Promises! Promises! is particularly acclaimed, not because it’s a great movie, but rather as one of the first mainstream films where a leading woman strips on screen. In this case, it was Jayne Mansfield, widely regarded as a poor man’s Marilyn Monroe, who gets the honor and the camera’s attention. And, you’d be hard-pressed, pun intended, to find someone who looked better in the buff than the late Ms. Jayne.
Sandy’s (Mansfield) character is married to an eccentric man named Jeff (Tommy Noonan of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), and they go on a cruise to get some rest. Sandy and Jeff quickly befriend another couple wearing far less clothing versus clothing more and more Claire (Marie McDonald in her last role she’d overdose two years later) and King (former Mr. Universe, Mickey Hargitay) who end up next door on the boat. Friendliness becomes less restrained as the group gets more acquainted and more drunk, which results in Sandy performing a walk-around show alongside a generous helping of strip tease that leaves the other three players fully bewildered.
In the morning everyone gets up but their recollections are quite blurry. Soon enough, it turns out each of the women are expecting, but, surprise surprise, they are all teased and don’t exactly know who the baby’s daddy is. Well, at least in theory, that is where the fun begins. Without giving away too much, it does get a little funny.
I must admit the jokes in this one are very cringe-worthy. At a measly seventy-five minutes in runtime, this one does not race through its tale too quickly. In this one, Mansfield does appear to be a goddess, and for fans of her womanly physique, her sexy scenes are well worth seeing, but sadly, that is really the only reason to watch this one, unless you are a Noonan fan. He does have his moments here, but they’re few and very far apart. He seems to be reusing the same character he has previously played from this movie and he is not even doing it that well. This movie is rather fascinating as a piece of sleaze history but not for a lot else.
Mansfield supposedly received her Playboy covering offer for this movie. One sprinkle of trivia is that Mickey Hargitay who played King was actually Mansfield’s husband at the time the film was made, unfortunately they did get divorced later that same year.
You would not be stunned by the 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen print. Other than some obvious stock footage inserts which look quite tattered, it does not seem as bad. The grain is heavy in spots but framing seems good as well as black levels and contrast.
There is some flatness and background hiss in the English language Dolby Digital Mono soundtrack, but the performers are always understandable. Balance is mixed correctly and sound effects together with the score of the film come through sweetly.
The best extra feature on this disc is a still gallery featuring plenty of shots of Mansfield in her birthday suit. Other additional features include not only the film’s trailer but also previews of a couple of other VCI releases.
Promises! Promises! is a comedy that is far from outstanding, but those who admire Mansfield will be compelled by the nudity. VCI’s DVD quality is decent, along with sound, however, there is not much variety in bonus features. The still gallery is quite entertaining, albeit lacking in a different form of depth.
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