Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957)

Dreadfully Boring

A Brilliant Conflict

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

For those of us who admire Dean Martin, this is a rather famous film -- the one that almost sank his career after splitting with Jerry Lewis. It was a flop, and I agree it's just a "pretty good" movie. But as I watched it this time around I tried to figure out why it just didn't come together.I don't think it's the general plot -- a rich hotel mogul falls in love with an Italian girl...well, actually two Italian girls...sisters. And, their papa insists they be married in order of their age. I can see that, although some of the ins and outs of the story are a little...well...a bit of a waste. The story could have been told better.And, we've got a pretty good cast here, too -- Dino, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Eva Bartok, and Walter Slezak. And pretty good scenery, with significant parts of the movie filmed on location in Rome. A producer and director who both had any number of successes in film history. Dean's two primary songs -- "You, I Love" and "Only Trust Your Heart" are decent songs for the late 1950s, although his Capitol recordings of the songs are better than the soundtrack versions.I think in addition to some scenes that should have been deleted or completely rewritten, that the other sisters should have had their characters developed just a bit more, and without question, the pace of the film should have been picked up quite a bit.I disagree with a number of our reviewers who see this as a failed romantic COMEDY. I don't think it is a comedy...although perhaps that's what the public wanted to see Dean doing right after his decade with Jerry Lewis. Instead, this is a romantic musical film.It's worth watching, though admittedly it's a bit weak. But then again, so are lots of films. This one is "okay", and quite interesting (historically) for fans of Dean Martin.

Just watched this, Dean Martin's first movie without Jerry Lewis, on YouTube. He plays hotel magnate Ray Hunter who's buying a long popular Italian inn in Rome. While there, he meets the Martelli family of which the head is Papa Vittorio (Walter Slezak) who has four daughters of which the oldest is Maria (Eva Bartok) and the youngest is Nina (Anna Maria Alberghetti). For a while he seems interested in the former but when he meets sculptor Anton (Paul Henreid) and finds out about their relationship he allows himself to be charmed by the latter (who's just turned 18 or 19 depending on whose statement is right). Nina is also pursued by Mike Clark (Dewey Martin) who's a pilot for Hunter. I'll just say that while not much happens for the first 15 or 30 minutes, once the plot I mentioned kicks in, it becomes an intriguing premise to see how it all ends up. And Dean not only warbles some good romantic tunes, with one of them a duet with the also compellingly musically talented Ms. Alberghetti, he also gets a nice comic tune with Jules Munshin as his servant Arthur. Whatever laughs come gradually builds until the climatic scene with Slezak having to deal with all the potential son-in-laws. No great shakes, but as Dean's first film he has to carry on his own, not a bad one to start with. So on that note, Ten Thousand Bedrooms is worth a look. P.S. The gorgeous lady in the opening credits is played by one Monique van Vooren.

I had never seen Ten Thousand Bedrooms before. What a weird title? But still I enjoyed this one and what a cast! There were a few I couldn't name at first, but these names finally came to me; they were Jules Munshin who appeared in Kelly, Sinatra films namely On The Town; and Paul Henried, who played Anton the sculptor. The singing of four sisters including Anna Marie Albergetie and Dean Martin sing a couple of beautiful songs, and Dean and Jules sing a funny song about The Problem of Money. The actor who steals the show is indubitably Walter Slezak; a fine character actor. He is the confused father of four daughters who are asked to be married, but it takes a long time for the confusion to be resolved. It is not a very fast well paced movie but it is enjoyable. It was Dean Martin's first movie after his breakup with Jerry Lewis in 1957.

This is Dean Martin's first film following his split with partner Jerry Lewis. MGM signed him for this romantic comedy. However, there is nothing funny here. Dean Martin was one of the funniest comedians of the 20th Century. His persona was that of a drunk, sex crazed ne'er-do-well who could not get through a song without either slipping up or telling a joke. Even when he was the low-keyed partner of manic Jerry Lewis, there was something silly about him. He can tell the oldest and cheapest jokes and charm the audience into laughing with him. None of this is seen in this film. This is just another example of how MGM had no idea what to do with comedians. Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Donald O'Connor were also poorly handled by MGM. Martin is in good company there! Dino plays the straight role of an airline pilot who romances Anna Maria Alberghetti and sings some very poor songs by Nicholas Brodzsky. If Dean's role would have been played by someone like Howard Keel or Vic Damone, maybe I would not be complaining so much about the lack of comedy. But even reliable character actors like Walter Slezak and Jules Munshin are wasted in this bore. Thank goodness Martin was given the chance to play a showy role in "The Young Lions". Another film like this and Dino's movie career would have been over.