User reviews

When servicemen of the sixties were polled over who was their favorite female star, Ann-Margret was it. To them, she must have been a tantalizing tease with big, red hair, and when she shook her head, it looked like it was on fire. She must have kept them pretty happy with those moves of hers. The camera always seemed fixated on her gyrating behind. She was irrepressible; even if you knew better, you couldn't take your eyes off her. (Elvis Presley at one point fretted that she might steal "Viva Las Vegas" right out from under him.)

In "The Pleasure Seekers" she plays Fran Hobson, a sometimes-working singer/dancer holed up in Madrid who, between gigs, passed the time dreaming of landing Mr. Right. He comes in the form of a young Spaniard doctor (Andre Lawrence) whose own dream is to render medical service to the poor, a dream which doesn't include a wife. He changes his mind, of course. What man in a uniform wouldn't?

Hers is not the most interesting romantic entanglement. That one belongs to nifty Carol Lynley as Maggie Williams who harbors impure designs on her boss (Brian Keith) only to be publicly humiliated for them by his wife (a not-so-well-aged Gene Tierney). Lynley ends up with Gardner McKay (whom I would confuse with Richard Beymer if I wasn't paying attention).

"The Pleasure Seekers" belongs to a long tradition of movies with three single women in the leads seeking husbands as far back as I can remember as the 1932 release "Three On A Match" with Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, and Bette Davis. With this one, director Jean Negulesco is actually remaking his 1954 "Three Coins In A Fountain" which won the Academy Award for best song. The musical efforts in this movie by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen are respectable enough. How could you not like Ann-Margret serenading the object of her desire with "Something to think about" or her bouncing her way through "Everything Makes Music When You're In Love" in a tight bikini?

With my favorite Italian actor in the whole wide world Vito Scotti as the girls' next-door neighbor; Anthony Franciosa; and ditzy Pamela Tiffin to round out the sublet. By the looks of the leads, you'd think they were cast for their hair color. Negulesco might have called this one "The Blonde, the Brunette, and Big Red."

Witless remake of "Three Coins in the Fountain" with songs looks like a glossy, Saran Wrapped time-capsule in Easter egg colors; for connoisseurs of vintage cars and pre-groovy fashions and hairstyles, it's a must, although no audience is likely to be enthralled with this inane plot. Three American honeys (one a very naïve virgin) are on the lookout for men in Madrid, available or not. With its uneven mix of on-location footage and interiors likely shot on the Fox lot, the movie isn't very useful as a travelogue, though the ladies are certainly lovely to look at. Titian-haired Ann-Margret gets to sing on the beach in a bikini; baby-voiced Pamela Tiffin falls for girl-chaser Anthony Franciosa; while faux-jaded Carol Lynley has eyes for her much-married boss, Brian Keith (leading to the only strong scene in the movie, a showdown in the ladies room between Lynley and neglected wife Gene Tierney). Edith Sommer's screenplay, via John H. Secondari's novel "Coins in the Fountain", is weighed down with soap opera-ish confrontations laden with some real howlers (Tierney: "How dare you feel sorry for me, you little tramp!"). The clothes and cars and hairstyles are a '60s dream, but I didn't believe the match-ups at the finale--only the fact that Ann-Margret's singing and dancing at a party would definitely silence the crowd. ** from ****

I saw this movie in a theater in the 1960s when it was released. I soon bought the soundtrack. The music is upbeat and fun, and Ann-Margret's purring voice in several of the songs were worth the $3.50 or whatever soundtracks cost back then. I wish I still had the vinyl LP, but I left it behind years ago for lack of space, and I have often wished I hadn't. The cover shot of Ann-Margret dancing in a hot pink ruffled dress, if I remember correctly, should have been sufficient cause for me to hold onto it.

Ann-Margret dominates any film she's in, but Carol Lynley and Pamela Tiffin were also lusciously beautiful. I had forgotten Gene Tierney was in the cast, but now I remember her bitchy vignette (type casting, from what I read about her).

I wish 20th Century Fox would release this film on DVD. I'd love to see it again.

