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Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
(1957)
In writer/director Frank Tashlin's CinemaScopic media
satire about the excesses of 50s American pop-culture, including
its consumerism, morals, movies, celebrity, Marilyn Monroe, Freudian
analysis, advertising, sex, and the growing power of television:
- the opening title credits - a satire on TV commercials
that were demonstrated by ad pitch statements for defective products
--- a refrigerator with slip-easy, pop-up, finger-touch ice trays
("No matter how many lushes you know, with the slip-easy,
pop-up, finger-touch ice trays, you have enough ice cubes for all"),
non-foaming head-free, heavenly-brewed Shelton's Beer ("Brewed
crystal clear from the streams deep in the forest swamps. You'll
be way ahead with Shelton's Beer. There is no head on Shelton's
Beer. No foam, just beer"), destructive yet magical Tres Chic
hair shampoo ("Do you want to say goodbye to dull, drab hair?...You'll
see what Tres Chic can do to your hair!"), the Handy Dandy
Dandy electric shaver that couldn't handle a thick beard (but could "shave
the fungus off an overripe peach"), the energy of Crunchie
Crispies breakfast food ("Each little Crunchie contains energy,
contains pep for your growing youngsters, builds strong legs so
that when they're older, they can stand the long waits in the unemployment
lines. Listen to the energy. It snaps, it crunches"), Jolly
Jess' promotion of Frank's Vacuum-Packed Peanut Butter (that stuck
his mouth together), Wow washing detergent made of fallout (an
"exclusive patented ingredient - Wow is gentle to your hands.
It may be a little rough on your fingernails, but with a clean kitchen
you won't have to scratch yourself"), a Rambunctious Rupert
car salesman selling bargain automobiles ("Take the car away
and drive it off the lot. No money down, no collateral. Just leave
your wife with Rambunctious Rupert"), and an Easy Clean washing
machine that wouldn't release the clothes for a housewife ("...with
six dirty children and a big, filthy husband...you can imagine how
important an Easy Clean washing machine can be. It not only Easy
Cleans those dirty, filthy clothes, but it's so gentle on each garment,
so gentle that it makes wash day a day to remember - You won't forget
wash day...")
- the character of Madison Ave. ad-commercial copy writer
Rockwell P. Hunter (Tony Randall) for the La Salle Jr. Raskin, Pooley & Crocket
ad agency, who found success after recruiting buxom Hollywood movie
starlet Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield) (a parody on Marilyn Monroe)
to endorse his company's product: Stay-Put lipstick ("For those
oh-so-kissable lips!")
- Rockwell's publicity-stunt pretension that he was
Rita's lover - dubbed Lover Doll, even though he alienated his office
secretary-fiancee Jenny Wells (Betsy Drake), and was chased by hordes
of hysterical teenaged fan club girls
- the musical performance of the film's mantra - the
song: "You've Got it Made"; as Rockwell wildly gyrated
with Rita, he told her: "This music brings out the Belafonte
in me, Miss Marlowe" and then reassured her: "I'm the same
Lover Doll I've always been, honest"
- the many sexual innuendos and double entendres - such
as popcorn popping in the pocket of Lover Doll when Rita (draped
in a pink bathrobe) hugged him as he spoke on the phone and noted:
"Miss Marlowe is the titular head of the company"
- ex-company president Irving La Salle Jr.'s (John Williams)
warning about success: "Success will fit you like a shroud"
- the abrupt intermission break in the film (breaking
the fourth wall), when Hunter emerged from behind a curtain and announced:
"Ladies and gentlemen. This break in our motion picture is made
out of respect for the TV fans in our audience who are accustomed to
constant interruptions in their programs for messages from sponsors.
We want all you TV fans to feel at home, and not forget the thrill
you get watching television on your big, 21-inch screens. I have a
21 inch screen myself, and it's loads of fun" - suddenly, the
image shrank to the standard small, black and white TV view (that was
malfunctioning with blipping, skewing, blurring, bad reception snow,
etc.): "TV is a remarkable invention. Where did you go? Oh, there
you are! Hi, as I was saying, TV is a remarkable invention. You can
sit there in your easy chair with your shoes off and a can of beer
watching that wonderful, clear picture coming into your home bringing
culture and entertainment to you and your family. Of course, the great
thing about TV is that you see things live at the moment they're happening,
like old movies made 30 years ago" - and as abruptly, the view
transformed back into CinemaScopic color
- the ending cameo appearance of Rita's long lost love
George Schmidlap (an uncredited Groucho Marx), and the earlier wise
advice given to Rita (while lounging in her bubble bath reading Peyton
Place) by her secretary Vivian "Vi" (Joan Blondell)
about the first real love of her life: ("You've got to stop
going overboard for every man who makes you tingle. First there was
that English actor who wore the sunglass monocle, and then the Academy
Award winner who had you polishing his Oscar. Can't think of the
others. And there was Bobo and then Rocky. And all because you can't
forget George Schmidlap. What you need is a psychiatrist or a do-it-yourself
couch... I've been quiet enough. His name is George Schmidlap - he's
the actor who awarded you first prize in the Miss Florida Grapefruit
contest, and he's the one you can't forget and never will, so why
do you keep pickin' up with these schnooks - always tryin' to turn
them into unreasonable facsimiles of George? Don't you realize you
can never fall in love again like you did with George?")
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