Product Details

• Actors: Lauren Bacall, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer
• Directors: Richard Quine
• Writers: David R. Schwartz, Helen Gurley Brown, Joseph Heller, Joseph Hoffman, Leslie H. Martinson
• Producers: William T. Orr
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 115 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302354102
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,608 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Once upon a time there was a publishing phenomenon called Sex and the Single Girl, a book that opened the door to the sexual revolution in the 1960s. Sure enough, Hollywood noticed, and Helen Gurley Brown's advice volume was turned into a 1964 sex comedy with a newly invented plot. Natalie Wood plays Brown herself (well, a completely fictionalized person named Helen Brown), whose success as an author infuriates Tony Curtis, a writer for a Playboy-esque men's magazine. He pretends to need her help as a psychologist, a masquerade that leads to sparks. It's all vintage stuff, from Tony's swinging bachelor pad to the barrel-sized highballs slugged down by unhappy marrieds Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall, who live next door to Curtis. Director Richard Quine (Bell Book and Candle) made some sharp comedies around this time, and there are some good sight gags along the way (check the scene, with Count Basie and his orchestra, of Fonda and Bacall doing the twist). Alas, the movie leans a little too easily on the bedroom-farce leer, which Curtis had perfected at this point, and it's clear that Gurley Brown's ideas about female independence are not taken terribly seriously here. The movie's got a nice performance by screwball-comedy stalwart Edward Everett Horton, and smokin' hot '60s songstress Fran Jeffries contributes a few songs (this was about the time she sashayed into The Pink Panther, too--she must have impressed Richard Quine, because they were married shortly thereafter). One intriguing credit: this is one of the few films partly scripted by Catch-22 author Joseph Heller. Try to find his voice, if you can. --Robert Horton

Product Description

A sex farce very loosely based on "Sex and the Single Girl" by Helen Gurley Brown

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Natalie at her peak!, December 29, 2004

By 

Joseph A. Admire (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sex and the Single Girl [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Natalie Wood reached the zenith of her career in the early 1960's and this is a perfect showcase for her at her absolute best in acting and beauty. _Sex and the Single Girl_ doesn't, of course, have much to do with the actual book, but it's pretty damned funny, reaching its peak of cheerful absurdity during the last 20 minutes with a chaotic chase up and down L.A.'s freeways. Tony Curtis, as also in _The Great Race_, provides a droll comic partner/romantic interest for Natalie, and Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall are delicious as the battling couple who can't live with or without each other. Sparkling example of the early-'60's sex-comedy genre.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally!, December 26, 2008

By 

B. Cipolla (Ventura County, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sex and the Single Girl (DVD)

I've waited years for this movie in DVD format and am thrilled to see that it will finally be released on February 3. This is a fun, lighthearted movie that is perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. If you enjoy 60's comedies, this is a great movie to add to your collection.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars classic late 60's comedy, some attitudes are outdated, March 20, 2001

By 

Marc Scarfone (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sex and the Single Girl [VHS] (VHS Tape)

As a youth living in the Windsor,Ontario, Canada area I enjoyed watching the selection of 60's and 70's movies that the old independent WDIV Detroit channel 50 used to broadcast. One of my fondest recollections was watching this perky, happy, comedy. A decade and a half later I decided to purchase the movie to see if it lived up to my memories...

There is excellent on-screen chemistry between Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood. Bacall and Fonda were also well cast in supporting roles. (Fonda, as a panyhouse salesman, must look at women's legs to keep on eye on the competition. Bacall, his wife and former panyhouse model is jealous because she thinks its for pleasure and not business)

Mel Ferrer is also cast in the movie. I remember seeing him portray King Arthur in the 50's(?) movie, "Knights of the Round Table".

What I really enjoyed about the movie (besides the character interactions) was the use of detail to poke fun at the burgeoning consumer/automated society of the time. The scene where the Stop Magazine CEO must insert coins to drink from the machine only to get a bare mouthful of water sets the stage for later humourous scenes. At lunch time, Tony Curtis and a co-worker insert coins into vending machines to get their coffee, food and dessert. Tony concludes the scene by saying "This one's on me" by placing the tip into another slot. In the bathrooms coins are also needed to use the facilities. They must rush to make full use of water and to make haste to comb their hair because the mirrors are on a timer.

The movie was an excellent 1960's piece in that it gives the viewer a glimpse into the values and style of that period. The scene with Fonda and Bacall dancing at their wedding anniversary was a real eye opener. I'm sure that that style of dancing was hip then, but today...

After telling my fiance about the movie, she watched it with me. She didn't like it as much as I did. The movie portrayed the secretary as the sexual plaything of the boss and the ending had Helen Brown setting aside her practice to get married and raise children. To my fiance's Y2K mind set, she found such notions outdated.

Despite these comments, I found the movie quite enjoyable. If you like 60's movies, then you will find that this is one of the best comedy's of that period.