The Facts of Life (film)

The Facts of Life
Directed by	Melvin Frank Norman Panama (uncredited)
Produced by	Melvin Frank Norman Panama
Written by	Melvin Frank Norman Panama
Starring	Bob Hope Lucille Ball
Music by	Leigh Harline Johnny Mercer
Cinematography	Charles Lang
Edited by	Frank Bracht
Distributed by	United Artists
Release dates	November 14, 1960 (1960-11-14)
Running time	103 min.
Language	English

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 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.

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.

Cast

Actor	Role
Bob Hope	Larry Gilbert
Lucille Ball	Kitty Weaver
Ruth Hussey	Mary Gilbert
Don DeFore	Jack Weaver
Louis Nye	Charles Busbee
Philip Ober	Doc Mason
Marianne Stewart	Connie Mason
Hollis Irving	Myrtle Busbee

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Won:

• Best Costume Design (Edith Head and Edward Stevenson)

Nominated:

• Best Art Direction, Black and White (J. McMillan Johnson, Kenneth A. Reid, and Ross Dowd)
• Best Cinematography, Black and White (Charles Lang)
• Best Original Song (Johnny Mercer for "The Facts of Life")
• Best Original Screenplay (Melvin Frank and Norman Panama)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

• Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Lucille Ball)

External links

• The Facts of Life at IMDb
• The Facts of Life at the TCM Movie Database