''This Happy Feeling'' is a 1959 (or 1958) American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Blake Edwards adapted from the

F. Hugh Herbert Frederick Hugh Herbert (May 29, 1897 - May 17, 1958) was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, short story writer, and infrequent film director. Biography Born in Vienna, Austria, Herbert was educated at the University of London. He emigrated in ...

play ''For Love or Money''. Edwards regretted Universal-International's eleventh hour decision of a name change, but the studio was hoping to trade off another pop hit by

Debbie Reynolds Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer, and businesswoman. Her career spanned almost 70 years. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for her portra ...

as they had with ''

Tammy and the Bachelor ''Tammy and the Bachelor'' is a 1957 romantic comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Debbie Reynolds as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen as Peter Brent. It is the first of the four Tammy fi ...

''. Reynolds stars, along with John Saxon,

Curt Jurgens Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

and veteran Hollywood actresses

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons-Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Awar ...

and Mary Astor.

Plot

Nita Holloway, a woman romantically involved with veteran actor Preston "Mitch" Mitchell, tries to persuade him to come out of retirement to appear in a Broadway play as the father of a character played by a new teen idol, Tony Manza. At his Connecticut farm, next-door neighbor Bill Tremayne asks to borrow Mitch's car. He goes to a party and meets secretary Janet Blake, who is trying to escape the clutches of her drunken boss, a dentist. Bill offers her a ride home in a rainstorm, but is a little too attentive to her liking. Soaked to the skin, Janet ends up knocking on Mitch's door. He permits her to spend the night while her dress dries. Nita arrives in the morning and mistakenly concludes an affair is taking place, and soon others assume the same. Mitch puts her on a train but also offers Janet a job as his own secretary. As the train leaves, he stumbles, injuring his back. Bill isn't worried at first because Mitch is too austere and somber for her, however he comes to realize that she's coming to care for him profoundly and is indeed falling dearly in love with Mitch a little more every day. Scheduled to ride Mitch's star horse in an equine contest, Bill jealously decides to ride another entry instead. Mitch must compete against him, bad back and all. Although he feels great affection towards her, Mitch ultimately realizes that he feels for Nita most. He goes to Nita to reveal where his heart really lies, and is last seen on stage in the new Broadway play.

Cast

: Janet Blake * Curd Jürgens: Preston Mitchell * John Saxon: Bill Tremaine *

: Nita Hollaway * Mary Astor: Mrs. Tremaine *

Estelle Winwood Estelle Winwood (born Estelle Ruth Goodwin, 24 January 1883 – 20 June 1984) was an English actress who moved to the United States in mid-career and became celebrated for her wit and longevity. Early life and early career Born Estelle Ruth Go ...

: Mrs. Early * Troy Donahue: Tony Manza * Hayden Rorke: Mr. Booth * Gloria Holden: Mrs. Dover * Alex Gerry: Mr. Dover * Joe Flynn: Dr. McCafferty

Production

John Saxon was cast after his success in ''

Rock, Pretty Baby ''Rock, Pretty Baby'' is a 1956 American comedy musical film directed by Richard Bartlett and starring Sal Mineo, John Saxon and Luana Patten. Plot Young musician Jimmy Daley (Saxon) needs to come up with $300 to purchase the electric guitar he ...

''.

Reception

''Variety'' called it "a delightful comedy".Review of film
at Variety

References

External links