A Ticklish Affair (1963) User Reviews (12)

Really, really good...until the kooky finale.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 January 2020]

"A Ticklish Affair" begins with Navy Commander Key Weedon (Gig Young) arriving at the Martin household. It seems the youngest, Grover, was sending Morse code distress signals from their house in San Diego! And, the US Navy noticed it and went on alert! This was the kooky meet cute in the film....and soon Amy Martin (Shirley Jones) and the Commander begin dating and fall in love. But there's a major hitch here. The widow lost a husband in the Navy AND if she marries the Commander, she'll have to move with her three small boys to Italy! This is too much for her...and you certainly can understand her rejecting the Commander's offer. And, it's a shame as the boys really love the guy and want their mother to marry him.

This first 3/4 of the film was great...and the dilemma was real and you could understand Amy. But what follows was just stupid....and it really made a great romance an okay one in the end. It seems that Grover 'accidentally' flies away on a cluster of giant balloons and soon the fire department, police AND Navy are all scrambling to save this dopey 6 year-old. Talk about contrived!!! It really, really was a bad decision...as before this ridiculous portion, the film was amazingly good....and Jones was simply radiant.

In the Navy

[cougarblue · 7/10 · 31 March 2008]

The 50's were great for the innocent, light, sexually tease, brand of movies. It could be Doris Day, (and normally was) or some other picturesque actress, add in a simple story of man chases woman until she catches him, and you have 90 minutes of perfectly good escape. Shirley Jones isn't new to acting, yet she has a hard time adding emotion to her words, either appearing to be too blasé or going overboard, but who cares, she looks spectacular, in short-shorts even. Without the out of focus facial look Doris insisted upon, you get to see just how beautiful Ms. Jones was and is. I still don't know what Doris looks like after seeing all her movies. Gig Young plays a smooth talking, got the world under control, Navy Commander, with the "I don't want to get married, and if I did, I want my own kids" by-line. Shirley is a widow with three boys having a "I wanna stay in one place, I'll never marry into the Navy again" by-line. You combine the two with some great character parts, Red Buttons who is always great, and Edger Buchanan who is just fun as the father-in-law, and boy's grandfather. Carolyn Jones is just plain creepy, in every movie, a perfect Adams wife, but not the best friend/sister-in- law. Eve Arden would have been wonderful. I love Gig Young, but knowing the guy *died of alcoholism, I'm starting to think part of that on-screen smoothness was due to a few scotches he knocked down in the trailer. If you can pick up a copy when it comes out in DVD do so, or catch it on TMC. Its well worth it. *Before someone feels a need to correct me, I'm aware Gig Young's life ended in a very tragic shooting (murder/suicide). To those who knew Gig, it was alcoholism that perpetuated the incident resulting in the death of his wife and then Gig's. He had been an alcoholic for more than 20 years.

Anchors Aweigh

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 4 November 2019]

A Ticklish Affair has Shirley Jones as a Navy widow with three small boys who isn't sure that she wants to marry someone in the service again. And having sons Billy Mumy, Bryan Russell, and Peter Robbins in tow might scare anyone away in the service or not.

But Commander Gig Young is a persistent courter and I'm sure you can see where this nice family film is going. The film boasts some nice location cinematography in and around San Diego, especially of the San Diego zoo.

The climax of the film the rescue of young Peter Robbins from a most dangerous predicament is quite well done.

Add Edgar Buchanan, Carolyn Jones, and Red Buttons to the mix and you've got a nice film for the kids.

It is (literally) the same old story everywhere!

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 14 July 2011]

Perky, pretty San Diego widow with shapely legs attracts the attention of a bachelor Commander with the US Navy. The fact she has three rowdy young boys doesn't seem to bother him; rather, he's anxious to become a father to this happy brood, while the kids work overtime trying to fix Mom up with the uniformed catch. Breezy comedy with familiar ingredients seems to take place in La-La Land--a plastic paradise--wherein an unmarried man cannot come to the aid of an unmarried woman without coy romance hanging in the air. Shirley Jones (perhaps substituting for Doris Day or Debbie Reynolds) is convincing as a young mother, but she seems a bit tense with Gig Young, who looks nonplussed throughout. Better are the alternate couple, a frisky Red Buttons and Carolyn Jones. The prolonged finale--with Shirley's youngest taking off over the city by way of some helium-filled balloons--is probably the most memorable aspect of the picture, not the characters nor the love story. ** from ****

a bland affair

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 23 November 2021]

The Navy led by Commander Key Weedon (Gig Young) rushes to investigate an SOS signal coming from land. They find Navy widower Amy Martin (Shirley Jones) with three kids. The youngest one had send the signal with his imaginary friend. There is also the family's Uncle Simon Shelley (Red Buttons).

There is no romantic chemistry in this rom-com. The meet-cute is only cute for Shirley Jones and her kids. I wouldn't mind having a family-friendly misadventure with those four characters plus Red Buttons if they could have better writing. Instead, we're stuck with a stiff officer and Shirley Jones demurring into a girlie girl. It loses any hope for intensity or romantic heat. This is bland. At least the balloon ride seems fun. My one suggest for that is getting brighter colored balloons. This is desperately trying to be a family-friendly romance. Obviously, this has a lot of Navy involvement. I hope it didn't extend into the writing but I fear that's probably the case.

