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The Tender Trap (1955)
Director: Charles Walters
Cast: Frank Sinatra, David Wayne, Celeste Holm, Debbie Reynolds
Genre: Drama with comic & romantic situations
Length: 111 minutes
'Charlie' Frank Sinatra, is a swinging bachelor with a girl on each arm. His long time school buddy 'Joe' David Wayne visits him and then falls for one of his girlfriends. Meanwhile Charlie is casting one of his theater shows and becomes smitten with the young new talent, 'Julie' Debbie Reynolds, who at first want's nothing to do with the man-about-town Sinatra.
This is a good film, it's interesting with good pacing and is insightful to the 1950s mindset of men-women relationships. It might look like a musical rom-com farce, but it's not. It's a drama with light comedy that comes out of real life friction between Joe (David Wayne) who's a married family man and his long time buddy Charlie (Frank Sinatra) who's a bit of a cad with the ladies and has a number of girls that he strings along.
The bright spots in The Tender Trap is Celeste Holm, she really carries her role well as an older woman in New York who's sacrificed marriage for a professional career. Celeste is intelligent and funny in a real way. She's the focal point of the film.
Both Sinatra and David Wayne are very good in this. Frank is born to play the hipster with the swinging bachelor pad and a girl for each day. We see four of his girlfriends and it's interesting how each of them have a different personality and role in his life.
David Wayne is the average 'Joe', that's probably why his character is named Joe. He's full of 50s repression and angst, he want's to change his life but is a family man who can't be a free spirit like his friend Charlie.
Debbie Reynolds is the very young, priggish woman who has her life all planned out and wants to pigeon hole everyone into a neat little box. Somehow with all the beautiful woman in NYC, Sinatra falls for her. To me this is the weak part of the film. I found the character of Julie annoying, immature and no way appealing. I can't buy into the fact that Sinatra's character would pass up someone like Sylvia (Celeste Holm) for Julie.
The film looks great! Being an early Eastman color film, the colors are natural and yet vivid. On the official DVD, the print looks great and is restored. The apartment, the fashions and NYC never looked better!
+
The Tender Trap (1955)
Director: Charles Walters
Cast: Frank Sinatra, David Wayne, Celeste Holm, Debbie Reynolds
Genre: Drama with comic & romantic situations
Length: 111 minutes
'Charlie' Frank Sinatra, is a swinging bachelor with a girl on each arm. His long time school buddy 'Joe' David Wayne visits him and then falls for one of his girlfriends. Meanwhile Charlie is casting one of his theater shows and becomes smitten with the young new talent, 'Julie' Debbie Reynolds, who at first want's nothing to do with the man-about-town Sinatra.
This is a good film, it's interesting with good pacing and is insightful to the 1950s mindset of men-women relationships. It might look like a musical rom-com farce, but it's not. It's a drama with light comedy that comes out of real life friction between Joe (David Wayne) who's a married family man and his long time buddy Charlie (Frank Sinatra) who's a bit of a cad with the ladies and has a number of girls that he strings along.
The bright spots in The Tender Trap is Celeste Holm, she really carries her role well as an older woman in New York who's sacrificed marriage for a professional career. Celeste is intelligent and funny in a real way. She's the focal point of the film.
Both Sinatra and David Wayne are very good in this. Frank is born to play the hipster with the swinging bachelor pad and a girl for each day. We see four of his girlfriends and it's interesting how each of them have a different personality and role in his life.
David Wayne is the average 'Joe', that's probably why his character is named Joe. He's full of 50s repression and angst, he want's to change his life but is a family man who can't be a free spirit like his friend Charlie.
Debbie Reynolds is the very young, priggish woman who has her life all planned out and wants to pigeon hole everyone into a neat little box. Somehow with all the beautiful woman in NYC, Sinatra falls for her. To me this is the weak part of the film. I found the character of Julie annoying, immature and no way appealing. I can't buy into the fact that Sinatra's character would pass up someone like Sylvia (Celeste Holm) for Julie.
The film looks great! Being an early Eastman color film, the colors are natural and yet vivid. On the official DVD, the print looks great and is restored. The apartment, the fashions and NYC never looked better!
+