Come September *** (1961, Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin, Walter Slezak, Joel Grey) – Classic Movie Review 6,034

Rock Hudson plays a rich American who arrives in July instead of his usual September to be with his Italian lover (Gina Lollobrigida) only to find his vacation villa being run as a luxury hotel by his crafty head of staff (Walter Slezak).

Director Robert Mulligan’s fairly daft but amusingly bubbly 1961 escapist American romantic comedy film Come September is set in a fantasy Italy and has as its familiar theme the generation clash on an American vacation at a luxurious Italian villa. Gina Lollobrigida plays Lisa Fellini!

Rock Hudson plays a rich American industrialist mogul called Robert L Talbot, who arrives in Italy unexpectedly in July instead of his usual September for his summer fling with his Roman lover Lisa Helena Fellini (Gina Lollobrigida), only to find his vacation home being run as a posh guest house by the enterprising Italian caretaker.

Talbot’s crafty head of staff Maurice Clavell (Walter Slezak) has had the idea of converting the villa into a luxury hotel, and has been running it for six years, but of course closing in the Septembers. 

Now Lisa is fed up with Talbot’s once-a-year arrangement, and is preparing to marry her eager but unexciting man Spencer (Ronald Howard), who she promptly drops when Talbot calls to say he’s in Italy in July and ready for an early fling.

Talbot arrives at the villa, wrong-footing Maurice, who now must try to deceive his boss and juggle the comings and goings of his college girl guests (including Sandra Dee as Sandy Stevens) and their frosty chaperone Margaret Allison (Brenda de Banzie).

The singer Bobby Darin makes his film debut, as Tony, and won the 1962 Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer – Male. Darin also composes the Come September theme as well as the song ‘Multiplication’, which he performs in the film.

The bright, attractive performances from the appealing players count for a lot, perhaps more than Stanley Shapiro and Maurice Richlin’s unrealistic, escapist screenplay, but that motors entertainingly along. And is also helps a lot that there is smooth handling and a polished production.

Young co-stars Sandra Dee and Bobby Darin, playing Sandy and Tony, were married in real life. They met and fell in love while filming the movie and shortly afterwards wed on December 1, 1960. They also made If a Man Answers (1962) and That Funny Feeling (1965) together before their divorce in 1967.

It also stars Walter Slezak as Maurice Clavell, Joel Grey as Beagle, Brenda de Banzie  as Margaret Allison, Rossana Rory as Anna, and Ronald Howard as Spencer.

Also in the cast are Ronnie Haran, Chris Seitz, Cindy Conroy, Joan Freeman, Charles Fawcett, Nancy Anderson, Michael Eden, Claudia Brack and John Stacy.

It was the first produced by Hudson’s film production company, 7 Pictures Corporation. Co-producer Henry Willson was Hudson’s agent who first changed his stage name from Roy Harold Scherer Jr to Rock Hudson by combining the Rock of Gibraltar and the Hudson River. 

Come September is directed by Robert Mulligan, runs 112 minutes, is made by  7 Pictures Corporation and Raoul Walsh Enterprises, is released by Universal Pictures, is written by Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin, Stanley Roberts and Robert Russell, is shot by William H Daniels, is produced by Robert Arthur, Henry Willson Raoul Walsh, and is scored by Hans J Salter, and is designed by Ernest B Wehmeyer and Henry Bumstead.

It was released on August 9, 1961 (US).

Hudson and Lollobrigida also made Strange Bedfellows (1965) together.

The cast are Rock Hudson as Robert L Talbot, Gina Lollobrigida as Lisa Helena Fellini, Sandra Dee as Sandy Stevens, Bobby Darin as Tony, Walter Slezak as Maurice Clavell, Brenda de Banzie as Margaret Allison, Rossana Rory as Anna, Ronald Howard as Spencer, Joel Grey as Beagle, Ronnie Haran as Sparrow, Chris Seitz as Larry, Cindy Conroy as Julia, Joan Freeman as Linda, Nancy Anderson as Patricia, Michael Eden as Ron, Claudia Brack as Carol, Charles Fawcett, and John Stacy.

The making of Come September is shown in the 2004 Darin biopic Beyond the Sea, starring Kevin Spacey as Darin and Kate Bosworth as Dee.

Robert Mulligan (August 23, 1925 – December 20, 2008) is best known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Summer of ’42 (1971), The Other (1972), Same Time, Next Year (1978), and The Man in the Moon (1991).

Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985).

Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005).

Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973).

Italian actress Rossana Rory (7 August 1927 – 1 April 2020) is best known for Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958) and L’Eclisse (1962).

Luigia ‘Gina’ Lollobrigida (4 July 1927 – 16 January 2023).

Joel Grey (born Joel David Katz; April 11, 1932).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6,034

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