It is a long time since I have sat alone and laughed out loud at a film, but this one made me chuckle, chortle and hoot enough times to make it an immediate success in my mind. Most of my laughter was because of Shirley MacLaine, who gives a wonderful performance -not as quirky as she is in many of her other films of this period, but full of fabulous subtleties in facial expression, tone of voice, body language and screen expression. Being a big fan of David Niven too, I was delighted to see how good the chemistry between him and MacLaine was -he often plays a little bewildered to her forthrightness, and is a perfect match to her good-meaning clumsiness ..always the gentlemen! The other actors give great performances ..especially Gig Young, and the film is superbly cast right down to the smallest one-liner part: they all have their little moments and are allowed to shine, which adds to the enjoyment of the film. The story swings along nicely and is thoroughly enjoyable, even though you know where its going ..but that may be part of its charm.
13 Reviews
Market research
jotix10029 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
New York is a magnet for a lot of people that are trying to make it in the Big Apple. The 1950s saw a lot of young Americans that wanted to find their way in the world, as was the case of Meg Wheeler, who comes to the city with the idea that success is just a step away. The city was teeming with white collar jobs in all kinds of fields.
Little prepares Meg for her arrival at the old Pennsilvania Station. As soon as she goes to ask directions, her luggage disappears! In spite of that rude welcome, Meg gets over that initial bad experience and settles in an all women hotel where she makes friends who come to her rescue providing a wardrobe so she can be presentable for her job interviews.
It's not hard for her to find a receptionist job in a sweater manufacturer's shop. The boss knowing Meg has a fine feminine figure wants her to display some of the things he is selling. Meg has her share of men that want to take advantage of her, notably, Ross Tayford, who sees an easy prey, but who is in for a big surprise! Meg who has fallen for Evan Doughton, realizes that in comparison with his older brother, Miles, he is not the man for her. Meg and Miles develop a mutual attraction that proves Meg's heart was conquered by the more mature Miles.
The film is made more enjoyable by the presence of a disarming Shirley MacLaine who was fairly new to the cinema, yet, she showed she had a tremendous appeal in everything she played. David Niven is seen as Miles, the older man who falls head over heels with the beautiful Meg. Gig Young and Rod Taylor appear as Meg's pursuers and both are charming. Jim Backus also contributes to the film's success as Meg's boss.
Charles Walters directed with sure hand and created a fun film that is entertaining and fun to watch.
Little prepares Meg for her arrival at the old Pennsilvania Station. As soon as she goes to ask directions, her luggage disappears! In spite of that rude welcome, Meg gets over that initial bad experience and settles in an all women hotel where she makes friends who come to her rescue providing a wardrobe so she can be presentable for her job interviews.
It's not hard for her to find a receptionist job in a sweater manufacturer's shop. The boss knowing Meg has a fine feminine figure wants her to display some of the things he is selling. Meg has her share of men that want to take advantage of her, notably, Ross Tayford, who sees an easy prey, but who is in for a big surprise! Meg who has fallen for Evan Doughton, realizes that in comparison with his older brother, Miles, he is not the man for her. Meg and Miles develop a mutual attraction that proves Meg's heart was conquered by the more mature Miles.
The film is made more enjoyable by the presence of a disarming Shirley MacLaine who was fairly new to the cinema, yet, she showed she had a tremendous appeal in everything she played. David Niven is seen as Miles, the older man who falls head over heels with the beautiful Meg. Gig Young and Rod Taylor appear as Meg's pursuers and both are charming. Jim Backus also contributes to the film's success as Meg's boss.
Charles Walters directed with sure hand and created a fun film that is entertaining and fun to watch.
All You Have To Do Is Ask Any Girl
bkoganbing6 February 2007
Shirley MacLaine made her film debut a scant four years earlier in The Trouble With Harry and in her third film, Around the World in 80 Days, co-starred with David Niven. Reportedly they did not get along on the set, Niven felt she wasn't suited for the part of a Hindu princess and after seeing it I think you would agree.
