Tall Story *** (1960, Anthony Perkins, Jane Fonda, Ray Walston, Anne Jackson) – Classic Movie Review 7273

Improbable couple Jane Fonda and Anthony Perkins in a publicity photo for Joshua Logan’s Tall Story (1960).

‘SUCH FUN! That college girl who can’t help lovin’ tall boys!…’ Jane Fonda makes her film debut as cheerleader June Ryder, a new student at Custer College, paired in love with nervy science major Ray Blent (Anthony Perkins), the champion star player on the basketball team.

June’a ambition is to become Mrs Ray Blent Perkins and Ray wants to marry her but has no money and is offered a bribe to fix a game, in director Joshua Logan’s likeable and pleasant if under-powered 1960 college sports and romantic comedy.

Julius J Epstein’s sluggish screenplay, taken from a Broadway play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, who based it on Howard Nemerov’s novel The Homecoming Game, is held back with much obvious, faded humour, but that is offset by the sweet story and the fresh turns of the two young stars, though they are an improbable couple.

Director Logan also directed it on Broadway and he was Jane Fonda’s godfather. He prompted her to get her start by appear with her father Henry in the 1954 Omaha Community Theatre production of The Country Girl.

Also in the cast are Ray Walston, Anne Jackson, Marc Connelly, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Patterson, Bob Wright, Bart Burns, Gary Lockwood, Karl Lukas, Tom Laughlin, Barbara Darrow, Rick Allen, Phil Phillips, Ruthie Robinson and Van Williams.

Jane Fonda won the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female, so they sure got that right.

It was shot in the same year that Anthony Perkins made Psycho (1960).

With the stars presumably not household names at the time – certainly Fonda was an unknown – it was advertised on Logan’s name: ‘He makes the great ones! Sayonara! Bus Stop! Picnic! South Pacific!’ They might be remembered but Tall Story is not. It doesn’t have the stuff for posterity.

It was also advertised on the theme singer’s name: ‘BOBBY DARIN sings the title song!’

Fonda is 5′ 8″ and Perkins was 6′ 1″.

Tall Story is directed byJoshua Logan, runs 91 minutes, is made by Mansfield Productions, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Julius J Epstein, based on a play by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, is shot in black and white by Ellsworth Fredericks, is produced by Joshua Logan and is scored by Cyril J Mockridge.

RIP Tab Hunter and Tony Perkins.

It really was a tall story. In real life Perkins and Tab Hunter were getting friendly. RIP Tab and Tony.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7273

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