The Screwball Sixties torrent

The Screwball Sixties

Three comedies from the sixties:

The Glass Bottom Boat -- 1966
Who's Minding The Mint? -- 1967
How To Commit Marriage -- 1969


Outlandish and absurd fun characterize these three classic movies, along with large ensemble casts stuffed with stars and well-known character actors.

THE GLASS BOTTOM BOAT stars the late and legendary actress Doris Day. (In-line footnote -- a LOT of actors mentioned here deserve the adjective "legendary" in front of their names. Just assume it is there.) Appearing with her include Dick Martin (shortly to be of Rowan & Martin), Arthur Godfrey, Edward Andrews, Paul Lynde, Dom DeLuise, and Theodore Marcuse (you'll probably recognize him).

This could be the archetype of the '60s Cold War spy spoof. Doris Jennifer Nelson, who works at a NASA-connected research complex, and moonlights as a mermaid for the benefit of her father's (Arthur Godfrey) glass bottom boat tours. She and Godfrey perform a magnificent duet of her signature song, "Que Sera Sera" early in the show. Through a series of misunderstandings, Doris is suspected of being a Russian spy. When she finds out about the shenanigans -- well! What else can she do but play along?!? She basically trolls them all with evidence of Russian collusion, helped along, unwittingly, by her nosy neighbors, Gladys & Abner Kravitz. Yes, they're here too, with different names, but their same beloved characters from "Bewitched". She also trolls along the several gentlemen who have her set in their romantic sights. One scene, later in the movie, has additional amusing overtones: two of the men end up sitting in bed together with bottles of champagne, both waiting for her. They are discovered, and glared at with shock and disdain by secret agent Paul Lynde! (If you don't understand why that's amusing, just look up where he died.)

One particularly intriguing scene envisions a "kitchen of the future". Among other things, it features what is essentially a Roomba! They may have missed the mark with an infrared oven rather than a microwave, but THAT certainly has come to pass!

Also featured along the way are some beautiful stock footage of Catalina, from whence the titular glass bottom boat hails, oh yes, and a rather important character named Vladimir.

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