MacLaine really made her mark in the following year by blowing all the rest of the cast off the screen in Some Came Running. Had it not been the year for Susan Hayward's I Want to Live, Shirley would have gotten her Oscar back in 1958. David Niven had won his Oscar in 1958 for Separate Tables so both of them were box office then.
Seemed only natural team them up again and this time MacLaine is most suitable for her role as a hopeful career girl in Ask Any Girl. Shirley's fresh from the country having made her way to New York in the hopes of getting a career going and/or landing husband. She develops quite a few potential suitors along the way.
Ask Any Girl is a combination of Sabrina plus elements of any number of Doris Day vehicles that came out at that time. Eventually Shirley winds up at an advertising agency run by two brothers. Older brother David Niven runs the agency and younger brother Gig Young views the place as fertile ground for female companionship.
MacLaine exasperates Niven, she's not real good at anything, but he's given up all hope in Young just settling down and tending to business. He sees maybe MacLaine just might be what Young needs, or maybe just what the elegant, but stuffy Niven needs.
The principal players go through roles they were all seasoned veterans at handling. Ask Any Girl is pleasant enough entertainment though looking back I wonder just what the very outspoken feminist Shirley MacLaine thinks of this husband hunting woman she plays here.
MacLaine really made her mark in the following year by blowing all the rest of the cast off the screen in Some Came Running. Had it not been the year for Susan Hayward's I Want to Live, Shirley would have gotten her Oscar back in 1958. David Niven had won his Oscar in 1958 for Separate Tables so both of them were box office then.
Seemed only natural team them up again and this time MacLaine is most suitable for her role as a hopeful career girl in Ask Any Girl. Shirley's fresh from the country having made her way to New York in the hopes of getting a career going and/or landing husband. She develops quite a few potential suitors along the way.
Ask Any Girl is a combination of Sabrina plus elements of any number of Doris Day vehicles that came out at that time. Eventually Shirley winds up at an advertising agency run by two brothers. Older brother David Niven runs the agency and younger brother Gig Young views the place as fertile ground for female companionship.
MacLaine exasperates Niven, she's not real good at anything, but he's given up all hope in Young just settling down and tending to business. He sees maybe MacLaine just might be what Young needs, or maybe just what the elegant, but stuffy Niven needs.
The principal players go through roles they were all seasoned veterans at handling. Ask Any Girl is pleasant enough entertainment though looking back I wonder just what the very outspoken feminist Shirley MacLaine thinks of this husband hunting woman she plays here.
a lovely innocently sexual film
ga-bsi1 April 2009
This is one my favourite early Shirley Mc Claine films which didn't really tap her enormous acting talents, but gave the viewer a pleasant look at her comic talent. David Niven is the star of this film and is wonderful as the uptight, sexually oblivious brother of Shirley's love interest, who is of course a complete womanizer and twit. This movie also explores the different personalities of woman and how men react to them and vise versa. Rod Taylor also makes a good and memorable cameo
in the role of Shirley's boyfriend. The soundtrack is nothing special but is forgotten in the wake of the zany events of this film. I definitely recommend this movie to all lovers of predictable and sweet romantic comedies.
in the role of Shirley's boyfriend. The soundtrack is nothing special but is forgotten in the wake of the zany events of this film. I definitely recommend this movie to all lovers of predictable and sweet romantic comedies.
Breezy, very watchable little comedy with attractive cast...
Doylenf28 September 2006
This is the film where I first fell under the spell of the quirky heroines SHIRLEY MacLAINE seemed to embody in her early screen roles--and continued to play long after the charm had worn off.
But here she's refreshingly innocent, naive, quirky, good-natured and easy to like. In fact, she has to carry the film even though she's playing opposite such pros as David NIVEN (rather stuffy here), GIG YOUNG (casual, relaxed performance), and ROD TAYLOR (always good in light romantic comedies).
But it's MacLaine's show all the way as a girl who stumbles into a job at a market research firm run by two brothers, opposite types, one of whom (Niven) decides to shape her into the kind of woman his brother should fall in love with. Naturally, his little scheme backfires and he ends up falling in love with his creation. If you detect a touch of "My Fair Lady" here, you're right.
