The Birds and the Bees (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Birds and the Bees


image_size = 194px
caption =
director = Norman Taurog
producer = Paul Jones
writer = Monckton Hoffe "(story)"
Preston Sturges
"(previous screenplay)"
Sidney Sheldon "(screenplay)"
narrator =
starring = George Gobel
Mitzi Gaynor
David Niven
music = Songs:
Harry Warren "(music)"
Mack David "(lyrics)"
Score:
Walter Scharf
cinematography = Daniel L. Fapp
editing = Archie Marshek
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = 20 March fy|1956
"(32 city invitational premiere)"
22 April "(NYC)"
May 1956 "(general)"
runtime = 94 minutes
country = FilmUS
language = English
budget =
gross =
imdb_id = 0049011

"The Birds and the Bees" is a 1956 screwball comedy film with songs, starring George Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor and David Niven. A remake of Preston Sturges' fy|1941 film "The Lady Eve", which was based on a story by Monckton Hoffe, the film was directed by Norman Taurog and written by Sidney Sheldon.

Plot

George "Hotsy" Hamilton (George Gobel), a very eligible but naive vegetarian heir to a meat-packing fortune, returns home to Connecticut by luxury cruise ship, accompanied by Marty Kennedy (Harry Bellaver), his valet, guardian and best friend, after spending three years together on a scientific expedition in the Belgian Congo looking for a rare snake. Onboard, the woman-shy George attracts a lot of attention from the opposite sex, despite being the consummate milque-toast, but the one he can't avoid is Jean Harris (Mitzi Gaynor), a beautiful con artist travelling with her equally larcenous father, Colonel Patrick Henry "Handsome Harry" Harris (David Niven), and his partner-in-crime Gerald (Reginald Gardiner).

The three con artists are out to fleece George of a small fortune, but even the best laid plans can go astray. First, Jean falls hard for George and shields him from her card sharp father. Then, when Marty discovers the truth about her and her father and tells George about them, he dumps her. Furious at being scorned, she re-enters his life masquerading as the posh "Countess Louise", the cousin of "Jacques Duc de Montaigne" (Hans Conreid), who is actually Frenchie, another con man who's swindling the rich folks of Connecticut. Jean is determined to get back at George, so she sets out to seduce him, again.

George's domineering father (Fred Clark) throws a party in honor of the visiting French royalty, and George is completely taken in by Jean's masquerade. Soon her hapless victim is so confused and bothered he doesn't know which way is up, but, in the end, after all the twists and turns, deceptions and lies, true love wins out. [TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=68801&category=Full%20Synopsis Full synopsis] ] Brennan, Sandra [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:5728 Plot synopsis (Allmovie)] ] [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049011/combined Plot] ]

Cast

Cast notes:
*"The Birds and the Bees" was one of only two feature films that George Gobel starred in; the other was "I Married a Woman" in fy|1958.

ongs

The songs in "The Birds and the Bees" were written by Harry Warren (music) and Mack David (lyrics): [TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=68801&category=Music Music] ] [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049011/soundtrack Soundtracks] ]

*"(The Same Thing Happens with) The Birds And The Bees" - performed by George Goebel and Mitzi Gaynor
*"La Parisienne" - sung by Mitzi Gaynor

Two other songs were written for the film but not used:

*"Each Time I Dream" - by Harry Warren (music) and Mack David (lyrics)
*"The Songs I Sing" - by Walter Scharf (music) and Don Hartman (lyrics)TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=68801&category=Notes Notes] ]

Production

At the time "The Birds and the Bees" went into production, "Lonesome" George Gobel had the highest rated television show on NBC, which had been running since 1954, but he had not yet appeared in a film. This remake of "The Lady Eve", the plot of which it follows closely, was designed as a vehicle for Gobel, and had the working titles "The George Gobel Comedy", "The Gobel Story" and "The Lady Eve". Paul Jones was the producer for both this version of the story and the original.

The film was in production from mid July to 22 April fy|1955, and opened with a series of invitational premieres in thirty-two key cities across the United States on 20 March fy|1956, followed by a New York City premiere on 22 April and a general release in May. [ TCM [http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=68801&category=Overview Overview] ] [IMDB [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049011/releaseinfo Release dates] ]

Notes

External links

*imdb title|0049011|The Birds and the Bees
*tcmdb title|68801|The Birds and the Bees
*amg movie|1:5728|The Birds and the Bees