The Facts of Life (film)

The Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as married people who have an affair. Written, directed, and produced by the longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, it was more serious than many other contemporary Hope vehicles.

Contents

• Plot
• Cast
• Academy Awards
• Golden Globe Awards
• References

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Costume Design (for Edith Head and Edward Stevenson). For her performance, Lucille Ball was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Comedy. The film features an opening animated title sequence created by Saul Bass.

Thirteen years later, Frank directed and co-wrote A Touch of Class, which likewise dealt with a middle-aged couple trying to have an affair, centering on a disaster-laden trip to a place where they wouldn't be recognized. However, it has never been considered an outright remake.

Plot

As the yearly vacation of six neighbors, the Gilberts, Masons, and Weavers, approaches, Kitty Weaver (Lucille Ball) and Larry Gilbert (Bob Hope) find themselves frustrated with the routine. When both their spouses (Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore) are kept away from the vacation, Kitty and Larry find themselves alone in Acapulco, with the Masons (Philip Ober and Marianne Stewart) bedridden with illness. Forced together, Kitty and Larry fall in love. Once the vacation is over, however, they have difficulties in either abandoning or continuing their romance.

Cast

Bob Hope as Larry Gilbert

Lucille Ball as Kitty Weaver

Ruth Hussey as Mary Gilbert

Don DeFore as Jack Weaver

Louis Nye as Charles Busbee

Philip Ober as Doc Mason

Marianne Stewart as Connie Mason

Hollis Irving as Myrtle Busbee

Academy Awards

Won:

Best Costume Design (Edith Head and Edward Stevenson)

Nominated:

Best Art Direction, Black and White (J. McMillan Johnson, Kenneth A. Reid, and Ross Dowd)

Best Cinematography, Black and White (Charles Lang)

Best Original Song (Johnny Mercer for "The Facts of Life")

Best Original Screenplay (Melvin Frank and Norman Panama)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Lucille Ball)