Fitzwilly (1967)

I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out. Yes, I'm that old. The theater was full and it was the holiday. Strangely, not one laugh was heard during the entire movie. It was flat, unfunny and dull, dull, dull. Maybe I missed something at that time, so 15 years later, when it was on television I watched it again. It still wasn't funny. Sorry folks, but this is just a bad movie. John Cheevers was the only actor who got a smile out of me. I would give it a zero if the vote scale would let me. As for the morality issue. The clever servant helping the befuddled master has been a common theme for centuries. (The Barber of Seville). So don't get your panties in a twist over the plot.

This was a very cute movie. One of Dick Van Dyke's best. I always hoped for a sequel since they've tried to sequel or remake every other movie. I'd hoped that they would do the same with this one but it never happened. I've searched for a copy of this movie for 32 years. Every Christmas I'd look for this movie but no one ever knew what I was talking about. I'm glad to see that it is finally listed somewhere. If you haven't seen it you should. It's great. The networks should add it to their Christmas show lineup. This movie was very in character for Barbara Feldon. She seemed to have the same type of personality when she was doing the "Get Smart" show. Dick Van Dyke as a butler for a philanthropic woman worked well with his comic genius.

Am still wondering how that brilliant actress-Dame Edith Evans, who gave us monumental performances in "The Nun's Story," as well as "The Chalk Garden," and "The Whisperers" ever allowed herself to be talked into this nonsense.In this film she plays an elderly dowager. At least, she thinks she has money but she does not. Her butler, Dick Van Dyke, and an assortment of workers steal to keep her in the lifestyle she is used to and of course make plenty of extras for themselves.Van Dyke, who is always quite adept at comedy, is no different here. Miss Evans acts like an aristocratic woman to what we saw Margaret Dumont try to do in the Marks Brothers' Films of the 1930s and '40s.The film has an ample supply of supporting characters. Barbara Feldon is witty as the Columbia graduate school who comes to work for Evans and in the process discovers what has been going on. John MacGiver plays a former priest who is in with the group. Only Ann Seymour, who portrayed Broderick Crawford's wife in the Oscar-winning "All the King's Men," is above aboard. You know about their capers but they are unbelievably carried out and some times even hard to follow the methodology. It is only with the gang's last caper at Gimbels Department Store that the film takes on an hilarious body of scenes.As I stated above, Fitzwilly is basically silly. Famed script-writer Isobel Lennart bombed away here.

It was Miss Vicky's Father who died not husband It is a very good Movie not seen enough on tv. It is one of my favorite movies with a great cast of supporting actors