The Brass Bottle 1964 Based on the 1900 novel The Brass Bottle by Thomas Ansley Guthrie, screenplay by Oscar Brodney, directed by Harry Keller. Sidney Sheldon was inspired by the movie to create a female genie as a foil for Larry Hagman on I Dream Of Jeannie.
Tony Randall plays an architect who's engaged to Barbara Eden. Her parents rush back from vacation to try to put a stop to the marriage plans. Tony picks up a brass bottle for the father but winds up keeping it when he sees the same as a lamp in his house. The parents talk the couple into waiting. At home Tony decides to open the brass bottle.
Burl Ives plays the genie, soon as he pops out fo the bottle the chaos begins. Tony gets slammed with one bad thing after another, all from the genie trying to make his life better. It gets so bad Tony wind sup in jail. The situations are pretty broad and there's a good bit of slapstick. Eventually things work out for the better.
I think I had seen this when I was a kid but nothing much was familiar to me. The comedy is rather like I Dream Of Jeannie but with something for Barbara Eden to do that was more interesting. It looks nice and I had a few laughs. I had picked up the Kino Lorber Blu-ray and watched that. The only extras are a handful of trails and a commentary with film historian Lee Gambin. Not the best commentary, he's a character but it does include a good long interview with Barbara Eden. Lee's questions for were where a mixed bag. Poor Barbara was well into her 80s and her memory is failing. Still, better than mine at times.
Saw "Good Neighbour Sam"and this movie either in a double feature or around the same time when I was about 11. Loved the 60's screwball comedies like these back then. A lot of them I don't get a kick out of anymore. Would like to revisit these and others to get a fresher perspective than when I played the video tapes in Pyramid back in the 80's while working.
Posted by: Donald UnRuh | December 03, 2024 at 01:05 PM