The Facts of Life (1960) User Reviews

Brief encounter in California

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 5 December 2005]

This surprising film was shown on TCM recently. Not having seen it, and not having other choice, we decided to take a look, and quite frankly, it was a surprise. The film, directed by Melvin Frank and co-written with his partner, Norman Panama, shows two stars that endeared themselves to the American public at their best.

The story is just a pretext and a vehicle for the stars. The plot kept reminding us of "A Guide for the Married Man", but that's all the comparison, because one has nothing to do with the other. In fact, this is a film made in 1960 when nothing too risky would be tackled for the screen, yet, it presents two straying adults who suddenly find an attraction where dislike existed before.

Bob Hope was the surprise in the movie. He doesn't have a chance for uttering his one liners, as the script doesn't allow it. It was one of the best films in which he appeared, in our humble opinion. Lucille Ball was an excellent comedienne, and she shows it on this film.

The interesting supporting cast makes the best with the material they were given to play. The excellent Ruth Hussey is seen as Bob Hope's wife. Don DeFore, plays Lucille's husband. Louis Nye is also seen in the film.

The film is light and will charm anyone wanting to spend some time in the company of some of America's best comic talent of the past.

Cute movie, like so many made at the time.

[charlotte34-1 · 7/10 · 29 May 2007]

This is a pretty good movie, as far as situation comedies go. Very typical of the movies Hope was making at that time. Pepole who have only seen the Hope and Crosby Road shows think Hops did only one-liner jokes, actually more of his movies were in the vein of this one. I watched all these movies when they came out in the theaters. I started watching Ball and Hope in movies when I was 8 years old, and they were young people. Mostly, I get a kick out of reading the reader comments. Mature for it's time, Advanced for movies made in that era etc. This was NOT considered a racy movie for the times. There were many with a much more " like today's movies" story line and script. The bedroom farce movies were being made and shown to general public audiences i the 40, and take a look at some of the movies made in the late 20s and 30s, before censorship stepped in. They didn't use swear words and the language they use today in movies in the 30s, but those people made some really "broad minded?" movies then. This was just a run of the mill, cutest movie of the times. If you liked Hope in this, you will also like, That Certain Feeling-- 1956-- Bob Hope and Eva Maire Saint The Iron Pettycoat---- 1956-- Bob Hope and Katherine Hepburn I'll Take Sweden------ 1965-- Bob Hope, Dina merrill You don't want to over look Bob Hope in Beau James--- 1957. Tis is the story of the flamboyant mayor of New York City.

Lucy and Bob

[oldmotem · 7/10 · 22 November 2006]

Lucy and Bob in a 1960 romantic, satiric comedy. What more could you want?

This is very aware for its time and has some wonderful period scenes. Hope and Ball seem to have very complementary comedy styles which play extremely well off each other.

This movie came out way back in 1960, yet Bob Hope mentions problems raising kids in the electronic age. How forward looking.

The black and white format takes nothing away from this movie, including the scenes of Acapulco when they're alone together.

All in all, an extremely enjoyable movie. I like Lucy much better in this style than her slapstick routine, although she's great in that too. Give this one a look sometime, it's worth it.

Bob and Lucy score in a very adult comedy for the 60's...

[Isaac5855 · 7/10 · 17 July 2006]

One of their later screen teamings, THE FACTS OF LIFE was a 1960 comedy, rather adult for its time, where Bob and Lucy play two friends, married to others, who usually participate in a group vacation together and through some freak circumstances , end up on the vacation alone this year and grow so close they actually drift into an affair and consider leaving their spouses. I have to admit that this movie was surprising to me when I first saw it a few months ago, so I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows in the 1960's...infidelity was most likely a bold subject for a movie comedy and I doubt if it was something Bob or Lucy had done prior to this. but for this day and age, this was a very adult movie comedy that probably didn't do the business it deserved in 1960 because of its "contorversial" storyline. Though it would hardly be considered controversial today, this film was probably quite the departure for its stars and as a curio of cinema history, it is definitely worth a look.

