Movie review: ‘The Glass Bottom Boat’

I’m a total sucker for the enjoyment brought by Frankie and Annette beach movies. I’m just as much entertained by the romantic comedies of Doris Day. As for light comedies, tell me you didn’t laugh during “Beach Party” (click here for my review) or “The Trouble With Angels” (click here for my review). I came across Doris’ “The Glass Bottom Boat” at my local public library and found it to be the typically light, funny romp with Day and her suitor – in this case Rod Taylor – and all the hijinks she inspires or commits that lead up to them getting married. “The Glass Bottom Boat” is truly fun in a family-friendly way. If you can find it, watch it. I have no doubt you will enjoy it!

‘The Glass Bottom Boat’
(1966; 110 minutes; rated “approved”; directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Doris Day, Rod Taylor, Dick Martin and Paul Lynde)

DORIS DAY A RUSSIAN SPY? OF COURSE NOT!

(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional opinion and updating of links on May 30, 2016. I again expanded the review on April 23, 2020.)

Movie snobs won’t like that even an amateur film critic rates the light romantic comedies of Doris Day as excellent motion pictures. Well, they are in my mind, and today I’m looking at “The Glass Bottom Boat” from 1966 and while it isn’t as good as “Pillow Talk” with Doris and Rock Hudson (click here for my review), it is better than “Move Over, Darling” with her and James Garner.

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Actually “The Glass Bottom Boat’s” leading man, Rod Taylor, cannot hold a candle to either Hudson or Garner, but the film rises above “Move Over, Darling” because of its kitschy space-age, James Bond-ian look and a key scene of frenetic bouncing around at a party. “The Glass Bottom Boat” even has a nice cameo by Robert “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Vaughn in his “Napoleon Solo” persona and offers a few notes of that show’s theme song. Still, “The Glass Bottom Boat” doesn’t rise to “Pillow Talk’s” level because of Hudson’s work there, but both have catchy tunes you’ll hum for a while.

“The Glass Bottom Boat” tries to cash in on the space race and the explosion of interest of spy films that was ignited by 007. Hence, “The Glass Bottom Boat” is basically is a spoof on a spy story and is used to showcase the actors. The film’s supporting cast is 1960s kitsch, too, with many familiar faces from movies and TV including Paul Lynde, Dom DeLuise, Dick Martin and Arthur Godfrey. It even has the couple playing Day’s next-door neighbors who were the nosy neighbors in TV’s popular “Bewitched” that was in production at the same time. All in all, “The Glass Bottom Boat” is almost TV-ish in its outlook, but always manages to rise above it.

In “The Glass Bottom Boat,” Day plays “Jennifer Nelson” who is a widow working in public relations at a high-tech plant (space age stuff in the space race of the 1960s) and swims as a mermaid for her father’s glass bottom boat tours on the weekends. Day accidentally gets hooked by Taylor, who plays tycoon-scientist “Bruce Templeton,” while he’s fishing but she doesn’t realize he’s her boss (apparently she’s pretty far down the ladder at the company). Of course, she ultimately does realize as she begins to write his biography for the company since he’s getting attention for a space-age development (a super-secret “equation”).

Of course, through a kooky set of circumstances, they become attracted to each other and start a relationship. A number of strange actions (such as calling “Vladamir” on the phone several times each day – don’t worry, it’s her dog) lead her to become a suspected as being a Russian spy. As all the foolishness plays out, you get the stereotypes of a Doris Day comedy: She falls for the guy; she then gets mad at him; she sets him and his friends up; and everything comes together at the end.

Not only are the actors fun here, but so is seeing Taylor’s futuristic house and all the 1960s things that certainly wax nostalgic as well as some that were ahead of their time (you see what might be considered the prototype of the Roomba). You get jealous of space in Taylor’s home, too, as the living is room is so big it can hold buffet tables and a live music combo along with dozens of party guests.

Here are our headliners:

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  An Oscar nominee for “Pillow Talk,” Day is her usual energetic, sunny and outgoing self here. It’s no wonder she’s liked by everyone and absolutely no surprise that Taylor falls for her. Day is perky, bright and a bit clumsy (of course, all coming off as endearing and well-intentioned) and she gets to sing. You couldn’t ask for or get more from her here. Day has also been in “With Six You Get Eggroll” and “Send Me No Flowers.” In addition to her Oscar nomination, Day received four Golden Globes and eight Globe nominations in a career that spanned only four decades with 45 acting credits. Her final credit was in 1973 for her self-titled TV show and she died at 97 in 2019 of pneumonia.

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  Taylor, who plays the virile CEO and resident brainiac, really doesn’t shine here. He’s commanding and forceful, but really doesn’t make the role pop out at the audience. It just isn’t the chemistry you find between Day and Hudson in “Pillow Talk” (and you don’t have a Tony Randall to make a love triangle). You’ll find much better work by Taylor in his dramatic turn in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” as well as him having been in “The Time Machine,” the 1961 version of “101 Dalmations” and his final credit was as “Winston Churchill” in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” from 2009. The native of Australia died at 84 in 2015 of a heart attack.

