Good Neighbor Sam movie storyline. Sam Bissel is a wholesome family man with a loving wife, Minerva, and two loving daughters. They lead a happy suburban life. The only part of Sam’s life that he is not happy about is his job as a lowly cog in the art department of the advertising firm of Burke & Hare. Sam’s professional life takes a major turn when he is made executive of the Nurdlinger Dairy account.
Simon Nurdlinger is a wholesome family man who wants a wholesome family man with wholesome family ideals heading his account, Sam the only one in Burke & Hare that fits the bill. Sam’s home life also takes a major turn when Min’s college friend, Janet Lagerlof, moves in next door. Janet stands to inherit $15 million from her grandfather’s estate, but the will has a clause that she must be happily married to inherit the money.
Janet is technically divorced from Howard Ebbets, and states that getting back with Howard is not worth $15 million. But when Jack Bailey and Irene Krump – two of Janet’s relatives who would like to find any excuse to contest the will – come by for an unexpected visit, Janet impetuously introduces Sam as her husband, Howard. Things get more complicated for Sam when he is later forced to introduce Janet as Mrs.
Bissel to both Burke and Nurdlinger. Sam and by association Min go along with the ruse, and for their troubles Janet offers to give them $1 million of her inheritance. After that, further complications occur: Janet notices a private investigator snooping around the neighborhood, the P.I. hired by Janet’s relatives; Howard, Janet’s ex-husband comes back wanting to reconcile with her; and without Sam’s knowledge, the Nurdlinger creative includes billboards featuring a wholesome couple espousing the goodness of Nurdlinger milk, that wholesome couple being Sam and Janet as Mr. & Mrs. Sam Bissel. They just have to continue dealing with these complications until the legal hearing. But Min may just have had enough of this plan before they get the money.
Good Neighbor Sam is a 1964 American Eastman Color comedy film co-written and directed by David Swift and starring Jack Lemmon, Romy Schneider, Dorothy Provine, Michael Connors, Edward G. Robinson, Joyce Jameson, Robert Q. Lewis, Anne Seymour, Linda Watkins, Peter Hobbs and Neil Hamilton
It was based on the novel by Jack Finney. The screenplay was the motion picture debut of James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, who had written many American television situation comedies[citation needed] including The Andy Griffith Show and Mister Peepers (created by David Swift). Greenbaum also created the mobile sculpture featured in the film.
The film, set in San Francisco, makes use of obligatory exterior shots, including a long montage of scenes of Sam driving his car all over the city, up and down hills, as well as the curvy block of Lombard Street, as so many directors love to portray. The remainder of the film was shot in the Los Angeles area, both on location and at the studio.
Good Neighbor Sam (1964)
Directed by: David Swift
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Romy Schneider, Dorothy Provine, Michael Connors, Edward G. Robinson, Joyce Jameson, Robert Q. Lewis, Anne Seymour, Linda Watkins, Peter Hobbs, Neil Hamilton
Screenplay by: James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum, David Swift
Production Design by: Dale Hennesy
Cinematography by: Burnett Guffey
Film Editing by: Charles Nelson
Costume Design by: Micheline, Jacqueline Moreau
Set Decoration by: Ray Moyer
Makeup Department: Ben Lane
Music by: Frank De Vol
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: July 22, 1964
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