Worthwhile viewing to see two old pros at work

[pvbklyn · 7/10 · 22 April 2008]

I was surprised by this film and the quality of work by its two stars. We always think of Lucy as goofy or screwy and Hope either swinging a golf club or playing wingman for Bing Crosby. Billed as a romantic comedy, Hope and Ball aim for the funny bone. But there are some serious adult issues raised. This tasty confection, made in 1960, I think is a lot of fun (though it could have been better paced and the contrivances are a bit much) and it has two terrific old pros at work in roles that you just wouldn't expect them to be in. Lucy looked pretty good when she got all dolled up. And Hope is ageless as ever. I thought they had some chemistry between them. Also includes Ruth Hussey, Louie Nye and Dom DeFore (Ozzie and Harriet's neighbor).

Better than I thought it would be.......

[doghouse-8 · 6/10 · 9 March 2002]

I watched this movie primarily because it was nominated for Best Screenplay, and in that regard, I was not disappointed. There are several funny scenes and some pretty witty dialogue, but overall this movie rates about 6/10. It's a little too long and some of the plot points are pretty contrived, but Bob and Lucy have good chemistry, which makes up for the few weak points in this film.

Bob and Lucy get the seven year itch

[Fad King · 7/10 · 10 May 2002]

Bob Hope and Lucille Ball team up very nicely here as each steps away from their well-known screen personas to play a suburban everyman and everywoman who unexpectedly fall for each other, despite the complication of being married to other people. The comedy includes some surprisingly tart satire on the claustrophobic lifestyles of the 50's suburban/country club/den mother families that we all know so well from "Leave it to Beaver," etc. But the big laughs come as the two sneak around town to try to be alone together.

Very good.

[LarryBrownHouston · 8/10 · 8 December 2005]

This movie surprised me. I really enjoyed it. Lucy is stunning as a glamor star. She gets the soft focus and lighting, the glamor hair and makeup, but the showstopper is the glamor wardrobe. I've never seen her look more beautiful.

I did not know that Lucy had made it so far in her movie career as to be able to star as a glamor girl, opposite Bob Hope yet. Another notch on the resume of this fascinating woman.

My wife and I had just been discussing Lucy's talents as a straight actress and by coincidence this movie came on the next day. I had the opinion that Lucy was best in comedy and was not quite right in a straight role. This movie proved me wrong on that! She is convincing and when she kissed Bob I really believed it.

Bob is also great. His comedy style here is more subtle than usual, playing funny bits off in a straight style without the usual hamming. The bit with the hankie made me belly laugh.

The subject matter of this movie is similar to other movies of the early 60s as the sexual revolution was just starting...all clean and above board on the surface, yet doing their best to titillate us with sexual situations and innuendo. As I said in my review of Bob's "I'll Take Sweden," I find this juvenile and boring. There's no shock value left by now, so it falls flat. However, this movie tackles more serious subjects than simply titillating sex, namely the subjects of infidelity, marriage, and marital boredom. That is more interesting and even in 2005 I found the subject matter moving and thought-provoking.

The script is tight and witty, with good dialog. The plot is also more or less water tight with plausible motivations.

Good stuff....worth watching.

A good object lesson for couples...but not necessarily a comedy.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 24 April 2017]

I have seen a bunch of Bob Hope films, though few from the later part of his movie career. This is because all the Hope films from the 60s that I have seen (especially "Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number") have been disappointments. Despite this, I decided to try "The Facts of Life"...and was very much surprised. The big surprise is that the film really wasn't a comedy!!

Larry (Hope) and Kitty (Lucille Ball) both hang in the same social circle but are hardly friends. She thinks he's a bit of a blowhard. Despite this, neither one realizes that they DO have something in common...inattentive spouses who take them for granted. This becomes obvious when these couples are headed to Mexico for a grand vacation. This is because Kitty and Larry's spouses both have something seemingly better to do and instruct their partners to go without them. In essence Larry and Kitty are pushed together and nature takes its course...and they slowly find themselves falling in love.

Well, this made for a lovely vacation for the two but they both realize that it just cannot be and plan on returning home to their old dull lives. The problem is that when they return home, their spouses continue to find lots of things which are more important than nurturing them. So, the pair decide to pick up where they left off...though complications naturally ensue.

If this doesn't sound like a comedy, well, it really isn't...at least the first half of the film. There are a few mildly funny bits here and there but it's obvious these folks weren't trying to make a comedy but more a romantic drama about marriage and straying spouses. However, when the pair finally get off together once again, the romance becomes far less romantic and the emphasis is on laughs AND reality...the reality that it was just a vacation infatuation after all and an affair ain't so easy after all.

