YOUR MONEY OR YOUR WIFE (1960)

 Life can sometimes be difficult for those of us who are "completist" collectors. We are called upon to endure an excruciating series of bad films and TV shows in order to get our grubby claws on the various forms of physical media featuring our favorite stars and directors. The weird thing about this lifestyle is that the thrill of finding some obscure item or other, oftentimes after years of searching, is as important and rewarding as the item itself. When a collector is driven to complete the filmography of a beloved actor/actress/director, all that matters is having something on the shelf, in its proper order, naturally.

In the case of my admittedly pathological obsession with Barbara Steele, I may never reach my goal of owning all of her film and TV appearances. It's not because her body of work is so extensive, because, God bless her, it really isn't. The problem is that most of her films were low budget projects made in several European countries. Some of them are so obscure, they don't seem to exist anywhere, certainly not in any form of commercial home video release in the United States. 

Still, the search continues. I mean, we all need a hobby, right? 

I was able to find a good bootleg copy of this brainless, seriously unfunny comedy that was released by the Rank Organization in 1960. This was Barbara's fourth and final film for the studio before they sold her contract to 20th Century-Fox in Hollywood. The cover of the DVD-R is purposely deceptive in using a still photo of the actress from Fellini's 8 1/2 on the cover, as the goal is to attract her fans. As it says on the back cover: "Here's a movie for Barbara Steele fans. Her role is not large, but it's important to the plot--and she looks gorgeous!"

The stars of YOUR MONEY OR YOUR WIFE are Veteran English actors Donald Sinden and Peggy Cummins. Miss Cummins is remembered for her iconic role in the classic Noir, GUN CRAZY (1950) and also to horror fans for NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1958). Sinden and Cummins play a middle class married couple with the unlikely names of Pelham and Gay Butterworth. Gay's wealthy aunt has died without a will, which means that Gay will very likely inherit a lot of money. However, her husband unfortunately finds the will hidden away in an old desk. The will complicates matters beyond all comprehension, and no inheritance will be forthcoming unless the couple gets divorced. Not wanting to give up their domestic bliss, the couple tries renting out rooms in the rather large house in order to make money and pay off their considerable debts. This brings a succession of quirky characters into the film. Chaos ensues, complete with an endless string of physical comedy bits and personality clashes, none of them generating much laughter. Steele gets to play a seductive young model named Juliet Frost, who catches the eye and interest of Pelham Butterworth. 

As the plot develops, the couple indeed end up getting divorced after Gay finds Pelham in a compromising position with the flirtatious Juliet. This means she gets the inheritance, and SURPRISE, the estranged couple find their way back to each other's arms as the film ends. Any viewer who is still awake at this point will certainly share in the joyous conclusion.

It's hard to believe anyone at Rank thought this movie would make audiences laugh. It's a real disappointment, especially considering the talented players involved. Sinden, Cummins, and all the various supporting players give their best efforts, but they're all let down by a dull script and unimaginative direction.

As for La Steele, she is indeed gorgeous and shows lots of "femme fatale" potential that, sadly, was not explored very often in her subsequent film career. Her next film assignment, after reporting to Fox in Hollywood, would be a loan-out to an Italian director named Mario Bava for a little horror flick called LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO, later to be known as BLACK SUNDAY. That would send her on a trajectory into the Gothic horror movement, a movement that she would come to symbolize. But in this little English comedy, she demonstrates her ability to be sexy and contemporary, possessing a confident style and stunning beauty that could have enlivened many other cinematic genres. She is without a doubt the best thing, indeed the only thing, that makes this silly comedy worth watching and owning. Yes, the search was worth it!!