kenny finally has his fill of Erik, knocking him out with his guitar. On a voyage home, the ship's captain performs a double wedding ceremony, that turns out to be invalid, due to a navigation error. So it needs to be done again.

Principal cast

Production notes

Development

The film was announced in April 1964 with Hope and Weld attached from the beginning. In July Frederick de Cordova was announced as director. The movie was advertised as being Hope's 50th but even he disputed that.

Filming

Filming started August 1964. The parts of the movie that were supposed to be in Sweden were shot at Big Bear Lake and

Lake Arrowhead, California Lake Arrowhead is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest, and surrounding the eponymous Lake Arrowhe ...

. Director Frederick De Cordova saw

Luci Baines Johnson Luci Baines Johnson (born July 2, 1947) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the younger daughter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., J ...

, daughter of President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

, dance the Watusi at a White House barbecue. He offered her a role in the film but she declined on the grounds she had to go to school.

Billie Dove Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress. Early life and career Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...

visited the set and Bob Hope offered her a role too but the former star declined.

Critical reception

Howard Thompson of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' loathed the film: "The picture is an altogether asinine little romp... Nothing can save this tattered, old-fashioned dip." Other reviews were mixed. Hope was so impressed with Avalon's work, he signed Avalon to appear on his television show.

References

External links

* * {{Edward Small 1965 comedy films 1965 films American comedy films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Frederick de Cordova Films produced by Edward Small Films scored by Jimmie Haskell Films set in Sweden Films shot in California United Artists films 1960s American films