In 1963, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was the 3rd grossing film. In 1964, three Peter Sellers films were in the top 15. Is it any wonder that a studio might try to capture that madcap silliness? As it turns out, Sex and the Single Girl (SATSG) was the 20th grossing film of 1964, so they got what they wanted. And perhaps the film-going public did too.Looking back at this film now, however, does not do it any favors. Though its title might suggest a semi-serious film about liberating women from their roles and the expectations of society, SATSG is nothing like that. It is a tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor that, in the end, is nothing more than a series of gags. Unfortunately, most of what is intended as humor is rather lame and not worthy of an issue of Mad Magazine. These gags are more appropriate for an episode of The Carol Burnett Show and would have been performed better there.There's a flat joke about automats and the automation of America. A man in a frilly woman's robe. Fonda and Bacall twisting to a song that is not appropriate for twisting. Water coming out of the mouth of someone who was dunked in the ocean. The only gag that works is about two men in golfcarts chasing their balls.Accompanying this annoying attempt at humor is an insipid soundtrack, replete with rimshots and silly sound effects.This film has nothing to say. And the characters are just silly caricatures, so you can't really care about what happens to them. SATSG has a wonderful cast, totally misspent. Every actor has many quality films to his credit (except Larry Storch), so it's painful to see them in this shallow, unfunny vehicle. Consider Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall, and Mel Ferrer.There is a nostalgic joy in seeing any of these actors in a film, but that was the extent of my interest in this film. A waste of time and talent.

WB sure has made some silly movies, and this one is no exception. It's a lot like the WB comedies of Barbra Streisand from the same time period. Forget about the title. Natale Wood plays "Dr. Helen Gurley Brown" as the author of the book "Sex and the Single Girl." No resemblance to the book, whatsoever. A great cast in a lightweight film: Natale Wood, Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, Lauren Bacall, Jose Ferrer, Stubie Kay, Larry Storch. The guy who played "Gen. Bullmoose" in Li'l Abner. Also Leslie Parish (she was Daisy Mae) and several Hollywood character actors old film buffs will recognize at once. Edward Everett Horton as the Chairman of the Board of "Stop" Magazine. Count Basie and his Orchestra. Fran Jeffries is a "knockout" as Gretchen. Great chemistry between Tony and Natale. They really seem to enjoy kissing each other. She is wonderful to see as a fresh-faced young girl. The plot is so silly it's barely worth mentioning. Through many cases of mistaken identity, Tony Curtis writes an article for that sleaze-bag mag "Stop" and exposes the writer of that "Sex" book as a complete phony. Henry Fonda, a nylon salesman, is wrongly accused of being a "trigamist" married to three women. Tony Curtis has several girlfriends and falls in love with Natale (who wouldn't?) The whole thing ends with a hysterical 20 minute slapstick car chase reminiscent of the old Universal movies from the 1940's. Larry Storch as the motorcycle cop goes "nuts" and tries to arrest everybody. It's a lot of fun in a totally forgettable film that will remind you of "Mad Mad World". It's only highly-rated because Natale Wood is in it, and we miss her so much!

The sixties sex comedy can be considered a genre into itself. This entry into that franchise holds lots of promise at the outset and includes some wonderfully ironic comedy slants and in-jokes. But the impostor/deception angle that propels the film has been done often before and much better. Soon the film seems to come off as merely a framework in which Fran Jefferies gets to warble and wiggle at predetermined intervals.It's no stretch for Tony Curtis to portray a sleazy writer for a bottom-of-the-barrel tabloid magazine; he inhabits the role well as this is familiar territory for him. Natalie Wood- who could fall face- first into a septic treatment plant and still emerge luminous- tries hard with her character. But I can't decide if this material is wrong for her, or is it the other way around. If for no other reason than perhaps they "owed someone a picture", Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda are inexplicably present to portray the bickering long-married neighbor couple. It's hard to imagine that either of these giants would be here by choice.And nothing clears up misunderstandings and solves problems like a good old car-chase scene! There's a right way (and a right reason) to shoehorn such a spectacle into a movie, but you won't find that here. The result is a juvenile, silly, and pointless finale. A running sight gag involving pretzels is the only ingredient that makes it even slightly amusing. They're crisp and salty and satisfying...everything this movie isn't. Too bad.

In-name-only movie-version of Helen Gurley Brown's book, a glossy but fairly unamusing comedy which begins as a semi-sophisticated battle-of-the-sexes, eventually becoming a ditsy slapstick outing which treats its characters as overage juveniles. Gossip-magazine editor Tony Curtis lands on Natalie Wood's couch--but sex is the furthest thing from her mind, as she's playing a psychologist. Gurley Brown was probably red-faced at having her title (and name) utilized for nothing more than another '60s bedroom farce (one wherein the bedroom is kept strictly under wraps). Curtis and Wood look great in their prime, but their characters are all talk, little action. The funniest material is saved for alternate couple Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall. *1/2 from ****