Passes the time quickly in an era where most films did exactly that, lasting no more than an hour and a half.
But here she's refreshingly innocent, naive, quirky, good-natured and easy to like. In fact, she has to carry the film even though she's playing opposite such pros as David NIVEN (rather stuffy here), GIG YOUNG (casual, relaxed performance), and ROD TAYLOR (always good in light romantic comedies).
But it's MacLaine's show all the way as a girl who stumbles into a job at a market research firm run by two brothers, opposite types, one of whom (Niven) decides to shape her into the kind of woman his brother should fall in love with. Naturally, his little scheme backfires and he ends up falling in love with his creation. If you detect a touch of "My Fair Lady" here, you're right.
Passes the time quickly in an era where most films did exactly that, lasting no more than an hour and a half.
Russian view on the film...
etown18 May 2006
Just have seen the film and was amused.Because it happened so, that before seeing it on TV a bit earlier I had seen on video "Bridget Jone's Diary"...One film after another one:) It was interesting to see how similar are problems of singles in such different epochs as 1959 and 2001. At the same time something has obviously changed.Freedom in sex matters out of marriage,for example. Or position of a male in the relations...The film is very funny and dynamic, full of wit and doesn't produce sickly sweet feeling. What else is interesting - how plots of some well known plays have been interwoven into the script. "My fair lady" for instance. A Russian film " Moskva slezam ne verit" ( 1979) is worth seeing as one where the same problems have been discussed but at the different cultural background. ...And - as the third part of this " triptych":)- I see, of course ""Bridget Jone's Diary". Two worlds - three countries - four time periods - a lot of characters - much pleasure!!!
Surely, Shirley has all the answers.
mark.waltz9 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A sensational performance by Shirley MacLaine at the height of her career is just one of many reasons to tune into this romantic comedy that got her high praise in a year that found comical legendary performances also by Marilyn Monroe ("Some Like It Hot") and Oscar nominee Doris Day ("Pillow Talk"). A wise and witty script keeps you interested, focusing on the typical new girl in the big city (Shirley, of course), fealing with the theft of her suitcase the moment she arrives at Grand Central, and later locked out of her apartment sans clothes by a resentful roommate. She's a career girl claiming not to be interested in finding a man, but it's seemingly all she finds with wealthy playboy Rod Taylor and businessmen brothers David Niven and Gig Young. No nonsense but accident prone and a bit dingy, MacLaine fights off lecherous boss Jim Backus, deals with her trampy roommate's constant all male parties and is even accused of being a lady of the evening, making her the queen of bad timing.
The understated performance by Shirley MacLaine and subtle humor helps this rise above the typical glossy screwball comedies of the day, utilizing the classic Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields standard "I'm in the Mood For Love" as its theme song. The fashion parade of late 1950's styles adds to the charm of this engaging comedy which shows New York City at its most sophisticated, and cameos by such veteran character actors as Mae Clarke and Percy Helton are also more than welcome. Fresh, fast moving direction by Charles Walters is a major plus.
The understated performance by Shirley MacLaine and subtle humor helps this rise above the typical glossy screwball comedies of the day, utilizing the classic Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields standard "I'm in the Mood For Love" as its theme song. The fashion parade of late 1950's styles adds to the charm of this engaging comedy which shows New York City at its most sophisticated, and cameos by such veteran character actors as Mae Clarke and Percy Helton are also more than welcome. Fresh, fast moving direction by Charles Walters is a major plus.
But don't ask me!
JohnHowardReid28 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Copyright 1959. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 21 May 1959. U.K. release: 18 October 1959. Australian release: 10 September 1959. 8,404 feet; 98 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Small-town girl arrives in Manhattan in search of a job and a husband.
COMMENT: Although some critics hailed this super-predictable yarn as a bright and witty sex comedy, it is mostly a bore, enlivened only by the energetic playing of Shirley MacLaine (and, in lesser roles, Jim Backus and Gig Young). Charles Walters' relentlessly pedestrian direction doesn't help Wells' plodding screenplay either. And Walters does so little with CinemaScope, one wonders why the studio bothered with the process at all. (Well, I suppose it just had to be in 'Scope to attract an audience).
