Bedtime Story (1964)
Directed by Ralph Levy

Film Review

Passionately reviled by the critics on its first release and still often held up as an example of one of Marlon Brando's worst films, Bedtime Story is good-natured, unpretentious comedy that is far more enjoyable than its tarnished reputation would ever lead you to think.  Whoever dreamed up pairing off Brando with David Niven was probably insane but the chalk-and-cheese pairing is a masterstroke and out of this highly improbable partnership comes Brando's most entertaining comedy, a kind of Raffles meets The Odd Couple, with enough laughs to make you dizzy.

Niven is, as ever, the suave sophisticated Englishman, offering an almost exact reprise of the society thief he played in the previous year's The Pink Panther (1963).  Brando appears to be attempting a parody of how he was often portrayed by his detractors, a cocksure opportunist whose only loyalty is to himself and who would doubtless have sold his grandmother to a meat canning factory for the price of a glass of Dom Perignon.  The two actors complement each other far better than you might expect, and whilst comedy isn't exactly his forte, Brando proves to be nearly as adept at fielding the gags as his dashing co-star.  Shirley Jones, made famous by the hit musical Carousel (1956), brings further glamour to the film and is well-chosen to play the innocent dupe who Niven and Brando end up fighting over, with increasing hilarity as the film progresses.  Whilst it hardly rates as a classic, Bedtime Story is an amiable feel-good romp, attractively filmed on the French Riviera and a genuine eye-opener for anyone who thinks Marlon Brando is only worth seeing in his tortured dramatic roles.

Film Synopsis

Lawrence Jameson makes a comfortable living on the French Riviera as a high class con man.  By passing himself off as a deposed prince, he gains the confidence of wealthy women, who cannot resist giving him their jewels and money so that he may be restored to the throne that was so unjustly taken from him.  Freddy Benson is just as unscrupulous, a young American soldier stationed in Germany.  He hoodwinks attractive young women into giving him money to pay for an operation for his fictitious grandmother.  When they meet on a train, Jameson recognises Benson as a dangerous rival and does his best to drive him away, but Benson is insistent that they form a partnership.  Their collaboration is a success at first, but Benson refuses to pay Jameson's tax to support local artisans and decides to go it alone.  Aware that the Riviera town is not big enough for the two of them, the two men agree to a duel.  The winner will be the one who succeeds in fleecing the wealthy soap queen Janet Walker.  Benson steals a march on his opponent by pretending he has lost the use of his legs, instantly winning Janet's sympathies, but Jameson hits back by posing as the world-renowned psychiatrist who might be able to cure him...