''Bon Voyage!'' is a 1962 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

film directed by James Neilson and produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. It stars

Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

Jane Wyman Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007). was an American actress. A star of both movies and television, she received an Academy Award for Best Actress, four Golden Globe Awards and nominations for two Pr ...

, Deborah Walley, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran as the Willard family on a European holiday. The

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

James Millhollin Arthur James Millhollin (August 23, 1915 – May 23, 1993) was an American character actor. Early years Millhollin was born in Peoria, Illinois. He grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa, performing in many school plays, graduated from Thomas Jeffers ...

appears in the film as the ship's librarian.

Plot

Harry Willard finally makes good his promise to take his bride of 20 years on a long-delayed trip by ship to Europe. They are accompanied by their 19-year-old son (Elliott), 18-year-old daughter (Amy), and 11-year-old son (Skipper). From the time they arrive at the dock, an unending series of comedy adventures and romantic encounters ensue until, exhausted but happy, they leave with memories that will stay with them all for years to come.

Cast

as Harry Willard *

as Katie Willard * Michael Callan as Nick O'Mara * Deborah Walley as Amy Willard * Jessie Royce Landis as Countessa 'La Comtesse' DuFresne * Tommy Kirk as Elliott Willard *

Georgette Anys Georgette Anys (15 July 1909 – 4 March 1993) was a French film and television actress. A character actress, she appeared mainly in French productions, but also some American films which were shot in Europe including Alfred Hitchcock's '' To Cat ...

as Madame Clebert * Kevin Corcoran as Skipper Willard *

Ivan Desny Ivan Desny (born Ivan Nikolaevich Desnitsky; , 28 December 1922 – 13 April 2002) was a French actor of Russian Chinese origin. He had a lengthy career in French and German cinema, appearing in over 200 film and television roles over 50 year ...

as Rudolph Hunschak * Françoise Prévost as The Girl * Alex Gerry as Horace Bidwell * Howard Smith as Judge Henderson * Max Showalter as The Tight Suit *

as Ship's Librarian * Marcel Hillaire as Sewer Guide *

Richard Wattis Richard Cameron Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor, co-starring in many popular British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Richard Cameron Wattis was born on 25 February 1912 in Wednesbury, Staffords ...

as Party Guest

Production

Development

The film was based on a 1956 novel by Joseph and Merrijane Hayes. Joseph Hayes had written '' The Desperate Hours'' and ''Bon Voyage'' was his second book; he and his wife wrote it after taking a trip across the Atlantic. Film rights were bought by Universal before the book had even been published for $125,000 and that the film was to be produced by Ross Hunter and written by the Hayes'.

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

was originally announced as star. Then,

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

was going to play the lead. Filming dates were pushed back when

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

was linked to the project. In early 1960, Disney optioned the novel. Disney said it was likely Ken Annakin would direct with

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's '' All My Sons'' and Tennessee Will ...

, James MacArthur and Janet Munro to star. Later, Robert Stevenson was announced as director. Disney said: "It's far out for us, but still Disney. I'm really a gag man and missed the kind of pictures

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

and

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

used to make. Since nobody else wanted to do them, I decided to make them myself." Eventually, Fred MacMurray, Jane Wyman, and Tommy Kirk were confirmed as the three leads, but casting the daughter proved more difficult. Disney commented: "You must build a picture. You don't write it all – only part of it. And it's the light and comic picture that's toughest of all to build." Michael Callan was cast from the play of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

''. Deborah Walley was cast on the basis of her performance in '' Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' (in which Callan had also appeared_.

Shooting

Filming began on 15 August 1961. It took place partly on location on a genuine ocean cruiser travelling across the Atlantic and in France. Walt Disney accompanied the film on location. Tommy Kirk recalled it as a troublesome production:

We all got sick in France. Everybody got this awful dysentery; everybody was sick as dogs for a couple of weeks. And we still had to shoot; I remember that. Frankly, I couldn’t stand James Neilson, the director; I thought he was a real jerk. He had all the tact of a toilet seat; 1 just couldn't stand him.

Tommy Kirk did not get along with

I thought Jane Wyman was a hard, cold woman and I got to hate her by the time I was through with ''Bon Voyage''. Of course, she didn't like me either, so I guess it came natural. I think she had some suspicion that I was gay and all I can say is that, if she didn't like me for that, she doesn't like a lot of people.

Kirk says the film was the only time he had a fight with Fred MacMurray.

There was an actor on the movie, named Elliot Reid, who was always doing
Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...
impressions, and I said a Groucho line, kidding Fred: “Oh, no, you've got the close-up and I get the back of my head." And he took it wrong and he turned around and turned red in the face, and he just shook from head to toe, and he put his finger in my face and gave me the worst bawling out I’ve ever had in my life. You know, whoa!

The title song was written by

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

staff songwriters, Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman.

Reception

Box office

''Bon Voyage!'' grossed $9,082,042 in the United States and earned $5 million in theatrical rentals. According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film was considered a "money maker" at the British box office in 1962.

Critical response

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "Everything possibly unearthable in the way of an obvious cliché involving the hick behavior of American tourists abroad seems to have been dug out from somewhere by the screen-playwright, Bill Walsh, and made to fit into this enactment of a family's vacation odyssey." '' Variety'' stated: "Walt Disney dishes up another comedy blockbuster in this rollicking tour de force of an American family seeing Europe for the first time." Philip K. Scheuer of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' declared it "the half-year's funniest farce".

Brendan Gill Brendan Gill (October 4, 1914 – December 27, 1997) was an American journalist. He wrote for ''The New Yorker'' for more than 60 years. Gill also contributed film criticism for ''Film Comment'', wrote about design and architecture for Architectu ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' wrote that Disney "always manages to put a pleasing, no-expense-spared shine on his goods, but in this case the goods go back at least as far as

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

and his '

Innocents Abroad ''The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim's Progress'' is a travel literature , travel book by American author Mark Twain. Published in 1869, it humorously chronicles what Twain called his "Great Pleasure Excursion" on board the chartered stea ...

', and maybe to Sterne and his ' Sentimental Journey'." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "The film, though unmistakably from the Disney stable, has little of the affectionately zany humor that so unexpectedly enlivened '' The Parent Trap'' and ''

The Absent-Minded Professor ''The Absent-Minded Professor'' is a 1961 American science fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. It is based on the 1943 short story "A Situation of Gravity" (May 22, 1943 ''Liberty'') by ...

''."

Accolades

The film was nominated for two

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

: * Costume Design (Color)-( Bill Thomas) *

Sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

( Robert O. Cook)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bon Voyage! 1962 films 1962 children's films 1960s American films 1960s English-language films American comedy films Walt Disney Pictures films Films directed by James Neilson Films produced by Walt Disney Films set in France Films about vacationing Films scored by Paul Smith (composer) Films with screenplays by Bill Walsh (producer)