SYNOPSIS: Small-town girl arrives in Manhattan in search of a job and a husband.
COMMENT: Although some critics hailed this super-predictable yarn as a bright and witty sex comedy, it is mostly a bore, enlivened only by the energetic playing of Shirley MacLaine (and, in lesser roles, Jim Backus and Gig Young). Charles Walters' relentlessly pedestrian direction doesn't help Wells' plodding screenplay either. And Walters does so little with CinemaScope, one wonders why the studio bothered with the process at all. (Well, I suppose it just had to be in 'Scope to attract an audience).
Good movie about virtue
rderrico24 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
What I like about this movie is that the lead character, Meg Wheeler, is innocent and remains innocent. She doesn't look stupid for fighting to keep her virtue and in the end, others respect her for it. Also, society seemed to uphold that and support it. Her girlfriends kept an eye on her and gave her sound advice. The "easy" women didn't come off looking good in this movie at all and the playboys looked superficial. This is a movie I think I will show to my youth group. If only there were more movies like this. How far society has gone since these days. Meg at one point said she came from a line of six generations where the Wheeler women waited before marriage and she wasn't about to stop that trend. Unlike movies like "Grease" where the naive girl becomes just like everybody else (and there's a long, long list of movies that do this, "Dirty Dancing," etc., I felt even better about Meg at the end. Naive doesn't have to mean stupid. Here, there's a strength in her innocence. Well acted, good writing, solid story.
A really fun late fifties romp!
Richard-5216 August 1998
I forget how damned cute Shirley MacLaine used to be! I saw her in The Trouble with Harry, and loved her, and she is great in this one too! David Niven is wonderfully droll, and the sentimentality of the movie is fun too. Funny, how accepted sexual harassment was in the late fifties...Different world today!
Wonderful!
Marie-6228 October 2001
This is a wonderful film. I loved Gig, David, Shirley, and even the guy who played Ross! They were GREAT! Meg Wheeler (Shirley) goes out into New York nieve and innocent and planning to stay that way. Little does she know that she's going to run into three men, two of them who plan on change her more...well....romantically. Little does she know that she's going to meet one guy...Sophisticated, a little snotty, but very reliable and when the time comes...He wants to change her physically so that she can hook up with his brother! It obviously takes a lot of talent to play a girl who has to be so many women at once to please one man and Shirley is your girl! You will love me. Trust me, ask any gir- Well no. Ask ANYBODY!
"Sabrina" and "My Fair Lady": Something in between
webmaster_ana-117 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It contain spoilers! I love David Niven, and I really like Shirley MacLaine, so when I read the plot of this movie, I wanted to watch it. It's a silly little romantic comedy, where there's this girl (Maclaine) who comes to the big apple to get a job and find a husband. The movie has a few scenes filled with sexual insinuations, because Maclaine has to get rid of a couple of guys that just wanted to get laid. So, men are portrayed as sexual wolves or something like that, at least with someone like her: a young girl who doesn't know how a big city works. Then, after quitting her job, she goes to a marketing company that is paying $2 to anyone that tastes a new cigarette brand. That company is run by 2 brothers: The older one, (Niven) who is a stiff fellow and doesn't care about anything but work, and the younger (Young), who is a cute playboy, who doesn't care about anything but women. So, she enters Niven's office to run the test and everything goes wrong, as she doesn't even smoke. She gets out quickly, only to run into the younger brother, who likes her immediately and hires her as a new employee, in spite of his older brother's opinion, who doesn't want her there. After a while, she discovers that she can apply the marketing techniques to nail down the younger brother, so she asks Niven to help her, as if she were a new customer.
He agrees, because he wanted his brother to get married and put his head into work instead of women, and the idea appeals to him, as an experiment.