In many ways, this film would be great for couples to watch...particularly folks who have been together for many years. It's a great object lesson about what NOT to do in your marriage as well as to encourage you to keep that love alive.

Advantage seldom comes of it

[JamesHitchcock · 4/10 · 31 October 2016]

Do not adultery commit, Advantage seldom comes of it.

Thus wrote the 19th century poet A H Clough in "The Latest Decalogue", his satirical version of the Ten Commandments. Clough may have meant these words satirically, but they sum up fairly accurately the way in which his literary contemporaries treated adultery in their works. There was an unwritten law to the effect that writers could deal with the subject on condition that they made it clear that advantage seldom comes of it. Thus Flaubert made Emma Bovary poison herself and Tolstoy had Anna Karenina jump under a train, as a salutary warning to their readers that they disregarded their marriage vows at their peril.

This moralistic attitude to marital infidelity survived well into the twentieth century, and the advent of the Production Code meant that it found a new home in the motion picture industry. Indeed, it seemed to survive there long after it had gone into a decline in the literary world. By the 1950s, however, even Hollywood scriptwriters were starting to take a more liberal attitude towards the Seventh Commandment, the Marilyn Monroe vehicle "The Seven Year Itch" being a case in point. Admittedly, nobody actually commits adultery in that movie, but the main male character certainly considers doing so, and the subject is treated in a generally light-hearted manner, not as the occasion for some heavy-handed moralising.

"The Facts of Life" was made in the opening year of the following decade, and like a number of films from the period such as "Where the Boys Are", also from 1960, it is very much of its period, marked by a coyly suggestive attitude to sex which would have been too suggestive for 1940 or 1950 and too coy for 1970 or 1980. Even the title derives from a sexual euphemism; "Do your children know the facts of life?" is a way of asking "Do your children know the facts of human sexuality?"

Whereas "Where the Boys Are" dealt with love and sex among young single people, this film is a comedy of love and adultery (or at least attempted adultery) among the middle-aged middle classes. Three California couples, the Gilberts, Masons, and Weavers, have a long-standing agreement to go away on holiday together each year. One year fifty-something Larry Gilbert and forty-something Kitty Weaver unexpectedly find themselves alone in Acapulco after their respective spouses are unable to travel with them and the Masons are taken ill. Even more unexpectedly, Larry and Kitty, who have previously not cared for one another very much, fall in love. The rest of the film chronicles their attempts to consummate their relationship. As in "The Seven Year Itch", nobody actually ends up in bed with anyone other than their lawful partner, but in Larry and Kitty's case that's not for want of trying, and the film certainly does not take a moralistic attitude towards their antics.

As I said, the film would have started to look a bit old-fashioned even by 1970, and today, more than fifty years after it was made, its rather twee attitude to sex looks hopelessly antiquated. The plot is horribly artificial and unrealistic. The scriptwriters try to exploit that old romantic comedy chestnut- old even in 1960- about two people who start off by disliking each other and end up madly in love, but here it just does not work. In most films which rely on this plot device the initial dislike is something momentary, based upon a mistaken first impression, which is later corrected, allowing love to develop gradually. Here, however, Larry and Kitty go from hating to loving one another almost in the blink of an eyelid. Moreover, as they appear to have known each other for a considerable length of time, their mutual dislike was presumably based upon something more than a temporary misunderstanding.

Lucille Ball, in her late forties, was still attractive enough to make a convincing romantic comedy heroine. (She was actually nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Actress – Comedy"). Bob Hope, however, comes across as a bit dull and lacking in charisma, and never makes us understand what Kitty sees in Larry. Hope was always better as a comedian than as a comic actor, and does not really shine in a film like this one which depends more upon comic situations than upon comic dialogue. The film as a whole was reasonably well received when it came out in 1960, and was nominated for five Academy Awards, but it has dated badly, even in comparison with other comedies of the era. Compared, say, with something like "The Apartment" (also from 1960, and which also takes illicit sexual relationships as its theme), "The Facts of Life" comes across like an over-extended episode from some long-forgotten television sitcom. 4/10

Middle Age Love Crisis

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 26 October 2008]

After Bob Hope made THAT CERTAIN FEELING the general trend of his films as far as being worthy of the talent he had and of the best of his work was gone. In the future would be films like CANCEL MY RESERVATION. There was one more film with Bing and Dorothy Lamour, THE ROAD TO HONG KONG, but even that film was below par for the series (one wonders what the proposed final "Road" film - THE ROAD TO TOMORROW - would have been like). There was, however, this film...again not quite the film with Hope that one expected, but sturdy because of the support he shared with his leading lady, Lucille Ball.

