Caprice ** (1967, Doris Day, Richard Harris, Ray Walston) – Classic Movie Review 9199

Co-writer/ director Frank Tashlin’s 1967 industrial espionage spy spoof comedy thriller Caprice is set in the cosmetics world and stars Doris Day as top industrial designer businesswoman Patricia Foster, who, with the help of suave Brit Christopher White (Richard Harris), investigates international drug dealers and has suspicions about her father’s death.

A splash of comedy, a hint of suspense and a dash of Sixties lunacy unfortunately do not add up to a coherent, satisfying film, although Caprice has its moments thanks to Tashlin’s exuberant direction and the mugging of the amusing cast.

Day is delightful and delicious – though the oddly cast Harris seems uncomfortable in a double-act with her – and the select support cast is breathlessly lively. Leon Shamroy’s polished CinemaScope cinematography is a great asset, despite the ugly back projections of the era.

Also in the cast are Edward Mulhare, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Lilia Skala, Irene Tsu, Larry D Mann, Maurice Marsac, Michael J Pollard, Michael Romanov and Lisa Seagram.

Harris turned down The Ipcress File to star in Caprice.

The film is is produced by Day’s husband and manager Martin Melcher, who turned down Mike Nichols’s offer for Day to play Mrs Robinson in The Graduate to make this film, which was a box office bomb, grossing $4 million against The Graduate‘s $100 million.

Day performs ‘Caprice’ by Larry Marks

RIP Doris Day, who died at age 97 on May 13, 2019.

Caprice is directed by Frank Tashlin, runs 98 minutes, is made by Twentieth Century Fox and Melcher-Arcola Productions, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by John Kohn (as Jay Jayson) (story and screenplay), Martin Hale (story) and Frank Tashlin (screenplay), is shot in CinemaScope by Leon Shamroy, is produced by Aaron Rosenberg and Martin Melcher, and is scored by Frank De Vol, with Art Direction by William J Creber and Jack Martin Smith.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9199

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