He (Niven) gets his brother's little black book with all of his girls' telephones, and starts to date each one of the girls, so he can understand what attracted his brother to each one. And when he gets the idea, he passes the information to her. So MacLaine gets "modified" according to the "potential consumer's" taste.
Naturally, both Niven and MacLaine find they are in love with each other, just when Young proposes to her; but now she doesn't want Young anymore, because she discovers that beyond the rough surface, Niven is a sensitive, nice, decent man. But he doesn't make a move (because she's his brother's girl), so, she leaves them, to go after his former boyfriend (the one who wanted to get laid, who is played by Rod Taylor), and tells him that if the offer is still open, she will take it. So they get a train to his cabin in the country.
She tells her girlfriends what she's gonna do, and they tell Niven, who go after her, with Young of course.
In the train, MacLaine gets a bit drunk, and starts to say that she doesn't want to go to the cabin, that she was in a very low mood then, but she feels better now, and that going there is just craziness. In that moment appears both Niven and Young. Niven is outraged, and tells Young that if he loves her, he must punch the guy (Taylor). As Young don't feel like punching anybody, Niven goes after the guy, fiercely. Seeing how his brother acts, Young realizes that Niven is in love with MacLaine. (While realizing that she loves his brother also, because the drunk girl tells him that she loves Niven).
If you liked Sabrina, My Fair Lady, The Sound of music, Love Actually etc. You'll find this movie pretty amusing. Niven is a bit older, but never that much as Humphrey Bogart!! He's still very sexy, and very cute.
If you're like me, you'll love this movie, despite its silliness.
He agrees, because he wanted his brother to get married and put his head into work instead of women, and the idea appeals to him, as an experiment.
He (Niven) gets his brother's little black book with all of his girls' telephones, and starts to date each one of the girls, so he can understand what attracted his brother to each one. And when he gets the idea, he passes the information to her. So MacLaine gets "modified" according to the "potential consumer's" taste.
Naturally, both Niven and MacLaine find they are in love with each other, just when Young proposes to her; but now she doesn't want Young anymore, because she discovers that beyond the rough surface, Niven is a sensitive, nice, decent man. But he doesn't make a move (because she's his brother's girl), so, she leaves them, to go after his former boyfriend (the one who wanted to get laid, who is played by Rod Taylor), and tells him that if the offer is still open, she will take it. So they get a train to his cabin in the country.
She tells her girlfriends what she's gonna do, and they tell Niven, who go after her, with Young of course.
In the train, MacLaine gets a bit drunk, and starts to say that she doesn't want to go to the cabin, that she was in a very low mood then, but she feels better now, and that going there is just craziness. In that moment appears both Niven and Young. Niven is outraged, and tells Young that if he loves her, he must punch the guy (Taylor). As Young don't feel like punching anybody, Niven goes after the guy, fiercely. Seeing how his brother acts, Young realizes that Niven is in love with MacLaine. (While realizing that she loves his brother also, because the drunk girl tells him that she loves Niven).
If you liked Sabrina, My Fair Lady, The Sound of music, Love Actually etc. You'll find this movie pretty amusing. Niven is a bit older, but never that much as Humphrey Bogart!! He's still very sexy, and very cute.
If you're like me, you'll love this movie, despite its silliness.
A case study in motivational research.
Bernie444410 October 2023
Great comedy. Typical of the era. I have watched it at least 50 times. Each time you get a different perspective. David Niven and Gig young are brothers in a research firm David Niven (Miles Doughton) does all the work; while Gig Young (Evan Doughton) does all the researching mostly on female subjects. That is until Shirley MacLaine (Meg Wheeler) and David Niven applies the research to Gig Young. To this day, I can still use the proposition lines from Rod Taylor (Ross Tayford). He challenges Meg to have a mature relationship.
David Niven also plays similar characters in "The Statue" (1971), and "Prudence and the Pill "(1968). One of his best performances can be found on Amazon.com is "The Impossible Years"
David Niven also plays similar characters in "The Statue" (1971), and "Prudence and the Pill "(1968). One of his best performances can be found on Amazon.com is "The Impossible Years"
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