THE FACTS OF LIFE is the story of two people who share a midlife crisis. Hope is married to Ruth Hussey and Ball is married to Don DeFore. Both have children, and both seem reasonably well settled in their marriages (Ball's sole reason for complaining about DeFore is his gambling habits). Both couples are in the upper middle class of 1960 suburban America, belonging to the local country club, and going on shared vacations with their best friends. A trip is planned to Acupulco but Hussey stays home to take care of her ailing son, and DeFore is forced by his boss to take over operations of the San Francisco office after the person there is injured in a car accident. So Hope and Ball travel with Philip Ober and his wife to Mexico. But the latter two get what appears to be Montezuma's Revenge, and Hope and Ball are thrown together to try to salvage the vacation. Although they have occasionally been caustic about each other, they find they really get along quite nicely. In fact, after Ball lands a huge Marlin fish with Hope's assistance, and go touring the town, they find they really like each other. And a small affair begins.

What follows is Hope and Ball trying to keep their raging/aging hormones in check, and yet still occasionally get together. This includes two funny sequences at a drive-in theater, and later Hope desperately trying to remember which roadside motel he left Ball in after a dinner dance. Finally they decide to take advantage of the Christmas holidays to make some plans. Will Ball leave DeFore for Hope, or will they find they can't shake responsibilities that come from being middle aged?

Hope is not totally subdued in this film. At the start he actually is playing a scene in a familiar role: he is the master of ceremonies at a country club dinner. His comments regarding winning sportsman Louis Nye are sharp ones. So are his attempts to speed a cub scout meeting he has to chair (he wants to get together with Ball) but he is forced to listen to one of the scouts read a long, dull report about smoke signals. Ball is also good, particularly towards the end when she starts lecturing Hope about how much better DeFore is as a mechanic. The rest of the cast is good, DeFore dismissing his gambling habit (he plays craps downstairs during the opening awards dinner, and thinks nothing about losing $200.00). Nye is fun as a philandering husband with a trusting, nitwit wife. On the whole the film is quite adult in its point of view, and may be the last really good film that Hope made in his career in movies.

Lucille Ball and Bob Hope star in "Brief Encounter with Laughs".

[misspaddylee · 1 February 2014]

Directed by Melvin Frank and written by Frank with Norman Panama, "The Facts of Life" is an adult love story that will surprise you. Frank & Panama are Bob Hope experts, multiple Oscar nominees and the creators of such classic comedies as "The Court Jester" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House".

Kitty Weaver and Larry Gilbert are two perfectly nice suburbanites. If Kitty's husband (Don DeFore) seems a little preoccupied with work and his gambling habit, and Larry's wife (Ruth Hussey) a little too caught up with the kids - well, that's life. They have no thought of straying. They certainly have no thought of straying toward each other. However, Fate (in that way of hers) forces these two perfectly nice people to spend time together. Kitty discovers that "the jerk who tells the lousy jokes at the country club" is a genuinely warm and funny fellow. Larry sees a softer side to that stuck up Kitty. Love blossoms with the added complications of vows and conscience.

How Larry and Kitty deal with their feelings, their need to be together and the realities of their lives is played out in a frank, touching and very funny manner. It is wonderful to see two actors who happen to be bona fide comic geniuses working together in such perfect sympathy. The humour of character and situation also involves some gut grabbing slapstick, and some quiet moments that will make you smile or sigh a sentimental sigh for two perfectly nice people.

Comedy with Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in an Oscar nominated story

[jacobs-greenwood · 6/10 · 19 December 2016]

Directed by Melvin Frank, who co-wrote it with producer Norman Panama, this romance drama was originally written as a Brief Encounter (1945) type movie for James Stewart and Olivia de Havilland. Eight years later, it was modified into a more comedic look at two persons frustrated by their attempts to have an affair. Hence, it stars Bob Hope and Lucille Ball; Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore play their spouses. Louis Nye and Philip Ober also appear. Writers Frank and Panama earned an Academy Award nomination for their story and screenplay; the film's title song, and B&W Art Direction-Set Decoration and Cinematography were also nominated. Edith Head's and Edward Stevenson's B&W Costume Design won the Oscar.

