OSCAR PREDICTIONS AND OSCAR NEWS

Though not as famous or popular as “Pillow Talk” (1959), this romantic-comedy pairing of stars Rock Hudson and Doris Day earned an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay for Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning.

Few people noticed at the time that “Lover Come Back” was in essence an unofficial remake of the 1959 comedy, which was also written by Shapiro.

Hudson stars as Jerry Webster, a Madison Avenue advertising exec who has achieved success not through hard work or intelligence but by wining and dining his big-shot clients, even setting them up on dates with attractive girls.

Jerry’s equally aggressive rival is Carol Templeton (Day). Although she has never met him, Carol is disgusted by Jerry’s unethical methods; she reports him to the Ad Council.

Jerry avoids trouble with his usual charm, sending th sxy chorus girl Rebel Davis (Edie Adams) to seduce the council members. When Jerry makes Rebel the star of TV commercials for a nonexistent product called VIP, the spots are accidentally aired by perplexed company president Pete Ramsey (Tony Randall).

Determined to win the VIP account away from Jerry, Carol discovers the truth, and again reports him to the Ad Council.

Jerry then produces VIP, an intoxicating candy quickly whipped up by company research scientist Linus Tyler (Jack Kruschen). The VIP’s effects lead to a one-night stand between bitter rivals Jerry and Carol.  Guess what happened next.

It is ironic that the gay actor Hudson was sepcializing in playing womanizing heteros, pretending to suffer from repressed sexuality.

Altogether, Rock Hudson and Doris Day made three comedies together, the last being “Send Me No Flowers,” in 1964.  All of them were, especially by today’s standards, formulaic and sexist, smacking of calculating commericiality and perpetuating Day’s screen image as Hollywood’s oldest virginal heroine.

As for Randall, this was just the first of many roles in which he was typecast as the protagonist’s neurotic and hysterical pal.

Oscar Nominations:

Story and Screenplay (Original): Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning.

Oscar Awards: 1

  Credits

Running time:   107 Minutes.

Directed By: Delbert Mann.

  Written By:  Stanley Shapiro, Paul Henning..

  Released: December 20, 1961.

   DVD:      April 6, 2004