''The Pleasure Seekers'' is a 1964 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

film directed by Jean Negulesco from a screenplay by Edith Sommer, based on the 1952 novel '' Coins in the Fountain'' by John H. Secondari. The film stars

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

Tony Franciosa Anthony George Franciosa (né Papaleo; October 25, 1928 – January 19, 2006) was an American actor most often billed as Tony Franciosa at the height of his career. He began his career on stage and made a breakthrough portraying the brother of t ...

Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...

Gardner McKay George Cadogan Gardner McKay (June 10, 1932 – November 21, 2001) was an American actor, artist, and author. He is best known for the lead role in the TV series '' Adventures in Paradise'', based loosely on the writings of James Michener. His ...

, and Pamela Tiffin, with Gene Tierney (in her final film) and

Brian Keith Brian Keith (born Robert Alba Keith, November 14, 1921 – June 24, 1997) was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his six-decade career gained recognition for his work in films such as the Disney family film '' The Parent T ...

. Ann-Margret sings four songs composed by

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premi ...

and

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

. The film was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment for

Lionel Newman Lionel Newman (January 4, 1916 – February 3, 1989) was an American conductor, pianist, and film and television composer. He won the Academy Award for Best Score of a Musical Picture for '' Hello Dolly!'' with Lennie Hayton in 1969. He ...

and

Alexander Courage Alexander Mair Courage Jr. (December 10, 1919May 15, 2008) familiarly known as "Sandy" Courage, was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme mus ...

Plot

Susie Higgins arrives in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

and moves in with her friend Maggie Williams and Maggie's roommate Fran Hobson. Still a

virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

, Susie is surprised to find both of the other girls have active dating lives. Secretary Maggie has recently ended an

affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of ...

and is now seeing her married boss Paul Barton, much to the dismay of Paul's jealous wife Jane. At the same time, Maggie's co-worker Pete McCoy is in love with Maggie, who barely notices him. Fran, an aspiring actress,

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura a ...

dancer and singer, eagerly pursues Spanish doctor Andres Brioñes. While at the

Museo del Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

, Susie catches the eye of wealthy

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

Emilio Lacayo, who adds her to his already large group of girlfriends. The three girls spend the summer attending various parties while pursuing and being pursued by the men in their lives. In the end, Maggie chooses McCoy over Barton, Dr. Brioñes settles down with Fran, and Lacayo with Susie. All of them decide to stay in Madrid.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in February 1964. The original stars to be in it were Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley,

James Darren James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...

and

George Chakiris George Chakiris (born September 16, 1932) is an American actor. He is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version of '' West Side Story'' as Bernardo Nunez, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both the Academy Award for Be ...

. By April, Darren and Chakiris had dropped out, replaced by Gardner MacKay, with Pamela Tiffin as the third girl. Negulsesco said the film would be different from the earlier one. "Instead of Rome, this picture is set in Madrid. Instead of three girls and three men, I'm using four. Naturally, the problems of American girls living in Madrid are similar to those in ''Three Coins'', but this is 1964, so we'll have more difficulties." Ann-Margret was paid $2,000 a week over ten weeks. This was less than she received for other studios, but she had an old commitment to Fox. Filming started in May which stage Brian Keith had joined the cast. Several scenes were shot in the

Prado Museum The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from th ...

in Madrid.

Reception

According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $3,900,000 in film rentals to break even and made $3,205,000, meaning it lost money.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pleasure Seekers, The 1964 films 1964 musical comedy films 1964 romantic comedy films 1960s English-language films 1960s romantic musical films 20th Century Fox films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films CinemaScope films Films based on American novels Films directed by Jean Negulesco Films scored by Lionel Newman Films set in Madrid Films shot in Madrid 1960s American films