Tonight's Movie: Man's Favorite Sport? (1964) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT? (1964), a romantic comedy starring Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss, has just been released in a Special Edition Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Hudson plays Roger Willoughby, who works for a sporting goods store and is a best-selling author on fishing.

In reality Roger has never been fishing in his life; his writing was based on tips cobbled together from clients. Which means he's in trouble when his employer (John McGiver) agrees to a suggestion from Abigail Page (Prentiss): Roger will compete in a fishing tournament at her friend's lodge, providing both the lodge and the store with publicity.

Roger arrives at the lodge and, having confided the truth to Abby and the lodge owner's daughter "Easy" (Maria Perschy), they try to find a way to get him out of competing. He ends up in the tournament anyway, having a wild series of escapades...and he also finds himself "strangely attracted" to the accident-prone, giddy Abby.

I first saw the film a number of years ago, before I was blogging, and at that time I wasn't particularly impressed; I was curious to return to the movie for a fresh look, especially as I enjoy both Hudson and Prentiss. And I did like it quite a bit better this time, while still acknowledging that it's on the flimsy side.

This was one of the last four films directed by Howard Hawks, and it's not one of his better films; he also wasn't above stealing from himself when it comes to a memorable gag involving a torn dress from his film BRINGING UP BABY (1938) decades before. Considering Hawks remade a couple of his own films, I suppose I should let redoing a single gag slide!

The movie also borrows liberally from LIBELED LADY (1936), directed by Jack Conway, in which William Powell plays a would-be fishing expert who ends up having similarly riotous fishing misadventures.

The script, written by John Fenton Murray and Steve McNeil, based on a story by Pat Frank, has a terrific premise but is overstuffed with too many characters, including both Easy and John Screaming Eagle (Norman Alden), an annoying con man. The film would have played better if some characters had been dropped and the two-hour running time had been pared down by 15 or 20 minutes.

That said, the film is quite congenial company thanks to its two leads, who play well opposite each other and are fun to watch. I had a good time watching it and, having revisited it, I'd be happy to watch it again in the future. It's the type of pleasant, undemanding movie which is enjoyable to watch while relaxing on a lazy weekend.

I also especially loved seeing Roscoe Karns in a substantial supporting role as one of Hudson's clients, Major Phipps. He only made a couple of films after 1948, and indeed, this was his last role in either films or television. He's very funny, especially in his final scene where he convinces Roger's boss not to fire him.

The cast also includes Charlene Holt, James Westerfield, Regis Toomey, and Forrest Lewis. In a nice touch, John McGiver's secretary was played by Margaret Sheridan, the leading lady of Hawks' classic THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951). It was Sheridan's first film in a decade, and it was also her final movie.

The movie is attractively filmed in widescreen by Russell Harlan, with a score by Henry Mancini and costumes by Edith Head.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray looks and sounds terrific. The disc extras include the trailer; a four-film Rock Hudson trailer gallery; and a commentary track by Michael Schlesinger, with "select remarks" incorporated from Paula Prentiss and her husband Richard Benjamin.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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