The hair, the clothes, the accents, the song and dance numbers by Ann-Margret -- really, what's not to love in this film? Yeah, it's silly, yeah, it's little outdated in gender relations, but who cares? The styling is excellent, Ann-Margret sings her heart out, and the guys are cute. I wanted to buy this DVD the first time I saw the film, but haven't been able to find it for sale anywhere. Please, powers that be, make this film available for sale!!!!!!

Although some consider this a remake of Three Coins In The Fountain and Jean Negulescu directed both films, The Pleasure Seekers takes a decidedly less serious tack. The three women in The Pleasure Seekers are quite a bit younger than the trio in the first film and their romantic problems are similar, but not as critical.

The three girls are Carol Lynley who works for an American wire service in Madrid, entertainer Ann-Margret, and Pamela Tiffin who is fresh off the boat and fresh off the farm so to speak who is bunking in with them temporarily. And all three have their romantic flings that look like they're going to go belly up, but in the end seem to work out.

Lynley's is the most complex and the most interesting. She's the girl Friday of her boss Brian Keith who would like to make the association personal as well as professional. But he's slightly married to Gene Tierney. And on the other end is Gardner McKay another reporter who's interested in Lynley also, but Keith is harassing him, not because of that but because McKay is ruining his career with his late night carousing. It's what inevitably happens when personal and professional lives get mixed.

Tiffin who usually was the wide eyed innocent in her salad days gets zeroed in on by Anthony Franciosa who plays a no account count who just wants into her pants. But she falls in love and if you don't know how this works out, you haven't been to too many films. Franciosa who is a favorite of mine is the best in the film.

Ann-Margret accidentally gets run into by Dr. Andre Lawrence on his motor scooter. He's from the country who is in town to raise money for his clinic. Ann-Margret would like to help, but Lawrence is a macho guy and help from a woman in the culture he was raised would be looked down on. Stupid, but that's how they say it is. This is the weakest part of the film, though Ann-Margret gets some nice musical numbers.

If you watched Three Coins In The Fountain you know how this one comes out. The Pleasure Seekers has no air of sadness over it that the other film has with Clifton Webb's terminal illness. The location cinematography around Madrid is nice to see and certainly stimulated tourism which I'm sure was Francisco Franco's idea in letting the American film company shoot a movie in his capital. There is not one scintilla of a hint of any dictatorship in The Pleasure Seekers.

Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn wrote some not too memorable songs for this film and it actually got an Oscar nomination for musical scoring for Alfred Newman.

I was in Madrid in 2001 and it looks pretty much the same as it did in 1964. The scenery and the girls are real pretty, how can you go wrong.

This film was mentioned in a book I have about bad movies. No, these are not incompetent films or films with horrible production values, but ones that are sleazy and over-the-top--sort of like guilty pleasures--and that is definitely true of "The Pleasure Seekers".

What the producers of the film did was take the 1950s film "Three Coins in a Fountain" and inserted a lot of sexual innuendo--at least, as much as they could get away with in 1964. While I liked the original film, "The Pleasure Seekers" was far inferior because it lacked heart and subtlety--replacing it was bedroom scenes and talk about premarital sex.

The film is about three young American ladies who live in Madrid and are trying to have healthy relationships while strenuously avoiding premarital sex...at least sometimes. Carol Lynley plays a career girl who has her sights set on a married man (Brian Keith) as well as a single guy. Pamela Tiffin plays a stereotypical beautiful but dumb lady. She falls for an over-sexed rich playboy (Tony Franciosa) who promises marriage but really wants another notch on the bedpost. Ann-Margret plays a woman who is infatuated with a doctor who obviously has a secret, as he plays hard to get!! After all, this IS Ann-Margret and he either must be gay or married to resist her many charms.

Towards the end of the film, it appears that the three have struck out in love and two of them are preparing to go back to America. However, because this is a Hollywood-style film, you know that at least some of these relationships will work out for the best. Tune in for yourself to see where these high-minded ladies land in this trashy soap.

