In a most unusual role for Bette Davis she's playing the title role in Bunny O'Hare with her partner Ernest Borgnine from The Catered Affair. Ernie maybe doing plumbing sales now, but back when he was younger he was a notorious bank robber.
Davis is having a cash flow problem mainly because of her two parasitic children, John Astin and Reva Rose. She's constantly giving them money, especially to Astin who's a degenerate gambler. Her house has also been foreclosed because she can't pay her own mortgage.
What to do but get a new source of money. So Borgnine comes out of retirement and trains Bette. They work out a lovely disguise as a pair of hippies on a motorcycle.
Wouldn't you know it, they happen to get an investigating officer in Jack Cassidy who is a vigorous opponent of the counter culture. His absolute hatred of the protesting counterculture generation blinds him in pursuing other leads.
One weakness of Bunny O'Hare is that I cannot believe Davis and Borgnine kept using the same method in their robberies. They pull off about half a dozen or more robberies and you would think that the bank guards would be ready for it. Won't tell you what it is, but the state of New Mexico's banks are being flipped the bird.
New Mexico at the time had a Governor named David Cargo who made one of the main points of his program to attract film companies to shoot in his state. Several films of varying quality were done there and Cargo always inserted himself in a small role.
I have to classify Bunny O'Hare as one of the few full blown comedies that Bette Davis did since leaving Warner Brothers. I'm sure she did that deliberately looking for something different. She's quite a bit subdued here, even generous as the laughs go to her supporting players. Most especially Jack Cassidy and John Astin.
Bette's fans will most definitely not get the Davis they're used to, but the film is pleasant viewing with a few chuckles besides.
Davis is having a cash flow problem mainly because of her two parasitic children, John Astin and Reva Rose. She's constantly giving them money, especially to Astin who's a degenerate gambler. Her house has also been foreclosed because she can't pay her own mortgage.
What to do but get a new source of money. So Borgnine comes out of retirement and trains Bette. They work out a lovely disguise as a pair of hippies on a motorcycle.
Wouldn't you know it, they happen to get an investigating officer in Jack Cassidy who is a vigorous opponent of the counter culture. His absolute hatred of the protesting counterculture generation blinds him in pursuing other leads.
One weakness of Bunny O'Hare is that I cannot believe Davis and Borgnine kept using the same method in their robberies. They pull off about half a dozen or more robberies and you would think that the bank guards would be ready for it. Won't tell you what it is, but the state of New Mexico's banks are being flipped the bird.
New Mexico at the time had a Governor named David Cargo who made one of the main points of his program to attract film companies to shoot in his state. Several films of varying quality were done there and Cargo always inserted himself in a small role.
I have to classify Bunny O'Hare as one of the few full blown comedies that Bette Davis did since leaving Warner Brothers. I'm sure she did that deliberately looking for something different. She's quite a bit subdued here, even generous as the laughs go to her supporting players. Most especially Jack Cassidy and John Astin.
Bette's fans will most definitely not get the Davis they're used to, but the film is pleasant viewing with a few chuckles besides.