The last 20 minutes ruined this movie

[kwebster-11879 · 4/10 · 30 December 2021]

I wondered how this movie with Gig Young, Shirley Jones, Red Buttons, and Carolyn Jones could only rate 2 stars out of 4 on my TV's guide. Then I saw the last 20 minutes. The movie had the stars and the start of a decent premise and then was ruined by ridiculousness in the last 20 minutes. They must have thrown some serious money at the 4 stars to get them to buy into this one. I can't see that it's ever been released to home video, so that should be a key indicator. It's that disappointing.

A fun affair

[iloveperth · 8/10 · 5 October 2005]

This is one of those early 1960's movies where you have to suspend disbelief for ninety minutes, but it's well worth it. Shirley Jones is the widowed mother of three rowdy little boys and Gig Young is the naval commander that she falls in love with and vice versa. Red Buttons and Carolyn Jones are very good in their supporting roles. The ending is appropriately wacky (weather balloons!), fun and heartwarming with a little drama thrown in for good measure. 'A Ticklish Affair' is not a movie that a jaded cynic will enjoy, but if you like 60's romantic family comedies then I highly recommend this one. I happened to catch this one on Turner Classic Movies by accident and I'm so happy I taped it. I was smiling like crazy by the end. Great movie.

Ballooney

[DKosty123 · 4/10 · 4 October 2012]

This film is stocked with actors and actresses that were stars on 1960's Television. Shirley Jones just a few years before she is Partridge, Uncle Joe from the Shady Rest Hotel, Ed Platt before being Chief of control on Get Smart, Carolyn Jones from the Addams family, and more.

While the cast is stellar with MGM producing the film the draw back is the really hokey balloon chase at the end of the movie. The special effects on this chase are so bad I cringed watching it and that bad impression has lowered my rating.

Jones is a delight in this. Red Buttons is a sort of hero here.If it were not for that sequence this movie might be better. If you want to see nice faces and figures and the rest of the cast, the script and special effects are a major drawback in this one.

A delightful, feel-good movie

[MEEdmo42 · 8/10 · 15 August 2003]

This is one of the very few movies where Gig Young gets the girl. The casting for this movie was excellent with Carolyn Jones and Red Buttons, along with Edgar Buchanan. Shirley Jones is beautiful, as always. It is rarely shown on tv now, but if you happen to see it appear, be sure to tape it. I have it and watch it often, just for the good feelings it gives me. As a Naval officer, Gig Young is very good, acting as the protective, loving man. Red Buttons, as always, plays his part with great skill, making the movie just that much more enjoyable. I also liked the names of the characters, as they were unusual (Cy, Tandy, Key) and suited the persons who played them. Wonderful movie for a happy, contented evening's worth of watching.

One of Gig Young's best! Shirley is sparkling, as always!

[Liza-19 · 10/10 · 16 November 2000]

I LOVE this one. It is not very widely known, but if you get a chance to see it, do! Shirley Jones is wonderful as a widowed mother of three young boys. Then she meets prince charming Gig Young and falls for him right away. Although he says he doesn't want to have a "ready-made family" the two continue dating anyway, and of course he falls for the whole family. But when Gig is transferred overseas and wants to marry Shirley and take the kids, she puts her foot down. She doesn't want to be constantly moving around the world like she was with her father then her first husband. But is mother's word final? Don't forget there are three boys who want a dad and an Uncle Cy, (Red Buttons) who are going to try every which way to get the two together! A real gem of a movie, worth seeing if you've ever liked family films, comedies, dramas, or romance.

Nice family fare

[jjnxn-1 · 8/10 · 4 October 2012]

What can only be described as a sweet film, this family comedy is bright and sunny even when the situation takes a turn for the perilous.

Full of sprightly performances this is the kind of film that rarely gets made anymore and when it does is drowned in sugary sentiment.

The Jones girls, Shirley and Carolyn are both most engaging, play well off each other and look great. In Carolyn's case this might be the most attractive she ever was on screen.

As the men in their lives Gig Young get a rare chance to be the romantic lead who doesn't lose the girl in the end performing with his customary charming agility. Red Buttons provides comic relief but his character is more than that and he does it well, he and Carolyn are a surprisingly compatible couple.

A film that will leave you charmed at the conclusion this should really be more widely known.

Silly and Sweet '60s Cinema!

[JenExxifer · 10/10 · 5 November 2021]

I give this movie 10 stars for being silly and sweet, and full of 1960s style!

I DVRd this movie off TCM after seeing the trailer they showed for it; it looked light-hearted with nothing too serious going on, and that's exactly what it was, so I was not disappointed.

It's nice to watch a movie that isn't full of sex, lies, and over-the-top backstabbing drama.

While the storyline is nothing deep or dirty, it is a cute clean story of man meets woman and love blooms; the kids in the movie are cute too, and I also enjoyed the cast of talented actors.

If someone is looking to relax for 90 minutes while watching a simple story with a goofy and happy ending, I recommend A Ticklish Affair!