The Tender Trap (1955)

The Tender Trap

This movie advocates marriage rather than remaining a bachelor and playing the field. Frank Sinatra was in his prime. Debbie Reynolds is an appealing Hollywood star. The song "The Tender Trap" is one of Frank Sinatra's great classic songs from the 1950's. It is a great comedy and great for Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds fans. David Wayne's performance should not be missed. August 4, 2008

"You are the softest girl."

- Julie Gillis to Charlie Reader (responding to his offer of dinner): "Well, I've only known you a few minutes, but you seem fairly nice. You're even attractive in a...offbeat, beat-up sort of way."
- Charlie: "Thanks a lot."
- Julie: "But I can't have dinner with every nice, attractive man I meet. It's not part of my plan."
- Charlie: "How's that plan again?"
- Julie: "My marriage plan."

Frank Sinatra plays New York theater agent and swingin' bachelor Charlie Y. Reader, whose tryst with a hottie is interrupted by his sarcastic, longtime pal Joe from Indianapolis, who pays him a visit and then becomes a house guest (he'd just left his wife, Ethel, you see?). When Joe marvels at the series of beautiful dames Frank sees ("Where do all these tomatoes come from?"), Frank tells him, "Sure, it's fun. But let's face it...I would be happy to trade this rat race for your set-up in two seconds." Turns out Frank is weary of the fast lane and longs for domesticated bliss - if only he could find the right girl. One candidate seems to be Sylvia Crewes (Celeste Holm), a sexy, sophisticated fiddle-player.

But, then, in comes 21-year-old aspiring actress Julie Gillis (Debbie Reynolds), with whom Charlie is instantly attracted. But Julie is uptight, rigid and exacting, with definite, long-conceived plans for marriage. And, no, she doesn't at all buy what Charlie's selling. That is, until, he sings a song. Then, of course, she's butter.

So Charlie and Julie start keeping company, with Sylvia then being perenially stood up and Joe going out with her as Charlie's stand-in. Anyway, for Charlie and Julie, the usual events unfold, a bit of wooing followed by a big spat, leading up to a traumatized Charlie somehow proposing marriage to both Julie and Sylvia on the same night.

Oh, yes. Meanwhile, the still-married Joe has fallen hard for Sylvia. How ever do these wacky things happen?

Put me down as someone who finds THE TENDER TRAP a charming and enjoyable movie. It's a breezy, lightweight, metropolitan sex comedy, for all that it's rated PG (but, yes, this is very tame stuff compared to today's films). I've always liked how this film started, with Ol' Blue Eyes as a tiny figure on the horizon, casually strolling towards the camera and singing the title song as only he can ("You see a pair of laughing eyes..."). MGM released THE TENDER TRAP in 1955, and it turned out to be one of the first films to revamp Frank's screen image from a perenially shy crooner who loved his love from afar to a hip ladies' man who doesn't waste time getting close to his dames.

The cast is very nice. We all know Frank Sinatra and what he brings to the table; he's so relaxed and cool that he makes me want to be a womanizing heel (and armed with Charlie Reader's favorite come-on line - "You are the softest girl" - how can I lose?). Frank gets a good sidekick in David Wayne, who's very good as the level-headed Joe McCall (even if Joe's going thru a mid-life crisis). Wayne drops his share of one-liners and even makes a serious bid for one of Frank's girls.

Pretty Debbie Reynolds was personally riding high around this time, about to marry warbler Eddie Fisher. As Julie, she really makes that prim and proper act work, while showing glimpses of a softer, more vulnerable side. But I couldn't help but root for Celeste Holm's character, who is pragmatic yet wistful, mature yet ever so sexy. Her Sylvia may be a suave and cosmopolitan career woman, but, deep down, she wants the same things that Julie wants, which is a family of her own. Her bittersweet speech to David Wayne (about the lean prospects of a woman of 33) may just have been the best acting moment in this movie. For those who may have pulled for Sylvia and Charlie to get together, no worries. They kind of do, even if it's in another film (High Society). But even in this movie, Celeste ends up doing pretty well, successfully pulling off her own "tender trap."

For those expecting a bunch of songs, well, don't. THE TENDER TRAP is very much a comedy, and not a musical. But if you like the title song, then the good news is that it's reprised five times, with Frank doing the opening honors and then performing it again halfway thru (in the second version, his talent for phrasing really shines thru). Debbie does a breezy version and then, later, sings it with more feeling. And the four stars sing a brief rendition at the end. It's a good song, so no surprise that "The Tender Trap" would become a standard and a fixture in Frank's song repertoire.

I say, three and a half stars for THE TENDER TRAP. The sexual mores may be dated, and the jargon not so hip anymore, but the movie's still very much worth checking out. As a fan of Frank, I definitely feel that his presence elevates the picture, although the contributions of the other actors shouldn't be discounted.

You know, on second thought, I think I'll pass on that one pick-up line. I think only someone like Frank can pull off something as cheesy as "You're the softest girl." March 8, 2008

Let It Captivate You Tenderly

Set in the world of 1950s show business, THE TENDER TRAP tells the love story of Charlie Reader (Frank Sinatra), a 40-something bachelor theater agent and Julie Gillis (Debbie Reynolds), a 21 year-old ingenue who, six months after graduation, is cast in her first play.

To the naked eye, the main characters have nothing in common. Charlie is a playboy with all the toys and playthings that come with life in 1950s Manhattan. His bachelor pad is well appointed for casual romance. With an expansive view of the Brooklyn Bridge, a cozy sofa and a well-stocked bar, his apartment attracts what seems like a never-ending parade of gorgeous young starlets - much to the amusement of his married, hometown friend, Joe McCall (David Wayne), who is visiting during a rough time in his own marriage.

Julie, on the other hand, is determined to end her single life - precisely on the same calendar day her mother married at 22. Completely uninterested in scrawny, aimless Charlie and signing the acting contract that will keep her working beyond March 12th when she plans to marry, Julie is not a "sure thing" to say the least.

What happens next is perhaps formulaic in the grand tradition of old Hollywood films. Still TENDER TRAP is a terrific movie that I recommend highly to women looking for mindless entertainment. Plus, in a supporting role, Celeste Holm does a great job playing the quintessential 33 year old Manhattan woman, who seems as real today, in the aftermath of "Sex & the City," as she was 50 years ago.

- Regina McMenamin

April 25, 2007

That Tender Trap

When it first started it swung you in with this amazing sing. Reynolds and Sinatra were great together. October 1, 2006

You see a pair of lovely eyes

Ah love is the tender trap. And Charlie Reader (Frank Sinatra) is about to find out how it works. Charlie has stumbled upon the secret that in NY in the 50's there are more available females than males and is taking advantage of this. He is being visited by an old married buddy who is amazed a t the opportunity. While it looks like Sylvia Crewes (Celeste Holm) has the inside tract or dibs on Charlie, an egotistical brat Julie Gillis (Debbie Reynolds) appears on the scene With a plan to marry at all costs and an open spot for the man she plans to fit. Mean time back at the ranch Will Charlie's buddy succumb to Sylvia's charms and which one will Charlie pick (if any)?

Yes it is a formula movie and we know the answer but getting there is the fun in watching. And we can see this again in other movies but never really the same people and play.

One reason why this is such a good movie is that they left the stage play (Robert Preston 1954) feel to it instead of trying to modify it for the media.

Mating Game August 8, 2004

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