That Funny Feeling

OK, so we in the 21st century don't judge Sandra Dee's movies too kindly, as she usually played some nubile woman existing only to be cute, and we don't consider it particularly PC. The truth is, most of the teen flicks of the past 25 years haven't been much different, and I for one find "That Funny Feeling" more interesting than many of the teen flicks from my lifetime. True, much of the movie is pretty predictable, with Dee as a working class maid pretending to live in a young businessman's (Bobby Darin) apartment, while he goes along with it; I actually didn't spend much of the movie laughing. But the movie definitely has its moments, namely the telephone booth and the party (some people might even include the shot of Sandra Dee in the bathtub...meow meow).

Obviously, given that during the '60s, we started seeing movies like "Dr. Strangelove" and "The Graduate", this one might seem worthless at best. But, I will say that it does have a certain charm to it. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch, but doesn't pretend to be. Just nice, silly fun. And Sandra Dee is actually kinda hot. Also starring Donald O'Connor, Nina Talbot, Larry Storch, Leo G. Carroll, Robert Strauss, Kathleen Freeman and Arte Johnson.

I bet that somewhere beyond that great sea in the sky, Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin can take comfort knowing that we still remember them, even if it is for something as silly as this.

This movie is fun to watch 60's romantic comedy. Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee play the girl and the boy deceives each other, falls in love, and finds each other's deception before they can confess.

The pattern alone is fun to watch over and over; even today the film industry still tries to recapture the 60's romantic comedies yet falls short.

While we are having fun with the main couple, one cannot help but notice the supporting cast. I will not name them all but they have been seen in many movies and TV programs of that era. There is Donald O'Connor ("The Bell Telephone Hour" .... Host) as Bobby Darin's friend and boss, Nita Talbot ("Hogan's Heroes" .... Marya) as Sandra Dee's roommate and confidant, and Leo G. Carroll ("Topper" .... Cosmo Topper "20 episodes, 1954-1955") as the understanding Irish Pawnbroker.

A great Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee film that transcends this film is "Come September" (1961).

"More locations than the A&P"... does anyone else remember the A&P chain of supermarkets?? They actually say that line in the film.... A & P is all gone now, but they have an interesting story at wikipedia. Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin were married in "real life", and were known for their wholesome, family friendly films.... they did make three of them in the 1960s. Darin died quite young, at 37, after heart surgery...he was already divorced twice by that time. Dee and Darin made these films about mistaken identity and misunderstandings, like Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Astute viewers will recognize Nita Talbot, who was Marya on Hogans Heroes! The silly mix-up in "Feeling" is that Joan is actually Tom's maid, but since they have never met, Joan (Dee) pretends to own his apartment, which wouldn't be a big deal, except that she tells this to Tom when she meets him, and he KNOWS it's not hers. Supporting roles by Larry Storch ( F Troop) and Leo Carroll (North by Northwest). Like every episode of Three's Company, when the deception is discovered, rather than talk it out and have a good laugh, they continue on and dig the hole deeper and deeper. Donald O'Connor is in here for comedy. Some double entendres about an unmarried mother when Joan takes some things to the pawn broker... It's all mostly plain, simple fun. As long as you buy in, its all harmless and done. Pretty okay.

Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin, still married in real life at the time, play strangers who accidentally meet at a newsstand. She's a maid who had yet to meet her boss. He's that boss. So when they start dating, he wants to take her home and she ID's his place as that one. I'll stop there and just say the mistaken identity plot has many amusing turns with some pretty hilarious lines from various supporting characters played by some pretty familiar players like Larry Storch, Arte Johnson, and Donald O'Connor who plays Darin's co-worker/boss. The movie is only ninety minutes so there's not too much time to make the plot unbearable So on that note, That Funny Feeling is worth a look.

"That Funny Feeling" doesn't by any means test the acting capabilities of Darin, or the glamour of Dee, but it is nonetheless a delightful, funny, and even colorful, film. As a bemused and confused victim of "Joan"'s bizarre method of dealing with an unacceptable home address. There are some great visuals, Darin climbing out of the upstairs window to avoid a confrontation in his own apartment with "Joan", the phone booth scene, the moment when he gets in the cab and in answer to the question, "where to?" simply says, "I don't know." Darin and co-star Sandra Dee look great together - no wonder that happened! And it is always fun to see Donald O'Connor too. I'd have loved to hear more songs from Darin, but the plot just didn't call for them. The title song is a very catchy, though. It is a movie that takes me back to what was best in the '60's - innocent fun and romance with humor and charm.