Who Was That Lady?
| Who Was That Lady? | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | George Sidney |
| Produced by | Norman Krasna |
| Written by | Norman Krasna |
| Starring |
Tony Curtis Dean Martin Janet Leigh |
| Music by | André Previn |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Edited by | Viola Lawrence |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates | April 15, 1960 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,100,000 (US/ Canada)[1] |
Who Was That Lady? is a 1960 comedy film starring Tony Curtis, Dean Martin, and Janet Leigh.
The movie was made by Ansark-Sidney, distributed by Columbia Pictures, directed by George Sidney, and produced by Norman Krasna, who also wrote the screenplay based on his successful Broadway play Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? The music score was by André Previn and the cinematography by Harry Stradling. The costume design was by Jean Louis. The title song was written by Sammy Cahn.
The film features James Whitmore, John McIntire, Barbara Nichols, Larry Keating, Larry Storch, Simon Oakland and Joi Lansing. Jack Benny appears as himself.
Dean Martin received a Golden Globe award nomination for his performance in Who Was That Lady?, which also was nominated for Best Comedy.
Plot
College chemistry professor David Wilson is caught by his wife in his lab, kissing another woman. Ann Wilson immediately wants a divorce.
Dave prevails upon his best friend and Army buddy, Michael Haney, a CBS Television writer, to help him out of this jam. Haney comes up with a scheme in which Wilson lies to his wife that he is not actually a professor at all but an undercover agent for the FBI. Haney's contacts in television even manage to get Wilson an authentic-looking identification card and fake gun.
Ann falls for it, but is so impressed with what her husband does for a living that she can't keep quiet about it. Michael is so impressed with Ann's gullibility and patriotic urging of her husband Dave to do more "secret missions" that Michael sets up a date with two blondes with the promise of spending a weekend together with them. The indiscretions cause a number of complications, including some with the real FBI, the CIA and hostile foreign secret agents.
Main cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tony Curtis | David Wilson |
| Dean Martin | Michael Haney |
| Janet Leigh | Ann Wilson |
| James Whitmore | Harry Powell |
| John McIntire | Bob Doyle |
| Barbara Nichols | Gloria Coogle |
| Larry Keating | Parker |
| Larry Storch | Orenov |
| Simon Oakland | Belka |
| Joi Lansing | Florence Coogle |
| Mike Lane | Glinka the Henchman |
| Jack Benny | Jack Benny |
As of January 2016, Larry Storch is the only cast member still alive.
The film also features brief appearances by comedians Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Snub Pollard, and Emil Sitka.
Original Play
| Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Norman Krasna |
| Date premiered | 3 March 1958 |
| Place premiered | Martin Beck Theatre, New York |
| Original language | English |
Krasna's play, Who Was That Lady I Saw You With?, opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on March 3, 1958 in a production directed by Alex Segal and designed by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, and starring Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy. The play ran for 208 performances.[2]
Krasna was unsuccessfully sued for $500,000 in a breach of trust claim by writer Valentine Davies, who contended that Krasna incorporated material from Davies' work Love Must Go On.[3]
The play's original title was My Wife and I.[4]
Production
The production company, Ansark-Sidney, combines the names of producer Krasna (spelled backwards) and director Sidney.
See also
References
- ↑ "Rental Potentials of 1960", Variety, 4 January 1961 p 47. Please note figures are rentals as opposed to total gross.
- ↑ Who Was That Lady I Saw You With? original production at Playbill
- ↑ Writer Sues Norman Krasna New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 21 Nov 1959: 27.
- ↑ KRASNA'S COMEDY CHANGES ITS TITLE: 'WHO WAS THAT LADY I SAW YOU WITH?' DUE AT BECK-- BOOKING DELAYS 'AXE' By SAM ZOLOTOW. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 04 Dec 1957: 51.
External links
- Who Was That Lady? at the Internet Broadway Database
- Who Was That Lady? at the Internet Movie Database
- Who Was That Lady? at AllMovie
- Who Was That Lady? at Rotten Tomatoes
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