The Gilberts, the Weavers, the Masons and the Busbees are middle class, suburban married couples who socialize at the same country club and even take vacations together to save expenses. Larry Gilbert (Hope) and Kitty Weaver (Ball), who don't particularly get along, are two in this group. However, the film begins with Kitty getting off a plane where she's greeted by Larry, who kisses her affectionately. These two have finally decided to consummate their extramarital affair which began on one of those shared vacations. While Larry goes to get their luggage and the rental car, Kitty has time to reflect on how she and he happen to be in Monterey together:

The country club's annual golf tournament is over and Larry is its emcee. He's giving out awards, one to Hamilton Busbee (Nye), while delivering the same tired jokes he always does, evoking polite chuckles from the members. Kitty, however, is bored enough with the routine to inadvertently, yet rudely, yawn during the proceedings. Naturally, this upsets Larry who complains about her behavior to his dependable wife Mary (Hussey) on the way home. Meanwhile Kitty, who'd been sitting with Mary, Doc Mason (Ober) and his wife Connie (Marianne Stewart), is berating her husband Jack (DeFore) for leaving her alone to gamble away $200 at a craps game. Once they're home, Jack is able charm Kitty into getting ready for some romance, but she is disappointed to find he's fallen asleep by the time she's ready. The Gilberts are able to carry on a conversation getting ready for bed by sharing the same sink, but then learn from their babysitter (Louise Beavers) that one of their two boys is getting sick. After a visit from Doc Mason, Mary tells her husband that she won't be able to join him for a couple of days on their Acapulco vacation, planned with the Masons and the Weavers. The next morning, Jack gets a call from his boss that means he'll have to miss the first few days as well.

On the flight to Acapulco, Kitty learns that Larry paints, which begins to shatter her preconceived notions about the man. The Masons are quickly stricken with food poisoning so that Kitty and Larry have only each other with whom to socialize. While initially this is a daunting and undesirable option, they each decide that being together would be better than being alone. They catch a huge marlin while deep sea fishing, after which they celebrate by embracing. Pulling away, each has begun to think of the other differently. Their new relationship begins slowly, with Kitty and Larry both starting and stopping themselves from pursuing something more. When they learn that their spouses will not be joining them and the Masons sickness persists, they end up spending the entire week with one another, laughing most of the time. At the end of the trip, it's clear that they've fallen in love with one another, but they part and go their separate ways.

It probably would have just been a "shipboard romance" but, because of their country club clan, Kitty and Larry find themselves in social situations together that include dancing. When combined with the unromantic and humdrum home lives (including Larry being ignored by his kids, who ask mom for everything), the two mutually agree to meet again. This proves to be too dangerous or complicated - one involving a door-to-door cleaner and another a seedy hotel manager.

Before she'd left for the tryst, Kitty had left her husband a "Dear John" letter, telling him everything. When she tells this to Larry, he is upset, but accepts their situation. He then begins to tell Kitty what will happen next, acting like the man in charge she hadn't seen, and it's clear that this will be the beginning of the end of their relationship.

The film's story devolves into a series of slapstick scenes which aren't as funny as the writers had intended. It rains which causes the couple's convertible and idyllic "cabin in the woods" to flood. This, along with planning their divorces, puts Kitty and Larry in situations and discussions which might normally take years to come about, effectively forcing them to learn more about the other quickly. In other words, they experience the opposite of what they had probably imagined their liaison would be like. Both are disillusioned and perhaps a little relieved at the same time that they haven't yet consummated their relationship. On the radio, they hear that the weather has caused the closing of the sky slopes where Kitty's husband had been with their child, so she and Larry decide to beat them back home to intercept her letter. Unfortunately, they run into Hamilton and his wife at the airport, which foils their plans. Kitty actually arrives home after Jack has read the letter, even though he doesn't let her know it. She speaks hopefully of their future together and he discards the letter in the fire joyfully - a new beginning! Mary, unawares, receives Larry home as lovingly as usual and chuckles at his implied idea that he might ever have an affair.

Better Than I'd Expected

[Handlinghandel · 5/10 · 28 February 2006]

In some ways, this is like an "I Love Lucy" show with cursing, lots of drinking, and centering on adultery. Ball and Hope work well together.

