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Promise Her Anything
Promise Her Anything
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Arthur Hiller
Screenplay by	William Peter Blatty
Story by	Arne Sultan; Marvin Worth;
Produced by	Stanley Rubin
Starring	Warren Beatty; Leslie Caron; Bob Cummings; Keenan Wynn;
Cinematography	Douglas Slocombe
Edited by	John Shirley
Music by	Lyn Murray
Production; company	Seven Arts
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	November 1965 (United Kingdom); 22 February 1966 (United States);
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; United States;
Language	English

Promise Her Anything is a 1965 romantic comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron.^[1] The screenplay by William Peter Blatty is based on a story by Arne Sultan and Marvin Worth. The supporting cast features Bob Cummings, Keenan Wynn, Hermione Gingold and Lionel Stander.^[2]

Plot

Recently widowed Michele O'Brien moves into a Greenwich Village brownstone with her infant son John Thomas. Her neighbor, Harley Rummel, a bohemian who earns a living by making nudie films in his apartment, becomes interested in her, but Michele believes her boss, wealthy psychologist Philip Brock, is a better prospect as a new mate.

Although he is an authority on children, Philip actually despises them, so Michele decides to keep John Thomas a secret for the time being. Unbeknownst to her, Harley is using the baby in his movies. When John Thomas is admitted to Philip's clinic for observation, Harley sneaks into his room to complete a film, but his surreptitious activities are captured by a hidden camera recording the baby's behavior. Michelle is furious but, when he saves John Thomas from a potentially dangerous situation, she forgives Harley and decides he may be the better choice for a father after all.

Cast

Warren Beatty as Harley Rummell
Leslie Caron as Michele O'Brien
Bob Cummings as Dr. Philip Brock
Keenan Wynn as Angelo Carelli
Hermione Gingold as Mrs. Luce
Lionel Stander as Sam
Asa Maynor as Rusty
Cathleen Nesbitt as Mrs. Brock
Michael Bradley and Philip Barron as John Thomas
Warren Mitchell as Frank Focus / Panel Moderator
Sydney Tafler as Panel Participant
Michael Kane as Staff Doctor
Riggs O'Hara as Glue Sniffer
Mavis Villiers as Rusty's Mother
Margaret Nolan as Mail-Order Film Girl
Viviane Ventura as Mail-Order Film Girl
George Moon
Charlotte Holland as Neighbours
Ferdy Mayne as Vittorio Fettucini
Libby Morris as Clinic Mother
Bessie Love as Pet shop customer
Jill Adams as Mrs. B.M. von Crispin

Uncredited (in order of appearance)

Kathleen Hughes as Mother in Dr. Brock's audience
Jo Anne Worley as Mother asking Dr. Brock for advice
Donald Sutherland as Father asking Dr. Brock to autograph books
Anita Sharp-Bolster as Mrs. Egan, babysitter
Michael Chaplin as Heathcliff, beatnik

Production

The film was entirely shot at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England. The original Baby John Thomas was supposed to be played by 2-year-old Philip Barron, but he didn't get on with Warren Beatty and cried almost every time he went near him, so there was a last-minute change and a Michael Bradley was found so production could start, and both children were used during filming. Bad weather delayed filming, and seven minutes were cut from the final edit.

The title song, with music by Burt Bacharach and lyrics by Hal David, was performed on the soundtrack by Tom Jones.

Novelization

In February 1966, Dell Publishing released a paperback novelization by Al Hine under his frequent tie-in pseudonym, "Bradford Street." There is no attribution to the screenplay, though the 1965 copyright is assigned to Paramount Pictures. The cover price was 45¢ and the cover photos feature stars Beatty and Caron.

Critical reception

Variety called the film "light" and "refreshing" and added, "Well-paced direction of many fine performances, generally sharp scripting and other good production elements add up to a satisfying comedy."^[3]

Time Out New York said, "This dull attempt at an offbeat and sophisticated romantic comedy falls flat on its face, thanks largely to the usual sluggish direction from Arthur Hiller [and] ... a dismal script by William Peter Blatty."^[4]

References

^ "Promise Her Anything". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
^ Vagg, Stephen (29 October 2024). "Movie Star Cold Streaks: Robert Cummings". Filmink. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
^ "Review: Promise Her Anything". Variety. 31 December 1965.
^ GA. "Promise Her Anything review". Time Out New York.