Sextette * (1978, Mae West, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, Dom DeLuise, Timothy Dalton, George Hamilton, Alice Cooper) – Classic Movie Review 6225

Director Ken Hughes’s 1978 trainwreck of a film is the ludicrous final fling by an 85-year-old Mae West, acting out a story based on her own play about an ageing love goddess called Marlo Manners, who is disturbed on her honeymoon with husband number six Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton) by her ex-husbands, who keep turning up.

It is just about worth watching for the old lady’s wonderfully exotic camp turn in incongruously gorgeous Edith Head gowns, and an even camper Dom DeLuise is genuinely funny playing her dizzy agent Dan Turner.

But the rest is thoroughly shameful and embarrassing for both the performers and the audience.

It also stars Ringo Starr as Laslo Karolny, George Hamilton as Vance Norton, and Alice Cooper as Waiter.

Also in the cast are Rona Barrett as herself, Walter Pidgeon, George Raft as himself, Keith Moon (Dress Designer), Regis Philbin as himself, Gil Stratton as himself, Van McCoy and Harry Weiss.

It is written by Herbert Baker, shot in Metrocolor by James Crabe, produced by Warner G Toub, Daniel Briggs and Robert Sullivan, scored  by Artie Butler and designed by Thad Prescott. It is made at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios, West Hollywood.

Curtis recalled that it was ‘the most bizarre project of my life. There was nothing in it that related to what century it was.’

West rejected Cooper’s piano ballad No Time for Tears, saying she’d never cry over the loss of a man and had it replaced by the disco number Next Next. Over 20 years later No Time for Tears was released in the box set The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper.

Hollywood’s golden age great Mae West died on 22 November 1980, aged 87. Mae the force be with you.

Criswell predicted in 1955 that she would win the 1960 US Presidential election and would fly to the moon in 1965 with him and his friend Liberace. Talk about the roads not travelled!

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6225

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