The Pleasure Seekers
Encyclopedia
The Pleasure Seekers is a 1964
1964 in film
The year 1964 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 29 - The film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is released....

 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...

 motion picture
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 starring Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...

, Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...

, and Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Life and career:Lynley was born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, the daughter of Frances , a waitress, and Cyril Jones. Her father was Irish and her mother, a native of New England, was of English, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Native...

, with Gardner McKay
Gardner McKay
George Cadogan Gardner McKay was an American actor, artist, and author.-Biography:Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. He landed the lead role in Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on...

, Pamela Tiffin, Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...

, and Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...

.

The film was adapted for the screen by Edith R. Sommer, based on the novel Coins in the Fountain
Coins in the Fountain
Coins in the Fountain is a television film which was released on September 28, 1990. The film is based on the novel Coins in the Fountain by John H. Secondari, which was previously filmed in 1954 as Three Coins in the Fountain. It was directed by Tony Wharmby and written by Lindsay Harrison...

 by John H. Secondari
John H. Secondari
John Hermes Secondari was an American author and television producer.Secondari's 1952 novel Coins in the Fountain was made into the 1954 Academy Award-winning film Three Coins in the Fountain and remade as the 1964 Oscar-nominated film The Pleasure Seekers...

, and was directed by Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco
Jean Negulesco was a Romanian-born American film director and screenwriter....

. Ann-Margret sings four songs composed by Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn
Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premiered by recording companies in the Greater Los Angeles Area...

 and James Van Heusen
James Van Heusen
Jimmy Van Heusen , was an American composer. He wrote songs mainly for films and television , and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song.-Life and career:...

.

This was Gene Tierney's final film. The film was nominated for one Academy Award: Music (Scoring of Music—Adaptation or Treatment) for Lionel Newman and Alexander Courage.

Plot summary

The film focuses on three beautiful American women in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

 who fall in love. The film starts as ingenue Susie Higgins (Pamela Tiffin) arrives in the city and moves in with her old friend Maggie Williams (Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley
Carol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Life and career:Lynley was born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, the daughter of Frances , a waitress, and Cyril Jones. Her father was Irish and her mother, a native of New England, was of English, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Native...

) and her roommate Fran Hobson (Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret
Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...

). Susie experiences a culture shock
Culture shock
Culture shock is the anxiety, feelings of frustration, alienation and anger that may occur when a person is emplaced in a new culture.One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign country. Culture shock can be described as consisting of one or more distinct phases...

, when she is informed by Maggie and Fran that all rich, attractive men are taken, and all rich but poor are too proud to take on wealthy, American women. It becomes clear to Susie that she is nothing like her roommates, who use gain from their sexuality. Maggie, for instance, is a secretary who has recently ended an affair, and is now in love with her boss Paul Barton (Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...

), much to the dismay of her co-worker Pete McCoy (Gardner McKay
Gardner McKay
George Cadogan Gardner McKay was an American actor, artist, and author.-Biography:Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. He landed the lead role in Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on...

), a newspaper man. Fran, meanwhile, an aspiring actress, flamenco dancer and singer, stumbles upon an attractive Spanish doctor Dr. Andres Briones (André Lawrence) during one of her hectic days, and immediately falls for him, even though he does not seem to be interested.

While at the Museo del Prado
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of...

, Susie catches the eye of wealthy playboy Emilio Lacayo (Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...

). Homesick, Susie is comforted by the kind words of Emilio, and dismisses Maggie's warnings that he is a 'corrupt, heartless man'. During a formal party, where Fran delivers a musical performance, Susie is surprised by Emilio's interest in another girl and his lack of attention for her. Meanwhile, Maggie is upset that a dance between her and Paul is interrupted by his jealous wife Jane (Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...

). She asks Pete a ride home and expresses her discontent in his plans to leave Madrid for Paris, which is caused by his dislike in Paul. Feeling that he is behaving too much as a playboy, Maggie admits that she thinks that he could be a great newspaper man if he tried.

The next morning, Susie attempts to take revenge on Emilio for his behavior with a devious plan. Fran offers to aid her, but when she crosses paths with Dr. Briones, she dismisses her friend to spend a romantic afternoon with him. Briones criticizes Fran's mockery of her own career, though she rationalizes this by claiming that one should not be serious of a career that is going nowhere. Hereafter, she claims that Briones has left her and that she is planning on returning to the United States. Meanwhile - though without Fran's help - Susie is makes Emilio believe that she is falling for him. When he proposes for marriage, she hastely accepts and rushes into proceedings - with intention to scare him off - much to his surprise. Later that night, she confronts him with his playboy behavior, and he defends himself by claiming that he has fallen for her.

