World War II comedy about a submarine commander (Cary Grant) who finds himself stuck with a decrepit -- and pink -- sub, a con-man executive officer (Tony Curtis) and a group of army nurses.
Apparently, the film was pitched by Curtis in an effort to work with Grant, whom he had loved in "Destination Tokyo" (1943), today a lesser-known film among Grant's filmography. Seeing as Curtis has no script credit, he seemingly offered no suggestion beyond putting Grant on a boat again.
Curtis had previously worked with director Blake Edwards on "Mister Cory" (1957) and "The Perfect Furlough" (1958), another military film. The latter was written by Stanley Shapiro. If the story of Curtis launching "Petticoat" is true, it is no surprise he approached his most recent writer and director with the idea. Edwards was still relatively new at this time, not having made "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or "The Pink Panther" yet. This film sky-rocketed him to the A-list of Hollywood directors.
The film was a huge box office hit in its day, making it the #3 moneymaker of 1960, earning $6,800,000. The only films beating it were "Ben-Hur" and "Psycho" -- the latter coincidentally starring Curtis' wife, Janet Leigh!
The film, overall, has aged well. The humor is more subtle than the in-your-face comedies of today, and the role of women in society has certainly changed. But there is a timelessness to any Cary Grant or Tony Curtis performance that makes the films they appear in timeless. Curtis is a lovable con man, and to see him steal everything in sight -- even an office wall -- has a charm to it that is hard to match.
Thanks to Olive Films, the movie is now available on Blu-Ray looking and sounding better than ever before. Unfortunately, the disc contains no special features (not even a trailer), but is well worth owning for any fans of Grant, Curtis or Edwards. This is a true gem.
Apparently, the film was pitched by Curtis in an effort to work with Grant, whom he had loved in "Destination Tokyo" (1943), today a lesser-known film among Grant's filmography. Seeing as Curtis has no script credit, he seemingly offered no suggestion beyond putting Grant on a boat again.
Curtis had previously worked with director Blake Edwards on "Mister Cory" (1957) and "The Perfect Furlough" (1958), another military film. The latter was written by Stanley Shapiro. If the story of Curtis launching "Petticoat" is true, it is no surprise he approached his most recent writer and director with the idea. Edwards was still relatively new at this time, not having made "Breakfast at Tiffany's" or "The Pink Panther" yet. This film sky-rocketed him to the A-list of Hollywood directors.
The film was a huge box office hit in its day, making it the #3 moneymaker of 1960, earning $6,800,000. The only films beating it were "Ben-Hur" and "Psycho" -- the latter coincidentally starring Curtis' wife, Janet Leigh!
The film, overall, has aged well. The humor is more subtle than the in-your-face comedies of today, and the role of women in society has certainly changed. But there is a timelessness to any Cary Grant or Tony Curtis performance that makes the films they appear in timeless. Curtis is a lovable con man, and to see him steal everything in sight -- even an office wall -- has a charm to it that is hard to match.
Thanks to Olive Films, the movie is now available on Blu-Ray looking and sounding better than ever before. Unfortunately, the disc contains no special features (not even a trailer), but is well worth owning for any fans of Grant, Curtis or Edwards. This is a true gem.