Overall, the film sure looks nice. It was filmed in and around Madrid and is pretty just like the original film (which was filmed in and around Rome). The music is also very nice and evocative. As for the acting and writing, it all seemed rather fake--like the people were playing caricatures instead of real people. Not a whole lotta depth with these folks--just a lot of raging hormones and inconsistent behavior. It is truly a guilty pleasure--the sort of titillating fare that they no longer make but was popularized in the late 1950s to mid-1960s--just as the Production Code was on the way out.

Deep and insightful? No way,...but still worth a peek. For a similar experience, try watching THE BEST OF EVERYTHING (1959) and PEYTON PLACE (1957)--two films that manage to tell similar stories but in a bit better way.

The men of colorfully picturesque Madrid are in for a treat when three of America's finest looking women - redhead Ann-Margret (as Fran Hobson), blonde Carol Lynley (as Maggie Williams), and brunette Pamela Tiffin (as Susie Higgins) - arrive with romance on their minds. One look at these three, and you know attracting men isn't going to be a problem. They have trouble remembering the Spanish word for "No!" and hook up with a tall, dark, and handsome trio - respectively, the lucky males turn out to be André Lawrence (as Andrés Briones), Gardner McKay (as Pete McCoy), and Tony Franciosa (as Emilio Lacayo).

Veterans Brian Keith and Gene Tierney get lost in all the youthful attractiveness.

Now, you probably know about Ann-Margret, who does not disappoint - she even has a bikini dance. But, Ms. Lynley and Ms. Tiffin - both good-looking women, but perhaps known more as actresses than sex symbols - assume much of the same "sex kitten" posturing. So, "The Pleasure Seekers" is really a triple header. The trio takes turns wearing pink, and know how to move inside their "baby doll" bed clothes. The contest is to see who can give the most arousing performance, and you're the winner. This must be the epitome of feminine sexiness in the mid-sixties. Probably, there was a plot somewhere - and a few songs, too.

I need a shower...

***** The Pleasure Seekers (12/25/64) Jean Negulesco ~ Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley, Pamela Tiffin, Anthony Franciosa

Ann-Margret, Pamela Tiffin, and Carol Lynley star in "The Pleasure Seekers," about three young women and their love affairs in Madrid. The film also stars Brian Keith, Gardner McKay, and Tony Franciosa.

The star, of course, is Ann-Margret as Fran, and she's positively gorgeous with her beautiful figure, red hair, and singing and dancing ability. Fran is trying to make it as a performer. Vivacious Carol Lynley is Maggie, who works for a news service and is in love with her boss (Brian Keith), though she's been around the block. Pamela Tiffin is Susie, with beauty queen looks and makeup to match; she plays the naive young woman looking for love who joins Ann-Margret and Lynley in Spain.

The somewhat jaded Fran finds love with Dr. Andres Briones (Andre Lawrence), but there are complications. Susie falls for a real playboy (Franciosa) so she has her work cut out for her. And Maggie has to contend with her feelings for her married boss, and those of his wife (Gene Tierney).

Directed by the same director, Jean Negulesco, who directed Three Coins in the Fountain, The Pleasure Seekers follows a similar plot - three girls in a foreign country, falling in love and becoming depressed. I saw a review on this site that complimented the music - frankly I found Ann-Margret's numbers tuneless, worse than the music of Valley of the Dolls.

Ann-Margret is the show-stopper, but Lynley had the acting chops, and the beautiful Tiffin was -- well, Tiffin. Three women, each talented in her own way, made for an enjoyable film.

There were three handsome men in the '60s that I was aware of, but I'm not sure I could ever tell them apart as I was too young and didn't follow their TV shows: Grant Williams, Van Williams, and Gardner McKay. McKay, who was an artist and writer, plays a reporter, Pete, in this, who is a confidant of Maggie's. (By the way, the totally hot one was Van Williams.)

I have two quibbles besides the music: one is the casting of Brian Keith. To see Carol Lynley and Gene Tierney fighting over Keith was curious, to say the least. A better choice would have been someone like Barry Sullivan. My other quibble is personal. Gene Tierney did look good, and she looked terrific in Advise and Consent, but she was such a goddess in the '40s - knowing of the turmoil in her life, it was sad to see her. Plus the studios used to encourage the actresses to smoke to lower their voices, and Tierney died of emphysema.