At the office, a personal conversation between Maggie and Paul, during which Maggie discusses Pete's love for her and Paul expresses his dissatisfaction with current life, leads to a romantic embracement - though Pete walks in on them and storms off. That night, Paul wakes Maggie up with a phone call, and tells her that he is looking for Pete for an assignment. Maggie is upset that Paul thinks that Pete would be with her at night and throws a tantrum, blaming him for thinking that she is 'easy'. Eventually, Susie comforts her by informing her about her engagement to Emilio, until they find out that Fran has left the house. They worry about her, without realizing that she is spending her final days in Madrid in joy with Briones. She considers to cancel her plane to stay with Briones in Madrid, helping him to save money for his clinic, though he has too much pride to ask her not to leave. Fran returns home, saying her friends that Briones was too poor to support her.

Meanwhile, Susie is stood up by Emilio on an afternoon that she is scheduled to meet his mother (Isobel Elsom
Isobel Elsom
Isobel Elsom was an English screen, stage, and television actress.-Career:Born as Isobel Jeannette Reed in Cambridge, England, Elsom usually was cast as an aristocratic lady of the upper class. Over the course of three decades she appeared in 17 Broadway productions, beginning with The Ghost Train...

). She decides to bring his mother a visit by herself, and is shocked that Mrs. Lacayo has no idea who she is. She apologizes for her son's behavior and explains that this is not the first time that Emilio misled a girl, leaving Susie heartbroken. Back at home, Maggie is upset by her roommates' unhappiness and runs to a formal party with Paul. Though she is upset that he does not court her, unaware that this is a decision made by a serious conversation with Pete. Maggie leaves the ballroom, upset, and is confronted by Jane for being Paul's mistress. Maggie defends herself by claiming that Jane has lost her husband due to her lack of love for him, and when she furthermore expresses her pity for her, Jane slaps her and leaves. In turn, Maggie gets drunk and allows for Pete to take her home. They are about to kiss when she passes out.

The following day, Maggie visits the office to inform Paul that she will return to New York with Fran and Susie. Paul accepts the situation and even arranges a meeting with Emilio to make him realize that he has made a mistake with Susie. On their final evening, the three women attend yet another formal party, where Paul announces his shift to New York. The women decide to stay and are all reunited with their men, though Maggie ends not with Paul, but with Pete, who has been called Paul's successor in Madrid.

Cast

  • Ann-Margret
    Ann-Margret
    Ann-Margret Olsson is a Swedish-American actress, singer and dancer whose professional name is Ann-Margret. She became famous for her starring roles in Bye Bye Birdie, Viva Las Vegas, The Cincinnati Kid, Carnal Knowledge, and Tommy...

     as Fran Hobson
  • Carol Lynley
    Carol Lynley
    Carol Lynley is an American actress and former child model.-Life and career:Lynley was born Carole Ann Jones in New York City, the daughter of Frances , a waitress, and Cyril Jones. Her father was Irish and her mother, a native of New England, was of English, Scottish, Welsh, German, and Native...

     as Maggie Williams
  • Pamela Tiffin as Susie Higgins
  • Anthony Franciosa
    Anthony Franciosa
    Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...

     as Emilio Lacayo
  • Gardner McKay
    Gardner McKay
    George Cadogan Gardner McKay was an American actor, artist, and author.-Biography:Born in New York City, McKay graduated from Cornell University, where he majored in art. He became a Hollywood heart throb in the 1950s and 1960s. He landed the lead role in Adventures in Paradise, based loosely on...

     as Pete McCoy
  • André Lawrence as Dr. Andres Briones
  • Brian Keith
    Brian Keith
    Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...

     as Paul Barton
  • Gene Tierney
    Gene Tierney
    Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...

     as Jane Barton
  • Vito Scotti
    Vito Scotti
    Vito Scotti was a veteran character actor who played many roles, primarily from the late-1940s to the mid-1990s. He was known as a man of a thousand faces, for his ability to assume so many divergent roles in more than 200 screen roles, in a nearly 50 year career. He was known for his resourceful...

     as Neighbor Man
  • Isobel Elsom
    Isobel Elsom
    Isobel Elsom was an English screen, stage, and television actress.-Career:Born as Isobel Jeannette Reed in Cambridge, England, Elsom usually was cast as an aristocratic lady of the upper class. Over the course of three decades she appeared in 17 Broadway productions, beginning with The Ghost Train...

    as Dona Teresa Lacayo
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