While Day and Taylor are good together, it’s a big slice of the supporting cast that’s truly a hoot to experience today. They include:

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  A Golden Globe nominee (not for this one), “funnyman” Lynde is simply delightful as the suspicious security officer “Homer Cripps.” He does his usual off-hand, slightly sarcastic voice manners and is the costume king here … or should I say queen since he dresses up like a woman (he also wears a fake beard, too). Lynde, also a veteran of “Bewitched” as “Uncle Arthur,” is most famous for “Hollywood Squares” as well as a variety of TV shows including “The Flying Nun” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.” He was nominated for his self-titled TV show and died at 55 in 1982 of a cardiac arrest.

• A Primetime Emmy winner and three-time nominee, Martin, who earned all those for his part of TV’s “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” plays “Zack Molloy,” who is Taylor’s marketing expert. Martin flits around anxiously awaiting his boss’ next command and also falls into the paranoia about Day being a spy. He does a good job here as the distant and dense executive. Despite being almost a household name, Martin had only 33 acting credits and 23 directing credits. He acted mostly on TV including “The Love Boat” (click here for my review) and even an episode of “Baywatch.” He died at 86 in 2008 of respiratory failure.
• A Golden Globe nominee (not for this one), DeLuise plays “Julius Pritter,” a stereo installation guy who is being blackmailed to spy on Taylor. DeLuise’s character is the one with the most slapstick humor – from stepping on a cake to messing up Taylor’s house, it’s his physical comedy that’s as good as his emotions. DeLuise is solid here and is one actor in the cast that elevates his character. He was also in “Blazing Saddles” as “Buddy Bizarre” (fitting – click here for my review) as well as “The Cannonball Run” with Burt Reynolds (click here for my review). He was nominated for the TV series “Lotsa Luck!” and died at 75 in 2009 of complications from cancer.
• A three-time Primetime Emmy nominee, Godfrey plays “Axel Nordstrom” and is Day’s father here. He’s patient and trusting of his daughter and pretty much mails in this effort. Godfrey, who did a great job in the “Angels” sequel “Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows!” (click here for my review) as well as TV shows such as “The Love Boat.” All of his nominations were for the honor of being named TV’s outstanding personality. Godfrey died at 79 in 1983 of emphysema and pneumonia.

Rounding out the cast are George Tobias and Alice Pearce. They play Day’s next door neighbors “Norman and Mabel Fenimore” and the actors have the neighbor thing down pat – especially with her whiny voice. It’s great that they’re better remembered (and known at the time) as the neighbors “Abner and Gladys Kravitz” in “Bewitched.” Tobias was also in “Ten Tall Men” in his career spanning six decades until his death at 78 in 1980 and did mostly TV roles including “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” “The Glass Bottom Boat” is the Emmy-winning Pearce’s final film as she died of ovarian cancer at 48 in 1966 (the year “The Glass Bottom Boat” was released and she was replaced on TV as “Gladys” by Sandra Gould). She was also in another Doris Day film, “The Thrill of It All.”

The film’s “approved” rating comes from Hollywood’s rating system known as the “Hays Code” from the name of its chief censor, according to Wiki. From 1938 through 1968 films were evaluated and either deemed approved or disapproved (“moral” or “immoral”). Although officially abandoned in 1968 in favor of the start of the rating system you see today, the “Hays Code” had pretty much disappeared in the 1960s due to the influence of television, edgy directors and U.S. Supreme Court rulings, according to Wiki.

With $9 million at the box office in 1966, “The Glass Bottom Boat” should have ranked 23rd among films that year. However, Wiki offers conflicting information by reporting the box office total here for the film but lists the year’s top 25 films here and “The Glass Bottom Boat” isn’t among them. The No. 1 film is even in doubt depending on your internet source with both “The Bible: In the Beginning …” and “Hawaii” taking the top spot. Films from 1966 that I reviewed are “Assault on a Queen” – a caper film with Frank Sinatra (click here for my review) – and “The Trouble With Angels” – a classic kids flick with a superlative performance by Rosalind Russell (click here for my review).

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

• The mermaid costume was once on display (and might still be so) at the Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island.
• Directly from IMDb.com: “Jennifer steps out on her front porch and sees two of her neighbors. She greets them saying, ‘Hello Mabel. Hello Norman.’ Mabel Normand was a famous comedienne of the early 20th century.”
• Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “The song ‘Soft As The Starlight’ was co written by Curly Howard, of Three Stooges fame, along with Joe Lubin.”
• Click here: IMDb.com has a trivia page about the film, but it’s very meager…

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