Come Blow Your Horn

Frank Sinatra headlines this 1963 film based on Neil Simon's first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn—essentially a sex romp by way of a coming-of-age comedy. Ol' Blue Eyes is Alan Baker, a freewheeling sales exec who fled his suburban home (and the wrath of his father, played by a bellowing Lee J. Cobb) for New York City, where he is now joined by his younger brother Buddy (Tony Bill)—whom Alan instructs in the fine art of womanizing. Playing like a cartoonish version of the Mad Men ethos, where philanderers treat the female sex as a buffet for their enjoyment, this adaptation by screenwriter Norman Lear and director Bud Yorkin simply ups the ante on the stereotypes, from Jill St. John as a dizzy bimbo, to Yiddish theater legend Molly Picon as the quintessential Jewish mother, to the lavish fantasy of a spacious New York apartment. Sinatra has a few too many years under his belt to realistically play 21-year-old Buddy's older sibling, but otherwise it's a natural part for the crooner, who's all easy confidence and wolfish charm. Like many a stage adaptation from the era, this one rarely wanders away from the set (namely, the big bachelor-pad), and the story itself is weighed down by dated clichés. What it does have going for it, however, is Simon's masterful comic dialogue and the chemistry of the cast. Presented on DVD and Blu-ray, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)