The plot begins inauspiciously: We see Hope doing a comedy gig as MC at a local event. We hear Ball's thoughts about how crass and unfunny he is. (And he -- this character, not Hope himself -- is.) Because of circumstances that throw them together, however, they are very soon sexually and romantically involved with each other.

If one can get past this, which I could, the movie is sophisticated (well, for its time) and often funny. It was probably a courageous move for both of them to step into such a risqué plot.

The supporting cast is good. Ruth Hussey plays Hope's wife. As always, she is good. But seeing her is sad: Though she looks fine, her voice had aged badly. Irene Dunne's did too. Though I am crazy about Dunne, her last couple movies are painful for this reason. Hussey sounds like an elderly woman, which she really was not. Ball's voice had gone the opposite direction: She speaks almost in the basso profondo of her later television series.

If this turns up, give it a try. It's surpassingly good.

Solid acting by Bob and Lucy in a fine serio-comic outing

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 10 February 2018]

For the most part, Bob Hopes best movie roles were in his crisp comedies of the 1940s, including (but not limited to) the Road pictures. Then he did a series of slightly more serious comedy films in the 1950s and this one from 1960s, before he made quite a few rather inane comedies where -- at his age -- he thought he could still be a romantic screen star, albeit a comedy one. For my money, this is Bob Hope's last really good film, followed by a baker's dozen dumb movies.

And, this film is quite good. It's not a laugh out loud comedy. More a romantic serio-comic outing, and it may surprise many, but both Hope and Lucille Ball show their serious acting chops here (she was nominated for a Golden Globe). There's great chemistry between Hope and Ball. And the supporting cast -- Ruth Hussey, Don DeFore, Philip Ober, and (believe it or not a restrained) Louis Nye do nicely, too, although this film belong solely to Hope and Ball.

As to the plot, it's somewhat realistic. A man and woman, both married and in the same social group, are drawn together and have a rather low-key fling. While there is humor in many of the situations, this is probably a bit more on the dramatic side overall.

I was a little disappointed at first that this 1960 film was in black and white, but the print I watched on TCM was in excellent condition and it seemed like quality cinematography.

If you're expecting this to be a laugh-out-loud film, you'll be disappointed. But the films value is in solid acting by the two stars and an overall realistic script. Recommended.

Suburban extramarital affair

[jhkp · 7/10 · 7 February 2016]

A sort of Southern California version of Brief Encounter, but for Bob Hope and Lucille Ball. They play Pasadena country club types who find themselves on an Acapulco vacation without their spouses - and fall in love.

Lucille Ball plays Kitty very well and without undue sentiment. This is a type of character you may not have seen her play before. It's her performance that draws you into the story and makes you care. Bob Hope, as Larry, isn't really in Ball's league as an emotional actor. But filmmakers Norman Panama and Melvin Frank do something very smart. They make his character a frustrated amateur comic. So in a sense, he doesn't have to stray very far from his usual characterization.

If you like Lucy or Bob you will have to see this, but frankly, though it's good, it doesn't hit any comic or romantic bulls-eyes. There are some missed opportunities for a really sharp comedy such as Billy Wilder might have made. There are also some misses when it comes to honesty or pathos. It's all a little slick, though the film attempts to go a little deeper than a typical romcom of the era, and occasionally it succeeds.

Panama and Frank were experts at writing funny yet entirely natural dialogue, and creating realistic characters and situations, for the most part (some of the slapstick at the cabin seems forced, but the drive-in movie scenes are well done).

The black and white film also features Philip Ober (Vivian Vance's husband, at the time), and in the smallish but important roles of the spouses, Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore.

Pleasant Comedy-Drama

[kenjha · 7/10 · 9 August 2011]

Circumstances put two middle-aged people married to others into a romantic situation and an affair blossoms. The script by veteran writer Panama has some laughs, but this is not an all-out comedy. It has sentimental moments, and the comedy and the drama are integrated fairly well. This is one of four films teaming Hope and Ball and they work well together. When it comes to the dramatic scenes, however, it is difficult to buy Hope as a romantic leading man. He has all the sex appeal of a cucumber. Ball, on the other hand, shows herself to be a capable dramatic actress, giving a touching performance as a woman looking to spice up her life a bit.

