95 minute running time … this is a strange one from Nicholas Ray made during the McCarthy era … Ray is interested in obliquely criticizing American middle class conformity among other things: pharmaceutical drug abuse, white privilege, racism, the nuclear family, domesticity, the medical establishment, the benefits of drinking whole milk, the public education system, homosexuality (Walter Matthau’s incredible physique from smoking two packs a day), class distinctions, all kinds of stuff. What I took away from this is that Barbara Rush had great tits.
I can’t recommend this, but it was sort of interesting and definitely a movie mainstream critics would ever recommend or even mention. It’s probably considered a “cult classic” in some quarters.
“… it's only fair to tell you that if we don't get a whole lot of high-class service, and in a hurry there's likely to be a terribly embarrassing scene in this sanctum.”