If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
File:If It's Tuesday.jpeg Video cover
Directed by	Mel Stuart
Produced by	Stan Margulies David L. Wolper
Written by	David Shaw
Starring	Suzanne Pleshette Ian McShane
Music by	Walter Scharf
Cinematography	Vilis Lapenieks
Edited by	David Saxon
Production company	Wolper Pictures
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	April 24, 1969 (1969-04-24)
Running time	99 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$6,000,000

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium is a 1969 romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists. It was directed by Mel Stuart, filmed on location throughout Europe, and features many cameo appearances from various stars.

The title, also used by a 1965 documentary on CBS television that filmed one such tour, was taken from a New Yorker cartoon by Leonard Dove. Published in the June 22, 1957, issue of the magazine, the cartoon depicts a young woman near a tour bus and a campanile, frustratedly exclaiming "But if it's Tuesday, it has to be Siena.", thereby humorously illustrating the whirlwind nature of European tour schedules. This concept formed the premise of the film's plot.

The film was remade in 1987 as a made-for-TV movie titled If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium.

Synopsis

Charlie (Ian McShane) is an English tour guide who takes groups of Americans on whirlwind 18-day sightseeing tours of Europe. Among his various clients on his latest trip are Samantha (Suzanne Pleshette) with whom he wants to have an affair, a man who desires a pair of custom-made Italian shoes from a certain cobbler in Rome, another man who is secretly being set up for a surprise marriage with his Italian cousin, and an Army veteran who is reliving his World War II experiences.

Cast

• Suzanne Pleshette as Samantha Perkins
• Ian McShane as Charlie Cartwright
• Mildred Natwick as Jenny Grant
• Murray Hamilton as Fred Ferguson
• Sandy Baron as John Marino
• Michael Constantine as Jack Harmon
• Norman Fell as Harve Blakely
• Peggy Cass as Edna Ferguson
• Marty Ingels as Bert Greenfield
• Pamela Britton as Freda
• Reva Rose as Irma Blakely
• Aubrey Morris as Harry Dix
• Hilary Thompson as Shelly Ferguson (as Hilarie Thompson)
• Luke Halpin as Bo
• Mario Carotenuto as Giuseppe
• Patricia Routledge as Mrs. Featherstone
• Marina Berti as Gina
• Ermelinda De Felice as Italian Woman in Automobile Accident (as Linda De Felice)
• Paul Esser as German Sergeant
• Jenny White

The film also has cameo appearances by Senta Berger, John Cassavetes, Joan Collins, Vittorio De Sica, Anita Ekberg, Ben Gazzara, Virna Lisi, Elsa Martinelli, Catherine Spaak and Robert Vaughn. Folk singer Donovan makes a guest appearance in the film singing "Lord of the Reedy River," which he had also written. He also wrote the film's title song, performed by J.P. Rags. J.P. Rags is a pseudonym for Douglas Cox. The then current Miss Belgium, Sonya Doumen, also appears.

Locations

• Locations where the film was shot include first: London, Great Britain; Second: the Netherlands; Third: Brussels and Bastogne, Belgium; then: Rhineland-Palatinate [with the boat on the Rhein-River from Koblenz to Wiesbaden], Germany; Fifth: Switzerland; and last: Venice and Rome, Italy.

The film poster shows the cast on the normally pedestrianized Grote Markt square of Antwerp, Belgium, posing for a typical souvenir photo in front of the city hall, with their tour bus obstructing the view of the Brabo fountain which is normally a favorite photo-op with other tourists.

Reception

The film earned estimated rentals of $3 million in North America during its initial run.

See also

• List of American films of 1969

External links

• If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium at IMDb
• If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium at the TCM Movie Database
• NY Times Review