If a Man Answers

If a Man Answers (1962)

Genres - Comedy, Romance  |   Sub-Genres - Domestic Comedy  |   Release Date - Oct 10, 1962 (USA - Unknown), Oct 10, 1962 (USA)  |   Run Time - 102 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka

This lightweight, nearly zero-gravity comedy by director Henry Levin relies on a novel by a male writer and a script by another man to come up with a nearly offensive story (in these more enlightened times) about how a woman can lie, manipulate, and generally deceive her husband, all in the "art" of hanging on to him. Sandra Dee is Chantal, married to Eugene (Bobby Darin, Dee's real-life husband), but first comes the story of how she hooked him. Next, comes the story of how he is trained to be a perfect husband, and then the final installment is unveiled. She uses a variety of tricks to keep him wondering whether or not he can trust her. For example, Chantal's mother calls her and "if a man answers" she hangs up, leaving the unhappy husband to think his wife has a clandestine lover. The premise that a woman's only role in life is to get and hold a husband has thankfully undergone a few revisions since 1962.

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Keywords

advice, battle-of-the-sexes, deception, father, husband-and-wife, jealousy, mother