''The Tender Trap'' (1955) is a CinemaScope

Eastman Color Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

directed by Charles Walters and starring Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds,

David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan, January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...

, and

Celeste Holm Celeste Holm (April 29, 1917 – July 15, 2012) was an American stage, film and television actress. Holm won an Academy Award for her performance in Elia Kazan's '' Gentleman's Agreement'' (1947), and was nominated for her roles in ''Come to ...

. Based on the 1954 play ''The Tender Trap'' by

Max Shulman Maximilian Shulman (March 14, 1919 – August 28, 1988) was an American writer and humorist best known for his television and short story character Dobie Gillis, as well as for best-selling novels. Biography Early life and career Shulman was b ...

and

Robert Paul Smith Robert Paul Smith (April 16, 1915 – January 30, 1977) was an American author, most famous for his classic evocation of childhood, '' Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing''. Biography Robert Paul Smith was born in Brooklyn, grew up i ...

, it marked Sinatra's return to MGM some six years after '' On the Town''. A second film under a new contract with the studio, ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'', was actually released ahead of ''The Tender Trap'' by one day on November 3, 1955. The film earned an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

nomination in the category of

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

for "

(Love Is) the Tender Trap "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" is a popular music, popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was written for the 1955 film ''The Tender Trap (film), The Tender Trap'', where it was introduced by Debbie Reynolds and Fra ...

" (music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

). The song proved a hit for Sinatra, one he would continue to sing throughout his career. It is performed in a pre-credits sequence by Sinatra, sung in the film by Reynolds in a lackluster version that Sinatra corrects, and yet again at the end of the film by Sinatra, Reynolds, Holm and Wayne.

Plot

Charlie Y. Reader is a 35-year-old

theatrical agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or s ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, living a seemingly idyllic life as a bachelor. Numerous women – among them Poppy, Helen, and Jessica – come and go, cleaning and cooking for him. Charlie's best friend since kindergarten, Joe McCall, who has a wife named Ethel and children in Indianapolis, comes to New York for a stay at Charlie's apartment, claiming that the excitement is gone from his 11-year marriage and that he wants to leave his wife. Joe envies and is amazed by Charlie's parade of girlfriends, while Charlie professes admiration for Joe's married life and family. At an audition, Charlie meets singer-actress Julie Gillis. She has her life planned to a tight schedule, determined to marry and retire from performing to a life of child-rearing by 22. Although at first she wards off Charlie's advances, she comes to see him as the ideal man for her plans. Julie demands that Charlie stop seeing other women. Charlie balks, but he begins to fall in love with her. Joe starts keeping company with Sylvia Crewes, a sophisticated classical musician and a typically neglected lover of Charlie's. Sylvia is approaching 33 and desires marriage as much as the younger Julie does. One day, annoyed by Julie and possibly jealous of Joe's attentions, Charlie blurts out a proposal of marriage to Sylvia. She is thrilled, only to discover the morning after their engagement party that he has proposed to Julie as well. Joe confesses his love to Sylvia and asks her to marry him. She turns him down, knowing that he loves his wife and children. Sylvia reminds Joe that girls turn into wives when they marry and she wants the same things Ethel does. On her way out, Sylvia runs into a charming stranger near the elevator who clearly wants to get to know her much better. Joe packs up and returns to Indiana to his wife. Charlie, his other girlfriends also having moved on with their lives, leaves for Europe for a year. Charlie returns just in time to see Sylvia marrying the new man in her life. She flips him the bridal bouquet. Julie is also at the wedding. Charlie tosses the flowers to her, then asks her to marry him. She agrees and they kiss.

Cast

* Frank Sinatra as Charlie Y. Reader * Debbie Reynolds as Julie Gillis *

as Sylvia Crewes *

as Joe McCall *

Lola Albright Lola Jean Albright (July 20, 1924 – March 23, 2017) was an American singer and actress, best known for playing the sultry singer Edie Hart, the girlfriend of private eye Peter Gunn, on all three seasons of the TV series ''Peter Gunn''. Early ...

as Poppy Masters * Carolyn Jones as Helen * Jarma Lewis as Jessica Collins * Howard St. John as Mr. Sayers *

Tom Helmore Tom Helmore (4 January 1904 – 12 September 1995) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1927 and 1972, including three directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Helmore was born in London, England and died in Longboat K ...

as Mr. Loughran *

Joey Faye Joey Faye (born Joseph Antony Palladino, July 12, 1909 or 1910 or 1902– April 26, 1997) was an American comedian and actor. Born in New York City, he gained fame as a comic in vaudeville and claimed that he created two of vaudeville's more renow ...

as Sol Z. Steiner *

Willard Sage James Willard Sage (August 13, 1922 – March 17, 1974) was a Canadian-American film and television actor. Born in London, Ontario. Sage began his career in 1951, where he appeared in the film ''The Butler's Night Off'', playing the role of a ...

as Director *Marc Wilder as Actor-Ballet *

Jack Boyle John Anthony Boyle (March 22, 1866 – January 7, 1913), nicknamed "Honest Jack", was an American catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball. His younger brother, Eddie Boyle, played in 1896. Baseball career Born in Cincinnati, Boyle be ...

as Audition Dancer * James Drury as Eddie * Gordon Richards as the Doorman (uncredited)

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $3,054,000 in the US and Canada and $1,441,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $1,410,000.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tender Trap, The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Charles Walters American musical comedy films Films set in New York City 1955 romantic comedy films American films based on plays Films with screenplays by Julius J. Epstein CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links