Walk, Don't Run is a 1966
comedy filmComedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
set in
Tokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
during the
Olympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1964. The movie marked the last appearance by
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
in a feature film, and is a
remakeA remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of the 1943 film
The More the MerrierThe More the Merrier is a 1943 American comedy film made by Columbia Pictures which makes fun of the housing shortage during World War II, especially in Washington, D.C.. The picture stars Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, Stanley Clements and Richard Gaines. The movie was directed by...
.
Plot
Sir William Rutland (
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
) is an important English businessman who arrives in the city two days early and is greeted by the housing shortage caused by the
1964 Summer OlympicsThe 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo. While at the British Embassy seeking help, he notices an announcement of an available apartment and decides to check the place out. He finds himself at the residence of Christine Easton (
Samantha EggarSamantha Eggar is an English film, television and voice actress.-Early life:She was born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar in Hampstead, London to an Anglo-Irish father and a mother of Dutch and Portuguese descent...
) who insists that it would be improper to take him in as a housemate—for while she forgot to advertise so, she naturally preferred a woman. Easton eventually lets Rutland stay—half because she is persuaded it is her patriotic duty to take him in and half because of Rutland’s own self-assured pushiness.
Rutland then sublets half of his half of the cramped space to American Olympian
race walkerRacewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
Steve Davis (
Jim HuttonDana James Hutton , usually credited as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television probably best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name.-Early life and career:...
), in whom Rutland sees a younger version of himself. While Easton is less than thrilled with the arrangement, she has already spent Rutland's share of the rent. Rutland sets about playing matchmaker for the two young people, in spite of their disparate personalities and Easton’s engagement to boringly dependable British diplomat Julius P. Haversack (
John StandingSir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
).
Davis repeatedly refuses to reveal what sport he is competing in. Rutland meddles in the young couple's romantic troubles. The movie culminates in his suddenly stripping down to his
boxer shortsBoxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...
and a
t-shirtA T-shirt is a style of shirt. A T-shirt is buttonless and collarless, with short sleeves and frequently a round neck line....
so he can pretend to be a competitor and talk to Davis during his event, trying to heal the breach between the young lovers.
Cast
- Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
as Sir William Rutland
- Samantha Eggar
Samantha Eggar is an English film, television and voice actress.-Early life:She was born Victoria Louise Samantha Marie Elizabeth Therese Eggar in Hampstead, London to an Anglo-Irish father and a mother of Dutch and Portuguese descent...
as Christine Easton
- Jim Hutton
Dana James Hutton , usually credited as Jim Hutton, was an American actor in film and television probably best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name.-Early life and career:...
as Steve Davis
- John Standing
Sir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
as Julius P. Haversack
- Miiko Taka
is a Japanese American actress best known for co-starring with Marlon Brando as Hana-ogi in the 1957 movie Sayonara.-'Sayonara':Taka was born in Seattle, but raised in Los Angeles, California as a Nisei; her parents had immigrated from Japan. She graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1943...
as Aiko Kurawa
- Ted Hartley
Ted Hartley has been a US Navy fighter pilot, an investment banker, an actor, producer, and is currently CEO of RKO Pictures. He is married to actress Dina Merrill. He has one son, Philippe Hartley .- Early life :...
as Yuri Andreyovitch
- Ben Astar as Dimitri
- George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
as Police Captain
- Teru Shimada
Teru Shimada was an acclaimed Japanese-American actor who was cast most famously as Mr. Osato, a SPECTRE agent in the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice. His film career began in 1932 with the Night Club Lady. He appeared with Peter Lorre in the 1939 classic Mr. Moto's Last Warning...
as Mr. Kurawa
- Lois Kiuchi as Mrs. Kurawa
Score
The film was scored and orchestrated by
Quincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, with
Peggy LeePeggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
contributing to the writing of the songs "Stay with Me" and "Happy Feet". The score featured Toots Thielmans on harmonica and the trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison.
External links