Phffft!

Phffft! is a 1954 black and white romantic comedy starring Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon, Jack Carson and featuring Kim Novak, in a small but notable role. It was written by George Axelrod and directed by Mark Robson, and was the second film featuring Holliday and Lemmon that year, after It Should Happen to You.

Plot

Nina and Robert Tracey (Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon) are a couple who have been married for eight years who decide to get a divorce after suffering marriage troubles. Robert takes up with his womanising Navy buddy Charlie Nelson (Jack Carson) while Nina looks to her interfering mother for guidance. Robert decides to spend the night with Janis (Kim Novak), a Marilyn Monroe-type character who finds the dashing Robert quite cute, but he feels uncomfortable with Janis and any other girls that he dates. Nina also tries to date other men but fails as she is still in love with Robert. Although they try to ignore each other any time that they accidentally meet, it is obvious that the past is not dead. Then one night, they find themselves in a nightclub, dancing the mambo together.

Cast

• Judy Holliday as Nina Tracey (née Chapman)
• Jack Lemmon as Robert Tracey
• Jack Carson as Charlie Nelson
• Kim Novak as Janis
• Luella Gear as Mrs. Edith Chapman
• Donald Randolph as Dr. Van Kessel
• Donald Curtis as Actor Rick Vidal a.k.a Dr. John Van Kessel
• Arny Freeman as Language teacher
• Eddie Searles as Tommy
• Merry Anders as Marsha
• Mylee Andreason as Robert's blonde dance teacher
• Sally Mansfield as Miss Comstock
• Joyce Jameson as Secretary
• Bess Flowers as Nightclub Dance Extra
• Jimmie Dodd as Cab Driver
• Shirlee Allard as Secretary
• Wendy Howard as Artist's Model
• Charlotte Lawrence as Radio actress as Cynthia

Production

• During the filming of this film, Jack Lemmon left the set as his then-wife, actress/model Cynthia Stone gave birth to his first son, Chris Lemmon.
• This was the second film that Jack Lemmon did with Judy Holliday. In that same year, Lemmon's debut film It Should Happen to You co-starred Holliday. This was also Lemmon's third film of his career.
• The title "Phffft" comes from Walter Winchell's column which was widely read during the 1950s. When a celebrity couple's marriage broke up, Winchell would describe the break-up as "phffft".
• Columbia Pictures approached George Axelrod to produce a film version of his very popular play, The Seven Year Itch but the film rights were tied up as long as it was running on Broadway. He instead offered them "Phffft!" - an earlier play of his dealing with a similar subject.

Awards and honors

• Judy Holliday was nominated for "Best Foreign Actress" at the BAFTA Awards in 1955.
• The film was also nominated for "Best Written American Comedy" at the Writer's Guild of America.

External links

• Phffft! at the TCM Movie Database
• Phffft! at the Internet Movie Database
• Phffft! at AllRovi