Filmed in color, with the beautiful Spanish scenery and beautiful actors, The Pleasure Seekers is a real treat, especially for those of us who remember the '60s.

This movie concerns itself with three young American ladies named "Maggie Williams" (Carol Lynley), "Suzie Higgins" (Pamela Tiffin) and "Fran Hobson" (Ann-Margret) who are living it up while trying to make ends meet in Madrid. Although each of them are looking for romance what they eventually find is something much more elusive than they had counted on. For example, Maggie is in love with her boss by the name of "Paul Martin" who also loves her. However, Paul is married and his wife "Jane" (Gene Tierney) has no intention of letting him go without a fight. Likewise, Suzie is in love with a notorious playboy named "Emilio Lacayo" (Anthony Franciosa) who has absolutely no intention of getting married and quickly moves on from one woman to another after he sleeps with them. Fran, on the other hand, has fallen in love with a doctor by the name of "Andres Briones" (Andre Lawrence) who is definitely higher-minded than the other two men but is extremely committed to his work and doesn't believe that Fran can adjust to his serious lifestyle. In short, each of the ladies face certain problems which may prove to be quite insurmountable. Now as far as this movie is concerned I will just say that it definitely benefited from having the three beautiful women just mentioned. All three of them were simply exquisite. Unfortunately, the story moved much too slowly and lacked the sufficient humor necessary for a comedy. Quite honestly, I found this movie to be both long and boring. That said, I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

3 very attractive American women in Madrid looking for love, is the plot. This is a classic 60's film with the fashions and colours (much pink). The music is also of the time of big bands,who provide the soundtrack and sounding sumptuous too (which was all soon to go). People have provided the finer plot details in their reviews, and I can add as well, that the 3 women are a pleasure to look at (well, 2 of them more so).

The first half hour was a sheer delight, and the highlight of the remainder of the film, for me, and probably many guys, was Ann Margaret doing her beach number (I did say it was a typical 60's film) in a bikini. Who cares if the song is never one you are going to want to hear again, but the routine is one I could see over and over again.

Gene Tierney does not have a large part, but she does steal the acting credits, and it only took one scene to do that.

Some of this was actually filmed in Spain, and is pretty good on authenticity therefore, including some Spanish being spoken with no subtitle (not needed). We are given a small promo of Madrid and even taken to the Prado to see a few of Valazquez's pictures.

There is music/songs being performed here too by Ann Margret, including an excellent authentic flamenco routine included which I enjoyed. This Spanish promo also takes us for a short while to Toledo to appreciate the view. I also like that they steal the Picasso line to the German's when looking at his now famous Guernica picture of Germany bombing Spain (as a favour to Franco), they asked him,, "Who did this?", and he replied "You did"! A nice touch.

A typical 60's candy floss film, but certainly is watchable, although don't expect too much, and you'll enjoy. The women are worth the price of admission alone and probably the males are too for those who like men.

Every single scene is ridiculous, but there are three fatal flaws:

First, released the same year as "The Feminine Mystique," which, to quote the NY Times, "ignited the feminist movement," this movie shows absolutely no awareness of any such awakening. Indeed, the three variously voluptuous babes are single-minded seekers of "handsome and rich" husbands or, at least, of premarital pleasures. (Meanwhile, the only man in the picture that I wanted more of was Vito Scotti, their peeping neighbor.)

Second, filmed in Madrid in the early 60s, it shows absolutely no awareness Generalissimo Franco's dictatorship, during which "pleasure seeking" was rather lower on the agenda than the censorship and torture of dissidents. However, the camera does linger lovingly on Toledo and Madrid, and on an El Greco masterpiece in the Prado—almost as lovingly as it does on Ann-Margret's masterpiece of a torso.

Third, it's pure soap opera, albeit with a budget. In fact, the screenplay (a revised and relocated update on "Three Coins in the Fountain") was written by Edith R. Sommer, who went on to write for "The Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns" from 1969 to 1978.

Seek your pleasure elsewhere.

