I have heard of this film for a number of years, but finally had to opportunity to see it via DVR. The title of this film has always intrigued me and made me curious about this film. I really enjoy movies from the 60's & 70's and this one was no exception. As other's have mentioned it's a great time capsule from the 1960's and for baby boomers it will take you back. Yes, it is dated but holds up well. Some of the things that stood out to me were the circumstances the characters got themselves into that would not happen today (the man loosing his wife for a few days - i.e. no cell phones). Having traveled to Europe several times, I enjoyed this film because it brought me back to places I have seen and makes me want to go back again sometime for some new experiences. The remark by the character played by Peggy Cass at the beginning of the tour about Europe being so different than the U.S. reminded me of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction comparing Europe to the U.S. 'They have the same things we have, only their things are a little different. ..~ Chow.

... but no movie stars in key roles, unless you (graciously) count Murray Hamilton, Norman Fell or Mildred Natwick. There are cameos by Robert Vaughn, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Vittorio De Sica and Anita Ekberg, but the main roles were played by yet-to-be (TV) stars - like Ian McShane and Suzanne Pleshette - and other somewhat unknown (at least today) character actors like Sandy Baron, Michael Constantine, Pamela Britton, Reva Rose, Marty Ingels and Peggy Cass.The story is about a busload of Americans tourists in Europe that get a surface-level road & boat tour of many of the continent's highlights in less than 3 weeks time. Charlie Cartwright (McShane) is their guide, who is necessarily part parent, nanny, psychiatrist, coach, friend and even lover to his charges, a job he's apparently done for more than a dozen years. Kind of like a sailor with a girl in every port, charming Charlie's off-duty exploits are frequently interrupted by various problems that crop up during this, his 225th tour.Of the tourists, Suzanne Pleshette as Samantha Perkins gets most of the screen time, and the film's title could have been "Prudence returns to Rome all grown up" after her 'Adventure' with Troy Donahue in 1962. She being the only young single woman on the bus, Charlie flirts with her throughout but doesn't make any progress until late in the movie, stereotypically after getting her drunk. In fact, the filmmakers exploit quite a few stereotypes throughout the movie, though none offensively even when available.Even at only 98 minutes, it drags a bit when Donovan - who wrote the title song, which refers to the routine nature of the tour - sings "Lord of the Reedy River" (catch it on youtube, if you'd like) at a youth hostel. All in all it's a fairly harmless romp and there are some sweet scenes, but probably too few humorous ones to recommend it very highly.

As you can see, others - not many others, granted, but others - liked this movie. I'll leave it to you to figure out why. It's true there are some fine comedians here, like Peggy Cass and Norman Fell. But they aren't given anything interesting to do. Cass's character only writes postcards, and with each new city, remarks on how it is spelled in the local language. That's not enough to create a funny character. Fell has no more to work with.The other characters have no more to them, and so no more chance to be funny or interesting.In general, the jokes are lame, and there are the usual ethnic stereotypes. This sort of rapid bus excursion through Europe, which still exists today, could provide all sorts of humor. But you don't get it here.What a shame.-----------------------The one thing I will say for this movie is that, since it was shot in various European locations in the late 1960s, it does give you a chance to see certain tourist sites like Venice as they once existed but now, overrun with tourists, can no longer be seen. Other than that, it seems hard to believe that a major studio like MGM could have released something that looks so underdone.

Suzanne Pleshette and an all-star cast go on a bus tour through Europe and try to squeeze in everything possible. Ian McShane is their tour guide, who obviously falls for Suzanne. In fact, any and all male viewers watching this will fall for Suzanne. She is at her most beautiful in this movie. If you've never seen this movie and you are a Suzanne Pleshette fan, then you need to see it. She is stunning.Other passengers include Mildred Natwick, Marty Ingels, Michael Constantine, Sandy Baron, Peggy Cass, Murray Hamilton, Aubrey Morris, Norman Fell and Reva Rose, with a few others. Mildred Natwick, who's a great comedic actress, really had nothing to do, as well as a few wives.But, most of the male characters are more defined and interesting: one of them stopping in Italy to see family and getting in an arranged marriage, of whom he tries thereon to avoid; one who was in WWII goes to see his old flame; one who's taking pictures of all the dames to claim conquests; one who wants a pair of Italian shoes and orders them from a Italian shoemaker (a particular highlight with director Vittorio de Sica as the shoemaker); one carries an empty suitcase to take something from each country back with him; and one husband loses his wife, when she gets on the wrong tour bus. From thereon, it was a running joke, "My wife would have loved this," referring to unusual sights, and another husband had a running joke about getting a refund and getting on the next plane back home. They even get a tour of a museum, with Patricia Routledge (Hyacinth Bucket from "Keeping Up Appearances") as their perky museum tour guide, wherein the husband responds to his wife, "So help me, if it takes forever, I will get you for this."An added plus is the presence by celebrities, who are likely to pop up anytime, like Robert Vaughn, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Anita Ekberg, Joan Collins, and Virna Lisi. A great time with many laughs. So, if you can't travel because you're short of funds, then find this and you'll get the abridged version and see the sights with a fun crew and the beautiful Suzanne Pleshette.