When a professor's wife (Janet Leigh) catches him (Tony Curtis) kissing a pretty student (only the bottom half of her seen), she prepares to leave for Reno for a quickie divorce. His rascal pal Dean Martin has a plan; He comes up with a false FBI card and makes Curtis claim that he was on assignment and the alleged student was really a Russian spy. OK, so far, if not totally believable, then predictable for a 1960's sex comedy. But when FBI man James Whitmore learns about the scheme, he gets involved, and before you know it, the overly chatty Leigh believes Curtis and Martin, who are "off on assignment" with two supposed Russian spies (Barbara Nichols and Joi Lansing) whom Martin simply wants to get together with as a "sure thing". Leigh and Whitmore follow them to the restaurant and before you know it (if you are actually following this), the two men are inside the basement of the Empire State Building up to their necks in water, thinking they are on a Russian submarine! Yes, I too was, like, "huh?", as I tried to find any amusement in this comedy of lies with two actors I like, a leading lady I am beginning to truly find annoying, two blonde bombshells who always add fun even to dreck like this, and one of the great character actors of all time (Whitmore) in a screenplay that Boris and Natasha of "Bullwinkle" would have turned down. Yes indeed, Curtis and Martin are as dumb as Moose and Squirrel, and that jealous wife Leigh never shuts up, even when happy, this movie simply becomes one of the most annoying of the sometimes ridiculous genre of 60's sex comedy influenced by "Pillow Talk".To add on that this was based upon a Broadway play and that it was directed by MGM musical veteran George Sidney ("Show Boat", "Kiss Me Kate") is even more perplexing. Then, being filmed in black and white, which makes no sense for a film like this, is another minus. Larry Storch and Simon Oakland are the two unfortunate character actors who do come on as Russian spies is something that you might have seen in a Russian spy storyline on "Gilligan's Island" or an episode of "Get Smart!" where at least you are expecting buffoonery. A major misfire altogether, not to mention the horrid title song that Martin must sing over the opening credits where Leigh discovers Curtis in the unforgivable embrace with a girl you never get to see, even the bottom half of her, after those credits end.

While Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh are considered the stars of this film, Dean Martin is practically a co-star in this Curtis movie doing a lot of the heavy lifting like Jack Lemmon often does in Curtis movies. The film starts with Curtis wife (Leigh) catching him (a college professor) kissing a college coed. From here, comes Dean Martin playing a TV script writer, trying to write Curtis back into his marriage to Leigh before she fly to Reno for a quickie divorce.The cover story is that Curtis is an FBI agent kissing the young girl on assignment. Then it gets complicated when James Whitmore (a real FBI agent) becomes interested in what Curtis & Martin are pulling over. This is screwball comedy done by the writer of Alfred Hitcock's only real screwball comedy (Mr & Mrs. Smith).What is most interesting is that the premise of the film hasn't changed. Today, if you catch your mate kissing (or doing) somebody else, you need an explanation or else you dump them. Usually the dumping is still the first instinct. In the case of this film, Leigh catching Curtis might have predicted the near future as 2 years later, they would divorce.There are at least 2 Martin songs & a special cameo by Jack Benny in this one. An interesting effort though the FBI line does wear a little thin about halfway through. Still, it is a nice diversion & the director has previous experience in this type of movie, so the pace & everything feel right here.

I'd always wanted to check out this well-regarded if rarely-seen comedy – for the record, some years back I missed out on its sole Italian TV screening (that I know of). For Tony Curtis, it meant something of a follow-up to the classic SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) – where he's forced, with his co-star (in this case, Dean Martin), to pass himself off as something he isn't (an F.B.I. agent), leading to misunderstanding, various complications and imminent danger.Similarly, a female is involved in the shenanigans (Curtis' on and off-screen wife Janet Leigh) though, here, the whole ruse starts off because of her: Chemistry Professor Curtis' fling with a female student is discovered by his jealous wife, so he turns for help to his best pal – TV writer Martin – who procures him with papers (and a gun) denoting his Bureau affiliations; Leigh is finally convinced of this and, soon after, is contacted by a real F.B.I. operative (James Whitmore) who uses her to keep track of just what Curtis and Martin are up to! One of the highlights of the film is the extended yet splendid incident in a restaurant: Leigh accepts Curtis' excuse to go on the town with Martin, believing it to be another federal job – but, in her over-eagerness to help, effectively blows his cover…which then lands the F.B.I. itself in hot water! The biggest trouble, however, is that enemy agents take the two men to be the real deal and kidnap them (and Leigh) in order to extract vital information they believe Curtis is in possession of! The aftermath of this sequence is again hilarious as, dazed by the drug he's been given, Curtis thinks they've been taken to a Russian sub and persuades Martin to flood it…but it transpires that they're in the basement of the Empire State Building! The script (adapted by Norman Krasna – who also produced – from his own play) balances witty dialogue with inspired zany situations, which are then delightfully put across by an excellent cast. Both male stars, in fact, were already adept at this type of thing (crooner Martin also sings the title tune), but Leigh surprisingly proves a fine comedienne in her own right: it's a pity that her marriage to Curtis was crumbling by this time which is doubly ironic given the film's plot, but they were professional enough not to let the real cracks show in their performances.

When Janet Leigh interrupts assistant chemistry professor husband Tony Curtis at work she finds him in the arms of a female student ,and promptly sets about leaving him and petitioning for divorce .He turns in desperation to his friend -a TV scriptwriter played by Dean Martin.Together they concoct a story that he is an FBI agent whose romantic activity was all in the line of duty .Somewhat implausibly she believes the far fetched tale and the marriage is once again set fair.Or it would be but for unexpected complications--the real FBI are not amused by the deception;Martin siezes upon the deception as a cover for his serial womanising and some foreign spies believe Curtis and Martin may have secrets they can use.It builds to a frantic climax deep in the bowels of the Empire State Building, The movie has pace and this is what sustains interest for the script is pretty feeble -thin to the point of anorexia.The movie zips along briskly enough to paper over the cracks in the script and while rarely laugh out loud this is a genial and engaging comedy very much of its period in its attitudes to women who are here confined to domesticity and looking good.Strong performances all round with James Whitmore especially good as an ulcer ridden FBI man and John mcIntyre as his superior.