Bachelor Flat ** (1961, Tuesday Weld, Richard Beymer, Terry-Thomas, Celeste Holm) – Classic Movie Review 7003

In Bachelor Flat, a beloved eccentric English comedian runs along a California beach without his trousers and girls dash madly in and out of closets.

Co-writer/ director Frank Tashlin adapts a play by Budd Grossman as a 1961 film vehicle for Terry-Thomas, who had then become very popular in the US, as Professor Bruce Patterson, an English university anthropology teacher looking for peace and quiet in a California beach house but instead is relentlessly pursued by girls, especially young juvenile delinquent Libby (Tuesday Weld).

It also stars Celeste Holm as the Professor’s fiancée Helen Bushmill and Richard Beymer as his neighbour Mike. Terry-Thomas does his best with the one-joke material, and Weld and Beymer are appealing, but it all falls rather flat.

It also features Francesca Bellini, Howard McNear, Ann Del Guercio, Roxanne Arlen, Alice Reinheart and Stephen Bekassy.

Bachelor Flat is directed by Frank Tashlin, runs 92 minutes, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Frank Tashlin and Budd Grossman, based on the play by Budd Grossman, is shot in colour by Daniel L Fapp, is produced by Jack Cummings and is scored by John Williams, with Art Direction by Leland Fuller and Jack Martin Smith.

Terry-Thomas is fondly remembered for his British films Private’s Progress (1956), Brothers in Law (1957), Lucky Jim (1957), Tom Thumb (1958) I’m All Right Jack (1959), School for Scoundrels (1960) and The Mouse on the Moon (1963).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7003

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