Under The Yum-Yum Tree
Release Date: Oct. 23, 1963

Under The Yum-Yum Tree
Jack Lemmon plays Mr. Hogan, a wealthy landlord and bumbling playboy in this breezy and ultra-light 1963 comedy. To further his amorous adventures, Hogan only rents apartments to single, good-looking women. But his applecart is upset when he assumes the roommate of his newest tenant Robin Austin (Carol Lynley) will be another female.  When he realizes that the new tenant's  roommate is actually a male, Dave Manning (Dean Jones), Lemmon schemes to disrupt their relationship and make a move on the ever so lovely and incredibly naive Robin.   Unfortunately, even Hogan's slapstick peeping tom antics cannot raise this film beyond a mere passing amusement.  Robin has persuaded Dave to try living with her in a Platonic relationship to test their compatibility before marriage. But Dave has every intention of breaking this agreement as soon as possible, and Hogan has set his own sights on Carol.  Hogan's silliness is so silly that it quickly loses its comic edge, and time has made the  moral concerns of sex before marriage seem old fashioned. Carol does play the role of the naive temptress with great skill, especially in a scene where alcohol emboldens her to lead her partner on.  Paul Lynde plays Murphy the gardener in a solid supporting role. Other notables include Imogene Coca as Hogan's  housekeeper, and Bill Bixby in a small role as a track team coach. 

Director David Swift's previous efforts included  The Rifleman (1958 - TV series), and the films, Pollyanna (1960) and The Parent Trap (1961). He later went on to direct How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (1967),  Barney Miller (1975 - TV series) and Eight is Enough (1977 - TV series). For filmgoers, the main treat in this  110-minute comedy  is the  youthful performance of  Jack Lemmon who later went on to become one of the world's most popular actors. Carol Lynley, who starred in another 1963 film, The Cardinal, guested in many TV series and costarred in a number of made-for TV movies in the '70s and '80s. The movie is not yet available in DVD format, and the VHS edition is out-of-print.

 

Copyright: Peter Fokes (2003)
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