Tommy Kirk is the great comic actor that should have been and had he lived in a better world and more enlightened time he would have. He should be invited on an episode of The Big Bang Theory opposite Jim Parsons as the older Merlin Jones.
In this film he is winning and charming and he does everything and more that he can with the material. He relates easily to his co star Annette who is just okay and bland, his other comic foils who are familiar faces from early and mid sixties TV. Mr. Kirk has the best way of reading the most stereotypical of lines and his expressive face is priceless.
Furthermore he is good looking. And sexy. So in spite of the supposed nerdiness of his character it is easy to believe that Annette would want him. I just wonder why he doesn't want a girl sharper than her character. She is loyal but her prodding causes his life more complications.
The mind reading sequences are funny, the hypnotizing of the cat is great(and great for kids) and his attempted voo doing of the judge of in court with Annette on the comb for musical accompaniment had me laughing aloud.
Far from being over the hill, Mr Kirk should have been promoted and gone on to better films with substantive scripts for adults. This is no more goofy and no less satiric than "The Thrill of It All" of the same era with Doris Day, though that film is aimed for adults and this for kids. Even so, it is very watchable (still great for kids) and given its age holds up because of Mr. Kirk's talent as a comic actor.
In this film he is winning and charming and he does everything and more that he can with the material. He relates easily to his co star Annette who is just okay and bland, his other comic foils who are familiar faces from early and mid sixties TV. Mr. Kirk has the best way of reading the most stereotypical of lines and his expressive face is priceless.
Furthermore he is good looking. And sexy. So in spite of the supposed nerdiness of his character it is easy to believe that Annette would want him. I just wonder why he doesn't want a girl sharper than her character. She is loyal but her prodding causes his life more complications.
The mind reading sequences are funny, the hypnotizing of the cat is great(and great for kids) and his attempted voo doing of the judge of in court with Annette on the comb for musical accompaniment had me laughing aloud.
Far from being over the hill, Mr Kirk should have been promoted and gone on to better films with substantive scripts for adults. This is no more goofy and no less satiric than "The Thrill of It All" of the same era with Doris Day, though that film is aimed for adults and this for kids. Even so, it is very watchable (still great for kids) and given its age holds up because of Mr. Kirk's talent as a comic actor.