Hi I saw this picture when I was in Newburg New York in 1964. I was very young but I thought this was the best picture I had ever seen. I must have went back to see it three and four times until it left the theater. I mean I really loved this movie.I would save my money and right after class I would go down to the movie to see it. I thought she was beautiful and the men were (hmmmmmmm). The movie was a lot of fun and the scenery was great. I miss movies like this so I would love to have this one if it is at all possible. They don't make them fun like this any more. If any one knows where I can get it on DVD or VHS please let me know. thanks and Have a wonderful and blessed day.

Ree

When the one thing that nearly everyone agrees on about a film is the nice Technicolor, you know there's not a lot to offer otherwise. "The Pleasure Seekers is a somewhat typical early '60s romp -- maybe with the idea of men and women bedding down for the night thrown around quite freely -- but this, after all, is Europe! It's Madrid!

Yes, it's Spain, where at least a couple of Franco's concentration camps were still in business a few years before the making of this film. It's a cinch that the stuff involving wild hip swingin' Ann-Margaret and a passel of Latin lovers was filmed in Hollywood, and not the Spain of the 1960s. Newspaper publishers still faced a good police grilling for running ads for two-piece swimsuits; Madrinellos would appreciate three American women cruising the town, but Francisco and Dona Carmen wouldn't have found it amusing at all.

Still, the movie shows that you can have loads of laughs and love in a country run by a fascist dictator, which really exposes it for the false froth it was then and remains today. It was a tired old formula plugged in to give everyone the idea that Spain under Franco wasn't so bad and, for three footloose and fancy American gals, it couldn't be beat. Just don't pay any attention to the Guardia in the leather hats busting into a door down the street.

If the goal of "The Pleasure Seekers" is fun, then they achieved it. Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley and Pamela Tiffin play a group of young women living life to the fullest and seeking out relationships in Madrid. Damned if they don't look fine in those outfits (some of which must've been risque for the era).

But then there's the elephant in the room. Franco - aka the man who's still dead - was in power at the time. Probably not as repressive as he was when he first came to power, but still no democrat. Therefore, I wonder how much the average person outside Spain knew about Spain at the time, and whether or not they knew about Franco's autocratic rule.

Hard to know. On its own, the movie is certainly enjoyable. I wonder if the cast members got to know anyone in Spain during production, and if so, did they stay in contact; it would be neat if an old lady in Toledo can announce herself as Ann-Margret's decades-long friend.

Frivolous, silly, unrealistic, take your pick, any of those adjectives could fit The Pleasure Seekers (20th Century Fox, 1964). However, if you like escapist fare, if you like films that offer nothing more than pure entertainment, and if you like films that feature incredibly beautiful actresses, then this film is definitely for you, and for me.

I've probably seen The Pleasure Seeker at least ten times; it's truly one of my cinematic guilty pleasures. However, this is the kind of film that made me love movies. Its Hollywood at it's superficial best. It's mesmerizing Ann-Margret breaking out in song and dance accompanied by that invisible orchestra. It's beautiful cinematography, capturing magnificent Spanish landscapes and romantic old towns. It's gorgeous people having sex, without taking off their clothes.

What it's not is a great movie; don't get me wrong it's not a bad movie, far from it. It's just pretty predictable, and slightly unbelievable, yes, a little sexist, but it's fun to watch and well, it has Ann-Margret breaking out in song and dance in bikinis and tight dresses. But I digress. So what is the movie about? It's about the romantic adventures of three delectable girls who share an apartment one summer in Madrid, Spain. Ann-Margret plays a struggling nightclub singer and dancer, who's been unlucky in love. Her roommate, super sexy Carol Lynley is the efficient and smart secretary her boss can't do without, literally, They are joined by the scrumptious Pamela Tiffin, who plays Lynley's naive but adorable friend visiting from America, and on the prowl for a husband.

The film progresses through each girl's roller coaster relationship with their prospective love interest. Ann-Margret falls head-over-heels for a Spanish doctor (handsome Andre Lawrence) whose dedication to providing medical care for the people of his village threatens their relationship. Tiffin's adorable dingbat character falls for a smooth talking gigolo (Tony Franciosa, Hollywood's favorite 1960s cad) who of course, manages to break her heart, and finally, Lynley has the most-complicated situation of the three, as she finds herself in a love triangle between her boss (older gray fox Brian Keith) and a slacker journalist (Gardner McKay). If she chooses Keith, she could find herself as his permanent mistress, but if she chooses McKay, does she really love him, or is she merely settling?

