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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I wouldn't know what to do in the bathroom all day!", December 5, 2004
In 1966, Cary Grant retired from his distinguished 34-year acting career after starring in the lighthearted romantic comedy "Walk, Don't Run". Set in Tokyo, Japan during the 1964 Olympics, Sir William Rutland (Cary Grant, 1904-1986), a very wealthy British industrialist, arrived in Tokyo two days ahead of schedule and the lavish Okura Hotel (where he is supposed to stay) has no rooms available. In fact, the Olympics have placed a giant "no vacancy" sign across the entire city of Tokyo. Frustrated, William goes to the British Embassy to seek out assistance in locating a room. There, he is seen by the snobbish & indifferent Julius P. Haversack (John Standing) whose attitude changes towards Sir William upon discovering who Sir William is. Sir William wanders out of Mr. Haversack's office and finds a bulletin board with a advertisement to share an apartment. Desperate to have a place to sleep, Sir William grabs the advertisement and travels to its address. Upon arriving, the woman who rents the apartment, Christine Easton (Samantha Eggar), doesn't want to share her apartment with a man, but is unable to convince Sir William to leave and reluctantly allows him to stay. The following day, while Sir William is conducting business with a Japanese company, he comes across an American busily taking pictures and making notes about the building's architecture. The American, Steve Davis (Jim Hutton, 1934-1979), is part of the American Olympic team, but is reluctant to discuss which event he is in. Also, insufficient room in the Olympics' housing has left Steve homeless, so he immediately latches upon Sir William to stay with him. Of course, Miss Easton is not particularly happy to discover that Sir William has sublet his part of the apartment, but again very reluctantly lets Steve stay as well. Of course, this creates even more havoc for everyone to try and use the apartment's single bathroom. Over the course of the film, it is revealed that Miss Easton is engaged to the unpleasant Mr. Haversack at the British Embassy, but Sir William would like to see the single Steve woo Miss Easton instead.
Other memorable characters in the film include Miss Easton's friend Aiko Kurawa (Miiko Taka), Steve's Russian friend & fellow Olympian Yuri Andreyovitch (Ted Hartley), the dimwitted KGB agent Dmitri (Ben Astar, 1909-1988), Aiko's parents (Teru Shimada, 1905-1988, and Lois Kiuchi) and the young boy & girl that often sit on the stairs inside the apartment building (Craig Matsunaga & Patty Siu). Fans of "Star Trek" will no doubt recognize George Takei playing the police captain. George Takei is known more for his repeated role as Lt. Hikaru Sulu in the original "Star Trek" series from 1966 to 1969 and the first six "Star Trek" films between 1979 and 1991. Memorable scenes in the film include Sir William at the Okura Hotel, Sir William meeting Mr. Haversack, Sir William arriving at Miss Easton's apartment, their first morning together, Steve meeting Miss Easton, the night at the Japanese restaurant (where Sir William proceeds to eat ham & eggs), the boat trip, Aiko's family, the police station, the race and the closing scenes. Overall, I rate "Walk, Don't Run" with 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a fun & lighthearted romantic comedy.
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DVD ~ Cary Grant
DVD ~ Cary Grant
DVD ~ Cary Grant
DVD ~ Cary Grant
DVD ~ Cary Grant
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