Too Hot To Handle [Playgirl After Dark] * (1960, Jayne Mansfield, Leo Genn, Karlheinz Böhm, Sheldon Lawrence, Christopher Lee, Patrick Holt, Barbara Windsor, Danik Patisson) – Classic Movie Review 8423

Jayne Mansfield stars as Midnight Franklin, a nightclub exotic singer-dancer trying to save her boyfriend, London gangland and club boss Johnny Solo (Leo Genn), from an extortion racket when he gets threats for protection at his Pink Flamingo Club, in director Terence Young’s 1960 British thriller Too Hot To Handle [Playgirl After Dark].

At least the eclectic cast is interesting: Carl Boehm [Karlheinz Böhm] plays Robert Jouvel, the French reporter covering London’s strip joints in Soho, Sheldon Lawrence plays Johnny Solo’s business competitor, Diamonds Dielli, Christopher Lee plays Novak, Patrick Holt plays Inspector West, Danik Patisson plays secretive showgirl Lilliane Decker, and Barbara Windsor plays the young showgirl Ponytail.

The generally dependable director Terence Young scrapes the bottom of the barrel with this turgid and tepid British gangster flick. Too Hot To Handle is best left well alone with its cliché-ridden dialogue and situations and cardboard cut-out characterisations in the screenplay by Herbert Kretzmer (based on an original idea by Harry Lee).

Too Hot To Handle looks like it could be fun but it has dated quite badly and even Jayne Mansfield is too daft to enjoy watching.

Too Hot to Handle is an American paperback title of Ian Fleming’s Bond story Moonraker. Fleming’s 007 movie From Russia With Love (1963) was directed by Terence Young, who also directed Too Hot to Handle. The Australian-born, British-based character actor Ian Fleming (1888–1969) appears in Too Hot to Handle as the pawnbroker.

Also in the cast are Kai Fischer, Martin Boddey, John Salew, Tom Bowman, Michael Balfour, Penny Morrell and Katherine Keeton.

Too Hot To Handle [Playgirl After Dark] is directed by Terence Young, runs 104 minutes, Wigmore Productions and Associated British Picture Corporation, is distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (1960) (UK)  and Topaz Film Corporation (1961) (US), is written by Herbert Kretzmer, is shot in Eastmancolor by Otto Heller, is produced by Selim Cattan and is scored by Eric Spear.

American TV prints and DVD copies are in black and white and run 90 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8423

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