Romantic and funny

[mikedonovan · 24 March 2002]

I only saw the last half hour of this on TV and I can't wait to watch it from the beginning. This movie is hilarious and touching. Its a brilliant script and Bob Hope and Lucille Ball both show off their comedic talents. It had me both laughing and crying by the end, and what more can you ask from romantic comedy? Moral of the movie; respect your marriage. A winner.

The old movies did scandal so sweetly!

[MyMovieTVRomance · 7/10 · 25 January 2024]

Maybe it's because I've left her alone for a while, and absence makes the heart grow fonder. Whatever the reason, I definitely enjoyed this movie much more than the first couple of times I watched it. Wow, I mean it invigorated me, I feel so refreshed after watching it!

I've come to the conclusion that I actually prefer watching old favorites over and over again more than I do watching something I've never seen before. I think it's because after a while, we are set in our ways as people. Everything we actually really love, we fall into that as children and teenagers. After that, everything pals in comparison to What we Loved before. I'm definitely finding that to be true, revisiting movies that I loved growing up.

I'm so blessed that I was raised on old movies, and they were even old back then. I was raised on TCM and AMC and Nick at Nite, and I think it's giving me a better outlook on the world. Those movies and shows were less cynical, more sincere, gentler, just plain old nicer. Take this film for instance - a movie about adultery. But it's made in such a way that you love everyone involved, and you can feel empathy for each character.

This movie is all at once sexy, sweet, sad, wholesome, and scandalous! It may be wrong, but I found myself rooting for the characters that Lucy and Bob were playing! They were so romantic, and I felt their Joy. But I also felt the reservations. This was made so well! Definitely one of the best from the sex comedy era that I think was unofficially kicked off by Doris Day and Rock Hudson in Pillow Talk. And that's a great one - and they're a great pair, but I prefer Lucy and Bob! :-)

Love this movie. One of my favorites.

Love Affair, Sitcom Style

[nycritic · 8/10 · 4 May 2006]

Two people meet, fall in love, but are married to other people. Formula, formula, formula. It has made memorable movies and flat-out unbearable ones. This one should have been closer to a drama, but due to circumstance, it was made into a comedy -- and a slapstick one at that. Bringing in Lucille Ball and Bob Hope, already icons of television who'd worked together in her hit show, was a good move for both. It gave people a chance to see Hope in a real comedy instead of the ROAD TO (insert city name here) fare. Lucille Ball also benefited; her screen appearances were sporadic once she'd ventured into television, but the ones she chose were better than average -- nothing award-winning, but good material. THE FACTS OF LIFE (not to be confused with the TV show) is an above-average story of crossed lovers, sanitized to squeaky-clean perfection by its sitcom presentation, which has Ruth Hussey's last on-screen performance, and is fun to watch whenever it's on TCM.

A Late Dramatic Comedy by Lucille Ball and Bob Hope

[malvernp · 6/10 · 29 October 2021]

If you ever wanted an example of just how significantly movie censorship could date a film, check out The Facts Of Life (TFOL) from1960. Incorporating plot aspects that were put to much better creative use earlier by David Lean in Brief Encounter and during the same year by Billy Wilder in The Apartment, TFOL also ventured (not always successfully) into one of the most difficult of film genres---dramatic comedy. Had the strictures of censorship not worked against this light tale of how love may not always conquer all when the principals are middle aged and married to other spouses, TFOL might have reached a higher achievement. See, e.g. Jonathan Demme's more acclaimed attempt at dramatic comedy in Something Wild. As it is, the plot of TFOL lurches from one improbable situation to another, because existing censorship restrictions made it difficult to permit a dimension of reality to intrude upon the story and make it more believable. Too bad, because TFOL presented us with a potentially interesting opportunity to better satirize a social class and it would have lent itself easily to such treatment.

Part of the problem with TFOL is the physical disconnect between the two principal actors. When the film was released, Lucille Ball was a still glamorous 49 year old woman who could easily be believable as an object of desire by someone like the Bob Hope character. However, Hope was then a not particularly attractive 57 year old man and visually well past his prime of life. Ball shines by creating a very appealing and engaging part, while Hope seems to have some difficulty trying to keep up with her. In the end, this was just one more plot element to detract from the film's reality---much like the pairing of Humphrey Bogart with Audrey Hepburn as an exemplary romantic couple in the comedy Sabrina.