Thanks to cinematographer Daniel L. Fapp (West Side Story, Let's Make Love, Our Man Flint among many others) The Pleasure Seekers is a vivid feast, and the three gorgeous actresses are the main course. There is one particularly awesome shot, where the girl's entire apartment can be seen, as they frolic about in various stages of undress going from one bedroom to another (sort of reminiscent of Jerry Lewis' revolutionary open apartment shots in 1961's The Ladies Man).

Veteran director Jean Negulesco (How to Marry A Millionaire, Johnny Belinda, three Coins in The Fountain, of which this film is a remake) takes the simple plot and creates an enjoyable quickly paced film that takes advantage of the witty dialog, and his stars, (male stars included), good locks and sex appeal. One-time screen heartthrob Gene Tierney has a cameo role as Brian Keith's neglected wife. Still a beauty, this would be Ms. Tierney final film as she was suffering through the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

I'm so glad vintage film channels such as Turner Classic and Fox Movie Channel have resurrected this film Its a slice of American film history, and an example of how movies don't always have to teach a lesson, or expose the dark side of life. Sometimes we just want to escape into our fantasies, our dreams of romance, and that's where The Pleasure Seekers succeeds. Oh, and did I mention that Ann-Margret dances and sings in a bikini?

I so enjoy teasing a friend of mine about his long-time and, let's face it, abject adoration of the Swedish bombshell, Ms. A-M. This one was shown on American Movie Classics recently, "formatted" (Why do they bother?!?), which reduces one's visual pleasure by approximately 50%! But even without a forty-foot wide screen to celebrate her astonishingly talented assets, Annie is something to behold. When she waggles that tush...well, it's no wonder she performs almost all of her musical numbers indoors on studio sets. The censorious Spanish would have had her arrested! It rivals "Viva! Las Vegas" as her finest hour!

As an artifact of times long gone, this is still fairly enjoyable. Today's young ingenues seem like such tired-out, world weary ladies of the evening compared to the virginal Miss Tiffin, the ambitious Miss Lynley and the incomparable Miss Margret. (Eat your heart out, J. Lo!) And with Brian Keith and Gene Tierney on hand to attest that those beyond their thirties could still care for each other (though it takes the scriptwriters until about the final sequence to maneuver them to that realization), one can regretfully observe that we've come a long way from the bright and beautiful early Sixties, and there's not much to crow about on that score.

Who wouldn't love to see there of the most beautiful starlets of the 1960s, Ann Margret, Carol Lynley and Pamela Tiffin in ONE MOVIE? A rare but but scene stealing cameo by Gene Tierney at the end of her career. Who cares that the plot is dull? Basically a bad remake of Three Groins to be Mounted.

I liked this one, too. Beautiful locations and great stars! I was a kid when this came out, but it was neat to see a movie about young women who weren't all in a "Bachelor in Paradise" situation. You know, just old men with young girls! (Although, I guess Maggie had to figure her way out of a similar situation! Didn't we all?)

Oh well, Madrid was beautiful! I loved Ann-Magret singing "The Pleasure Seekers" and the end song when she sings "your standing there and your grinning, like you don't know you not winning and all the time we're beginning the next time" (It just came to me- its called "The Next Time!)

I did wish that Pamela Tiffin's character's wasn't so dumb- but then, all of her characters in films were dumb.

This is a must see movie. Although it has been over 20 years since I have seen it, I remember it well. This is a movie that makes you feel good. You will laugh and you will cry. Of course the music is GREAT. How could it be anything else with Ann-Margret singing. I don't know that it has been released, but it is a MUST buy movie if/when it does become available.

Granted ---this movie is sooo 60's! But, I thought it was a fun film. Granted, there was a mad attempt to recapture the 50's here (DID NOT WORK)---but it was easy on the eyes and entertaining----PLUS Ann-Margret was indeed Ravishing! ---especially in that PINK ruffled dress singing the title tune! Worked For Me!!!