''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' is a 1963 American

sex comedy Sex comedy, erotic comedy or more broadly sexual comedy is a genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual situations and love affairs. Although "sex comedy" is primarily a description of dramatic forms such as theatre and film, literary works such ...

film directed by David Swift and starring

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadi ...

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

, Dean Jones, and

Edie Adams Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman. She earned the Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award. Adams was well known for her impersonations ...

, with

Imogene Coca Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on ''Your Show of Shows''. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wishe ...

Paul Lynde Paul Edward Lynde (; June 13, 1926January 10, 1982) was an American comedian, actor and game show panelist. A character actor with a distinctively campy and snarky persona that often poked fun at his barely closeted homosexuality, Lynde was we ...

, and

Robert Lansing Robert Lansing (; October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and then as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wi ...

in supporting roles. The film received two

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

nominations in 1964: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for Lemmon. The film is based on the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play of the same name by Lawrence Roman that first ran in 1960–61, which featured Jones in the same role.

Plot

Hogan (Jack Lemmon) is a lecherous landlord, a swinging bachelor who ogles and tries to seduce his female tenants. Women are mere playthings to him, plus he's a master

con man A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...

. His bachelor pad is a holy temple of seduction: blood-red walls, African sculptures, a well-stocked cocktail bar, a switch-operated fireplace, and mechanized violins that play romantic music at the touch of a button. He walks around wearing a scarlet cardigan (with matching socks and shirts) and a devilish smirk. As the independently wealthy landlord of a beautifully-designed California apartment block that includes tropical plants, he rents rooms only to gorgeous single women at just $75 a month. An older married couple, handyman Murphy (Paul Lynde) and maid Dorcas (Imogene Coca) work for Hogan. Irene (Edie Adams), a recently divorced tenant, has just ended a relationship with Hogan. She's moving out of the apartment with the assistance of her friend Charles (Robert Lansing). The apartment is immediately snapped up by her niece, Robin (Carol Lynley). Hogan is thrilled at the prospect of yet another beautiful tenant to seduce, but is initially unaware that Robin's short-tempered, frustrated, bumbling boyfriend David (Dean Jones) is moving in with her in a 'platonic' capacity only, to determine their compatibility. Hogan does his best to prevent David and Robin from consummating their relationship. Irene, who has only come to realize the extent of Hogan's promiscuity, is determined to prevent him from getting his hands on her niece. Irene confronts him at his barber, and Hogan is self-defensive and comically self-deluded.

Cast

as Hogan *

as Robin Austin * Dean Jones as David Manning *

as Irene Wilson *

as Murphy *

as Charles Howard *

as Dorcas Murphy * Joy Harmon as Ardice *Pamela Curran as Dolores *Asa Maynor as Cheryl *Laurie Sibbald as Eve *Jane Wald as Liz (woman in shower) *

Celeste Yarnall Celeste Jeanne Yarnall (July 26, 1944 – October 7, 2018) was an American actress primarily of the 1960s and 1970s. She started her career on television before moving to feature film roles. Career A native of Long Beach, California, Yarnall w ...

as New Girl in Van *

Bill Bixby Wilfred Bailey Everett Bixby III (January 22, 1934 – November 21, 1993) professionally known as Bill Bixby, was an American actor, director, producer, and frequent game-show panellist. Bixby's career spanned more than three decades, includi ...

as Track Team Coach *

Bill Erwin William Lindsey Erwin (December 2, 1914 – December 29, 2010) was an American film, stage and television actor and cartoonist with over 250 television and film credits. A veteran character actor, he is widely known for his 1993 Emmy Award-nomi ...

as Teacher *Matty Jordan as Maitre D' *

James Millhollin Arthur James Millhollin (August 23, 1915 – May 23, 1993) was an American character actor. Early years Millhollin was born in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, performing in many school plays, graduated from Thomas Jeffers ...

as The Thin Man

Other versions

The film was adapted from a

play by Lawrence Roman. The stage production opened on November 16, 1960 at

Henry Miller's Theatre The Stephen Sondheim Theatre, formerly Henry Miller's Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 124 West 43rd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Owned by the Durst Organization and managed by the Roundabout Theatre ...

and ran for 173 performances. The original cast included

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'' ...

as Hogan,

Sandra Church Sandra Church (born January 13, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her performance as the original Gypsy Rose Lee in ''Gypsy'' (1959),Kantor, Michael and Laurence Maslon, ''Broadway: The American Musical'', Bulfinch Pr ...

as Robin, and Dean Jones as David. An hour-long unsold

television pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dis ...

titled ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' and directed by E. W. Swackhamer premiered on ABC on September 2, 1969. The manager of the apartment complex was played by

Jack Sheldon Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr. (November 30, 1931 – December 27, 2019), known professionally as Jack Sheldon, was an American singer, musician, and actor. He performed on '' The Merv Griffin Show'' and participated in episodes of the educational musi ...

and among the cast were

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Place ...

and

Leigh Taylor-Young Leigh Taylor-Young (born January 25, 1945) is an American actress who has appeared on stage, screen, podcast, radio and television. The most famous films in which she had important roles include ''I Love You, Alice B. Toklas'' (1968), '' The Hors ...

, who were married from 1967 to 1971. Both were stars of ABC's primetime serial '' Peyton Place'', which broadcast its final episode three months earlier, on June 2.

Song

The song "Under the Yum Yum Tree", written 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 ...

and

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

, is sung by

James Darren James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...

during the opening credits, and its melody is used thematically throughout the picture.

Novelization

Slightly in advance of the film's release, as was the custom of the era, a paperback novelization of the film was published by

Dell Books Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and so ...

. The author was renowned crime and western novelist Marvin H. Albert, who also made something of a cottage industry out of movie tie-ins. He seems to have been the most prolific screenplay novelizer of the late '50s through mid '60s, and, during that time, the preeminent specialist at light comedy.

References

External links

* * * * * {{David Swift 1963 films 1963 romantic comedy films 1960s American films 1960s English-language films 1960s sex comedy films American films based on plays American romantic comedy films American sex comedy films Columbia Pictures films Films about landlords Films directed by David Swift Films scored by Frank De Vol Films set in apartment buildings Films set in California