Under The Yum-Yum Tree
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Jack Lemmon plays Mr. Hogan, a
wealthy landlord and bumbling playboy in this breezy and ultra-light 1963 comedy. To further his amorous adventures,
Hogan only rents apartments to single, good-looking women. But his applecart is upset
when he assumes the roommate of his newest tenant Robin Austin (Carol
Lynley) will be another female. When he realizes that the new
tenant's roommate is actually a male, Dave Manning (Dean Jones),
Lemmon schemes to disrupt their relationship and make a move on the ever
so lovely and incredibly naive Robin. Unfortunately, even
Hogan's slapstick peeping
tom antics cannot raise this film beyond a mere passing amusement.
Robin has persuaded Dave to try living with her in a Platonic relationship
to test their compatibility before marriage. But Dave has every
intention of breaking this agreement as soon as possible, and Hogan has set his own
sights on Carol. Hogan's silliness is so silly that it quickly loses its
comic edge, and time has made the moral concerns of sex before
marriage seem old fashioned. Carol does play the role of the naive
temptress with great skill, especially in a scene where alcohol emboldens
her to lead her partner on. Paul Lynde plays Murphy the gardener in
a solid supporting role. Other notables include Imogene Coca as
Hogan's housekeeper, and Bill Bixby in a small role as a track team
coach.
Director David Swift's previous efforts included The Rifleman
(1958 - TV series), and the films, Pollyanna (1960) and The Parent
Trap (1961). He later went on to direct How To Succeed In Business Without
Really Trying (1967), Barney Miller (1975 - TV series) and Eight is
Enough (1977 - TV series). For filmgoers, the main treat in this 110-minute
comedy is the youthful performance of Jack Lemmon who
later went
on to become one of the world's most popular actors. Carol Lynley, who
starred in another 1963 film, The Cardinal, guested in many TV series and
costarred in a number of made-for TV movies in the
'70s and '80s. The movie is not yet available in DVD format, and the VHS
edition is out-of-print.
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