Ball proved in The Big Street just how talented and competent she was when playing a straight part in a dramatic comedy. On the other hand, Hope in the very few opportunities he was offered to do much the same thing never seemed nearly as believable. See, e.g. Beau James and The Seven Little Foys. However, both Ball and Hope excelled in creating their own unique brand of pure comedy, as evidenced by two truly remarkable show business careers.

As previously mentioned, dramatic comedy is a tough genre to pull off well. There are just too many opportunities to encounter conflicting situations and internal inconsistencies. See, e.g. Muriel's Wedding. However, TFOL is ultimately saved by the great chemistry Ball and Hope always shared with each other. It is a shame that they were not given the chance to make this film 20 years earlier.

A sophisticated Bob Hope comedy? Don't bet on it...

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 15 January 2006]

It's an unmerry marital mix-up amongst the country club set when bored society wife Lucille Ball finds herself inexplicably drawn to Bob Hope, her neighbor and also already married. Melvin Frank comedy doesn't so much expose the funny desperation of the Marital Blahs as it does tweeze it relentlessly (Frank is not the gentle sort of writer-director--he goes for the gut, much like Neil Simon). Ball is thoroughly up to the challenge of a sharp, brittle suburban comedy, but Frank has given old pal Bob Hope the same type of groaning witticisms he supplied him with back in the 1940s (Lucy: "You're a painter??" Bob: "What do you want me to do? Cut off my ear?"). Playing to the camera, referencing Francis X. Bushman and riffing on his own stand-up routine, Hope is the wrong actor for a sophisticated comedy about infidelity. Too bad, because Lucy does very well, the black-and-white cinematography is expressive, and occasionally the writing rises above smarminess to actually reveal something substantial and amusing about marriages in a rut. ** from ****

The Facts of Life is Reality Based ***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 2 June 2008]

Lucille Ball and Bob Hope are in fine form in this very funny movie. What makes it so good is that Ball and Hope do not over-do the comedic routines. Yes, Ball sings in her horrendous way in one scene, but the two easily prove that they were pros in every sense of the word.

The film deals with 2 people who by fate are left alone in Mexico after their spouses are unable to make the trip and another couple fall ill. The film shows how Ball and Hope fall in love and think that they were made for each other.

Ball is a frustrated housewife. Hope is the one who really has fate placing him into this romance.

How they realize that their affair was wrong and that marriage is out of the question is done quite well with sharp wit by both these thespians.

It Takes A Lot To Get 'Em Right, And They Didn't

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 7 October 2007]

Maybe it was because I was expecting the cowardly Bob Hope and the scatterbrained Lucy Ricardo, but somehow I couldn't get into The Facts of Life. It had nowhere near the quality comedy that characterized Fancy Pants and Sorrowful Jones.

Bob and Lucille play a couple of 40 something marrieds, a bit of a stretch for Bob to be sure, but nothing that other Hollywood leading men weren't also doing. Problem is they're not married to each other. Their respective mates are Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore. Both couples are part of a set of California neighbors who apparently do everything together, not unlike the gangster couples in Goodfellas. Not that the men are involved in anything that illegal and risky.

Anyway DeFore due to business reasons is delayed on their planned trip to Acapulco and Hussey gets sick while down there. Bob and Lucille get thrown together and one thing leads to another.

But the fates do conspire against them, they just can't seem to close the deal on the affair. I think you got the rest of the story.

There were a whole lot of opportunities for the type of comedy both Bob and Lucille do that creators Melvin Frank and Norman Panama just passed by.

Yet both of them got good reviews generally and to be sure their performances were restrained. Maybe too restrained.

As the title song of that other Facts of Life creation says, it takes a lot to get them right, and this film didn't.

Lucy Steals It

[crumpytv · 8/10 · 24 May 2021]

Interesting pairing of Lucy and Bob Hope in what is quite an adult film for its time.

To be honest I wish Bob Hope played it more serious, like Lucy, with less of the one liners punctuating nearly every piece of dialogue. I know that is what he was famous for, but the script demanded more subtle comedy.

Lucy is just amazing. Her timing, acting and glamorous to boot, but why was she shot in soft focus for all her close ups? It was quite noticeable throughout, especially when the dialogue switched between her and Bob Hope. He was was in focus, she was in soft focus.