All the Fine Young Cannibals *** (1960, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Susan Kohner, George Hamilton, Pearl Bailey) – Classic Movie Review 8801

The MGM studio advertised it as ‘There are no rules… there is no limit… IN THE LOVE-HUNGRY WORLD OF THESE YOUNG SOPHISTICATES!’ Money, partner swapping, drugs and restless youth: MGM thought that director Michael Anderson’s sudsy but interesting 1960 musical romantic drama All the Fine Young Cannibals, based on the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, was pretty risqué at the time. Another interest here is that wife and husband lead actors are starring in a film about husband and wife relationships.

Handsome young players Robert Wagner (as the fictionalized Chad Bixby), Natalie Wood (then married to Wagner in real life), Susan Kohner and George Hamilton are involved in a tedious love tussle. It seems that Chad (Wagner) and Sarah ‘Salome’ (Wood) had a baby before he married Catherine (Kohner) and Sarah married Catherine’s brother Tony (Hamilton). But the film is stolen by Pearl Bailey in smallish role as Ruby Jones, who takes Chad to New York where he plays trumpet and becomes famous.

Robert Thom’s screenplay is based on the novel The Bixby Girls by Rosamond Marshall.

Also in the cast are Jack Mullaney, Onslow Stevens, Anne Seymour, Virginia Gregg, Addison Richards, Mabel Albertson, Louise Beavers, Emerson Treacy, Irene Tedrow, Queenie Leonard, Jay Adler, Ricky Allen, Charles Calvert, Carl Christian, Ken Christy, George Cisar, Redd Foxx (film debut), Debbie Magowan, Ralph Montgomery, Paulene Myers, Ruth Perrott, Casey Peters, Katie Sweet and Donald Towers.

All the Fine Young Cannibals is directed by Michael Anderson, runs 112 minutes, is made by Avon Productions, released by MGM, is written by Robert Thom, based on the novel The Bixby Girls by Rosamond Marshall, shot in Metrocolor by William H Daniels, produced by Pandro S Berman, scored by Jeff Alexander, and designed by Edward C Carfagno and George W Davis.

The title was familiar in the Eighties for the name of the Fine Young Cannibals rock group.

Wagner married Natalie Wood twice: (28 December 1957 – 27 April 1962) (divorced) and (16 July 1972 – 29 November 1981) (her death) (one child, Courtney Wagner, born 1974). He married Jill St John on 26 May 1990. They have made seven movies together.

The Dam Busters and Around The World in 80 Days director Michael Anderson died on April 25, 2018, aged 98.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8801

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