Love Is a Ball [All This and Money Too] ** (1962, Glenn Ford, Charles Boyer, Hope Lange, Ricardo Montalban, Telly Savalas) – Classic Movie Review 12,662

The 1962 United Artists widescreen colour film Love Is a Ball [All This and Money Too] is a middling romantic comedy with the elegant Charles Boyer matchmaking in the pretty French Riviera scenery. Glenn Ford wanted to leave the set and go home at 4pm.

Director David Swift’s 1962 United Artists widescreen colour film Love Is a Ball [All This and Money Too] is taken from Lindsay Hardy’s 1959 novel The Grand Duke and Mr Pimm, and stars Glenn Ford, Charles Boyer, Hope Lange, Ricardo Montalban, and Telly Savalas.

It is a middling, insufficiently sophisticated romantic comedy with the elegant Mr Etienne Pimm (Charles Boyer) matchmaking in the pretty French Riviera scenery. Millie Mehaffey (Hope Lange) dithers nicely between The Grand Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau (Ricardo Montalban) and her chauffeur John Davis (Glenn Ford).

The film looks good in Edmond Séchan’s widescreen colour location cinematography, Michel Legrand’s score is always a pleasure, and at least the old stars look as though they are enjoying themselves, especially Charles Boyer. But, thanks to a weary, often tiresome script, this is pretty tired, dated stuff from the early Swinging Sixties. Just maybe with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, this would have worked nicely.

The screenplay was originally written by the author of the novel, Lindsay Hardy, but it was re-written by director David Swift, Tom Waldman and Frank Waldman, infuriating Hardy, who said the film ‘bore no relation to the book whatever – plot gone, people gone.’ No wonder he disliked the film, but he was not alone in that.

Telly Savalas plays Dr Gump! And Swedish star Ulla Jacobsson makes her American film debut.

Also in the cast are Ruth McDevitt, Ulla Jacobsson, Georgette Anys, Robert Bettoni, Mony Damès, Laurence Hardy, Jean Le Maitre, André Luguet, Jean Parédès, Redmond Phillips, Erika Soucy, Aram Stephan, Olga Valéry, John Wood, and Jean-Pierre Zola.

It is produced by Martin H Poll, who owned Gold Medal Studios in the Bronx, which he hired out to film-makers, but had decided to move into film production.

The film had its world premiere at Las Vegas in March 1963.

Love Is a Ball was released in the UK as All This and Money Too.

Glenn Ford and Hope Lange were a real-life couple. Lange’s first marriage was to Don Murray, whom she met while they were filming Bus Stop in 1956. She left him in 1961 for Glenn Ford, her co-star on Pocketful of Miracles. They had a four year relationship but never married.

David Swift recalled an unhappy time working with his star: ‘Glenn Ford is a man who, I find, approaches his craft like a 12- year-old temperamental child.’ Glenn wanted to leave the set and go home at 4pm: ‘So we came to blows about the four o’clock quitting time.’ On the other hand, he recalled: ‘Charles Boyer is one of the real professionals, a creative actor.’

The cast are Glenn Ford as John Lathrop Davis, Hope Lange as Millie Mehaffey, Charles Boyer as Etienne Pimm, Ricardo Montalbán as Duke Gaspard Ducluzeau, Telly Savalas as Dr Christian Gump, Ruth McDevitt as Mathilda, Ulla Jacobsson as Janine, Georgette Anys as Mme. Gallou, Robert Bettoni as Milkman, Mony Dalmès as Mme. Fernier, Laurence Hardy as Priory, Jean Le Maitre as Carlo, André Luguet as Maurice Zoltan, Jean Parédès as Freddie, Redmond Phillips as Starcy, Erika Soucy as Gretl, Aram Stephan as Gallou, Olga Valéry as Mme. Giardin, John Wood as Julian Soames, and Jean-Pierre Zola as Mueller.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,662

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