The Facts of Life is a 1960 romantic comedy starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball as married people who have an affair.
Written, directed, and produced by the longtime Hope associates Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, it was more serious than many other contemporary Hope vehicles. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Costume Design (for Edith Head and Edward Stevenson). For her performance, Lucille Ball was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress – Comedy. The film features an opening animated title sequence created by Saul Bass. Thirteen years later, Frank directed and co-wrote A Touch of Class, which likewise dealt with a middle-aged couple trying to have an affair, centering on a disaster-laden trip to a place where they wouldn’t be recognized. However, it has never been considered an outright remake.
THE PLOT: As the yearly vacation of six neighbors, the Gilberts, Masons, and Weavers, approaches, Kitty Weaver (Lucille Ball) and Larry Gilbert (Bob Hope) find themselves frustrated with the routine. When both their spouses (Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore) are kept away from the vacation, Kitty and Larry find themselves alone in Acapulco, with the Masons (Philip Ober and Marianne Stewart) bedridden with illness. Forced together, Kitty and Larry fall in love. Once the vacation is over, however, they have difficulties in either abandoning or continuing their romance.
THE PRODUCTION/CREATIVE TEAM: Directed by Melvin Frank Norman Panama (uncredited) Produced by Melvin Frank & Norman Panama Written by Melvin Frank & Norman Panama Starring Lucille Ball & Bob Hope Music by Leigh Harline & Johnny Mercer Cinematography Charles Lang Edited by Frank Bracht Distributed by United Artists Release date November 14, 1960 Running time 103 minutes Language English From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia