Walk, Don't Run (film)

Walk, Don't Run is a 1966 American romantic comedy film directed by Charles Walters (in his final film as a director), and starring Cary Grant (in his final film role), Samantha Eggar, and Jim Hutton. It follows a travelling industrialist visiting Tokyo, and accompanying a male athlete and a female apartment tenant, during the 1964 Summer Olympics. The film is a remake of the 1943 film The More the Merrier. The title stems from the basic rule of racewalking: that competitors must not run at any point (both feet leaving the ground).

Walk, Don't Run
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Charles Walters
Screenplay by	Sol Saks
Story by	Robert Russell Frank Ross
Produced by	Sol C. Siegel
Starring	Cary Grant Samantha Eggar Jim Hutton
Cinematography	Harry Stradling Sr.
Edited by	Walter A. Thompson James D. Wells
Music by	Quincy Jones
Production company	Sol C. Siegel Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	June 29, 1966 (1966-06-29) (United States)
Running time	114 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$7.5 million[1]

Plot

In 1964, British businessman Sir William Rutland arrives two days early in Tokyo and encounters a housing shortage caused by the 1964 Summer Olympics. While at the British Embassy seeking help, he spots an advertisement for a roommate and soon finds himself at the residence of Christine Easton, who insists it would be improper to take him in as a housemate. Easton had forgotten to advertise that she wanted to sublet to a woman, but eventually, lets Rutland stay.

Rutland sublets half of the space to American Olympic competitor Steve Davis, without consulting Easton. While she is less than thrilled with the arrangement, she has to put up with it, as she has already spent Rutland's share of the rent. Rutland sets about playing matchmaker for the two young people, in spite of their disparate personalities and Easton's engagement to a boringly dependable British diplomat, Julius D. Haversack.

Davis repeatedly dodges questions about his Olympic sport. Rutland meddles in the young couple's romantic troubles. To further his matchmaking, he strips down to his boxer shorts and a T-shirt so he can pretend to be a competitor and talk to Davis during his event, the 50-kilometre walk, and eventually heals the breach between the young lovers.

Cast

• Cary Grant as Sir William Rutland
• Samantha Eggar as Christine Easton
• Jim Hutton as Steve Davis
• John Standing as Julius P. Haversack (although in the dialogue, the middle initial is given as "D")
• Miiko Taka as Aiko Kurawa
• Ted Hartley as Yuri Andreyovitch
• Ben Astar as Dimitri
• George Takei as Police Captain
• Teru Shimada as Mr. Kurawa
• Terry Farnsworth as Olympic walker
• Lois Kiuchi as Mrs. Kurawa

Production

Filming locations were at the Hotel Okura Tokyo, Embassy of the United Kingdom, Tokyo, and Yoyogi National Gymnasium.^[2][3]

Grant retired from acting to focus on raising his daughter Jennifer. He died in 1986.^[4] Filmink argued the film "doesn’t have much of a reputation (in part, one suspects, because people resent the fact that it was Grant’s last movie), but it was quite popular."^[5]

Score

Main article: Walk, Don't Run (soundtrack)

The film's music was composed by Quincy Jones, and Peggy Lee contributed the writing for the songs "Stay with Me" and "Happy Feet".

Personnel

• Quincy Jones – composer, conductor
• Toots Thielemans – harmonica, whistles
• Harry "Sweets" Edison – trumpet
• Bud Shank – reeds
• Earl Palmer – drums
• Carol Kaye – electric bass
• Emil Richards – percussion
• Don Elliot Voices – vocals on "Happy Feet"
• Tony Clementi – vocals on "Stay with Me"
• Jack Hayes, Leo Shuken – orchestrations
• Richard Hazard – vocal orchestrations

Reception

The film grossed $7,500,000^[1] at the box office, earning $4.5 million in US theatrical rentals.^[6] It was the 29th highest grossing film of 1966.

See also

• List of American films of 1966
• List of films about the sport of athletics