Ill-advised by his pal Mike Haney, chem teacher David Wilson falsely claims to be an undercover FBI agent to hide his infidelity. His jealous wife Ann swallows this lie, but it gets him in t... Read allIll-advised by his pal Mike Haney, chem teacher David Wilson falsely claims to be an undercover FBI agent to hide his infidelity. His jealous wife Ann swallows this lie, but it gets him in trouble with the real FBI, the CIA, and the KGB.Ill-advised by his pal Mike Haney, chem teacher David Wilson falsely claims to be an undercover FBI agent to hide his infidelity. His jealous wife Ann swallows this lie, but it gets him in trouble with the real FBI, the CIA, and the KGB.
- Awards
- 4 nominations
- Joe Bendix
- (uncredited)
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Cosgrove
- (uncredited)
- Tenant
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaShirley MacLaine was originally supposed to star but she changed her mind, and made "Can-Can" with Frank Sinatra instead.
- GoofsDuring the scene in the ESB's basement, after Ann storms out and David comes to, the unconscious Michael (lying on the ground) disappears from where he's lying as David walks past that spot and reappears when David returns. The bucket earlier thrown at him by Ann does not disappear, although it changes position after every cut.
- Quotes
Michael Haney: [pointing to a pair of voluptuous dames] Get a load of how those girls are assembled...
- Crazy creditsTony Curtis physically rips the title off the screen.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Discovering Film: Dean Martin (2015)
- SoundtracksWho Was That Lady?
by Sammy Cahn & Jimmy Van Heusen (as James Van Heusen)
Sung by Dean Martin
Capitol Records
Similarly, a female is involved in the shenanigans (Curtis' on and off-screen wife Janet Leigh) though, here, the whole ruse starts off because of her: Chemistry Professor Curtis' fling with a female student is discovered by his jealous wife, so he turns for help to his best pal TV writer Martin who procures him with papers (and a gun) denoting his Bureau affiliations; Leigh is finally convinced of this and, soon after, is contacted by a real F.B.I. operative (James Whitmore) who uses her to keep track of just what Curtis and Martin are up to!
One of the highlights of the film is the extended yet splendid incident in a restaurant: Leigh accepts Curtis' excuse to go on the town with Martin, believing it to be another federal job but, in her over-eagerness to help, effectively blows his cover which then lands the F.B.I. itself in hot water! The biggest trouble, however, is that enemy agents take the two men to be the real deal and kidnap them (and Leigh) in order to extract vital information they believe Curtis is in possession of! The aftermath of this sequence is again hilarious as, dazed by the drug he's been given, Curtis thinks they've been taken to a Russian sub and persuades Martin to flood it but it transpires that they're in the basement of the Empire State Building!
The script (adapted by Norman Krasna who also produced from his own play) balances witty dialogue with inspired zany situations, which are then delightfully put across by an excellent cast. Both male stars, in fact, were already adept at this type of thing (crooner Martin also sings the title tune), but Leigh surprisingly proves a fine comedienne in her own right: it's a pity that her marriage to Curtis was crumbling by this time which is doubly ironic given the film's plot, but they were professional enough not to let the real cracks show in their performances.
- Bunuel1976
- Dec 10, 2008
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Wer war die Dame?
- Filming locations
- 33rd Street and 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York, USA(Exterior - Empire State Building, Davis, Miuke, and Ann meet Belka)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1