Buoyant “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell” 1968

 

Mamma Mia! Gina Lollobrigida is an unwed mother with three possible fathers!
The diverse daddy candidates are Telly Savalas, Peter Lawford, and Phil Silvers.

As far as ‘60s sex comedies go, Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell has the advantage of getting made in the latter half of ‘60s Hollywood. Most early ‘60s sex farces give me whiplash, with their storyline contortions to appease the censors. Made after the groundbreaking The Graduate, unwed mother Mrs. Campbell is not shamed or contrite over her youthful indiscretions that set the story in motion. This in turn makes Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell less dated and more fun than most ‘60s bedroom farces.

Gina Lollobrigida is Carla Campbell, the Italian mama whose life's got a lot of drama!

While Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell is no cinema classic like The Graduate, the film is bright, frothy fun. Longtime Bob Hope comedy writer Melvin Frank writes and directs with a sure hand for character-driven laughs. Perhaps Mrs. Campbell is not deep, nor is it dumb, either.

The pithy plot on a platter: 20 years ago, near the end of WWII, young Carla has passionate—and passing—flings with three soldiers. She soon finds herself pregnant; Carla no idea which one is the actual father. So, she writes to them with her tale of woe, asking for aid. All three offer to help, and being most pragmatic, the pregnant Carla starts collecting checks from the trio—for twenty years! And now, as the village plans to honor the American soldiers, Carla’s crew wants a reunion. This is not in Carla’s grand plan, and sets her in a panic. Does this sound familiar? Musical fans should instantly recognize the plot, though the creator of Mamma Mia! denies taking “inspiration” from this movie’s story. Of course, or the creator would have to pay damages through the nose if there was any admission.

Gina Lollobrigida was 40 when she played Carla.
Italian movie divas sure aged differently from their American counterparts!

Aside from the clever plot, bubbly score, clever plot, and great cast, the main draw is most delicious: Gina Lollobrigida as unwed mama Carla. Gina is gorgeous at 40 and has a fine flair for antic comedy. Lollo also is in fine form and looks lovely in her late ‘60s frocks.

Telly Savalas & Lee Grant are raucously funny as the New Jersey couple.

Then there’s that great cast as the three couples visiting the Italian village: exasperated Phil Silvers and an especially hilarious Shelley Winters; Telly Savalas and Lee Grant are a brazen hoot as the Jersey couple from hell; and Peter Lawford and Dina Merrill-look-alike Marion Moses claw away as the brittle British couple.

Phil Silvers and Shelley Winters are the couple with a bevy of boys.
Winters is in full-Shelley mode here and is quite funny.

Marian Moses & Peter Lawford are the brittle British couple in "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell."

The rest of the cast is just as delightful. Janet Margolin is simply gorgeous and warmly charming as Carla’s daughter Gia. Naomi Stevens as the maid Rosa reacts hilariously to the proceedings, a comedy pro from The Apartment (as the neighbor doc’s wife) and the cat-loving secretary of Valley of the Dolls, plus Sister Teresa from The Flying Nun. Philippe Leroy is one fine, feisty Italian lover as Vittorio, the hunky squeeze of Gina’s Carla.

Janet Margolin is appealing and lovely as Gina's daughter Gia in "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell."

Italian star Phillipe Leroy is Gina's hunky boyfriend.

An interesting footnote: Of this big cast, most have since passed on. But three of the stars enjoy longevity as of Nov. 1, 2021: Gina Lollobrigida turned 94 July 4^th; Lee Grant is 90-something Oct.31; and Philippe Leroy turned 91 on Oct. 15. Cheers!

If you’re in need of bubbly comfort cinema, may I suggest the lovely Mrs. Campbell?

"Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell" benefits from a bright script, 
put over by an stellar group of actors. Enjoy!

For the backstory on Lee Grant's '60s comeback, read here: 

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2021/04/lee-grants-great-comeback-peyton-place.html

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