''A Ticklish Affair'', also known as ''Moon Walk'', is a 1963 film directed by

George Sidney George Sidney (October 4, 1916May 5, 2002) was an American film director and producer who worked primarily at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. His work includes cult classics '' Bye Bye Birdie'' (1963) and ''Viva Las Vegas'' (1964). With an extensive backgr ...

and starring

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in ''Come Fill the Cup'' (1952) and '' Teacher's Pet'' ...

and

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film '' Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work ...

. The screenplay, by

Ruth Brooks Flippen Ruth Brooks Flippen (born Ruth Albertina Brooks; September 14, 1921 – July 9, 1981) was an American screenwriter and television writer. Life and career Born Ruth Albertina Brooks on September 14, 1921, in Brooklyn, Flippen was married to chara ...

, was based on a short story by Barbara Luther. The film was nominated for a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

in 1964.

Plot

Commander Key Weedon (

), a pilot with the U.S. Navy, is sent to investigate when an S.O.S. emergency signal is spotted in the San Diego area near

NAS North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (N ...

. He discovers it is the doing of a six-year-old boy, Grover Martin, whose Uncle Simon (

), an airline pilot, gave the boy a blinker light as a gift. The child's mother, Amy (

), is an attractive widow, and Key develops an immediate interest in her. Her three sons also enjoy the attention Key gives all of them. Amy has a blind spot when it comes to naval officers, however, not wanting a permanent relationship with one because they are constantly on the move. She had been a military child herself, and missed not having permanent "roots". Sure enough, Key gets orders to go to Italy, so Amy refuses his marriage proposal, though they love each other. Uncle Simon has a new treat for Grover and his brothers. He ties them to helium weather balloons and flies them as one would a kite. Unfortunately, Grover unties his tether and he goes floating for miles over San Diego. Large-scale rescue operations are quickly organized by the Navy, and it turns out to be Key himself who lowers himself on a rope ladder from a Navy blimp to rescue the boy. A grateful Amy then decides that wherever he goes, Key is the man for her.

Cast

As appearing in ''A Ticklish Affair'', (main roles and screen credits identified):"Credits: A Ticklish Affair (1963)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: August 28, 2013.

Production

Originally titled ''Moon Walk'', the production was intended to be a vehicle for

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

. Contract obligations, however, were at play and Shirley Jones ended up with the role. After an Academy-award winning performance in ''

Elmer Gantry ''Elmer Gantry'' is a satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis in 1926 that presents aspects of the religious activity of America in fundamentalist and evangelistic circles and the attitudes of the 1920s public toward it. The novel's protagonis ...

'' (1960), she was hoping to concentrate on serious roles, but instead Jones was assigned to comedies such as ''

The Courtship of Eddie's Father ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father'' is an American sitcom based on the 1963 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Mark Toby (edited by Dorothy Wilson). The series is about a widower, Tom Corbett (played by Bill Bixby), who is a ...

'' (1963). Jones reluctantly fulfilled her contract despite her reluctance to take on "fluff" roles in a rom-com like ''A Ticklish Affair''.Jones and Ingels 1990, p. 158. Despite the "screen chemistry" of the leads, critics did not consider the film interesting family fare. Principal photography for ''A Ticklish Affair'' took place in and around

Naval Air Station North Island Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado ...

in Coronado, California, with the U.S. Navy providing access to its naval resources. Former child star and actor, Lieutenant Commander Frank Coghlan, Jr., USN, who was also a serving U.S. naval officer and

Naval Aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-bas ...

, provided the armed forces liaison for the film.Wise and Rehill 2007, p. 131. Filming at NAS North Island included scenes aboard the aircraft carrier ''USS Coral Sea'' and the use of operational aircraft and helicopters, even a U.S. Navy blimp.LoBianco, Lorraine
"Articles: A Ticklish Affair (1963)."
''Turner Classic Movies.'' Retrieved: August 28, 2013.

Reception

''A Ticklish Affair'' was not well received by critics, who dismissed it as overly sentimental. Reviewer Colin Bennett of ''The Age'' called it, "the kind of glossy, sentimental family comedy which is made with the entire cooperation of the United States Navy. Characters and situations are from a well-tried formula ... The piece-de-resistance of this shatteringly wholesome affair is the rescue by the said navy of one small boy floating out to sea dangling from a cluster of balloons." Film historian Eric Monder was especially critical of Shirley Jones' performance, characterizing it as "simply dull." Jones soon left Hollywood behind to star in

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions and later as the matron of television's '' The Partridge Family '' (1970–1974).Jones 2013, p. 187.

References

Notes Citations Bibliography * Jones, Shirley. ''Shirley Jones: A Memoir.'' New York: Gallery Books, 2013. . * Jones, Shirley and Marty Ingels. ''Shirley and Marty: An Unlikely Love Story''. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1990. . * Monder, Eric. ''George Sidney:a Bio-Bibliography''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1994. . * Wise, James E. and Anne Collier Rehill. ''Stars in Blue: Movie Actors in America's Sea Services''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2007. .

External links