Cause A Frockus

40 Pounds of Trouble

Jun 7, 2017 | by Jessika Loucks

Girl Trouble!

Gambling, Romance and Excitement are had in this retelling of Damon Runyon’s story Little Miss Marker.

This was the first film allowed to shoot inside and above Disneyland. With well-known leads Tony Curtis and Suzanne Pleshette, Universal’s 40 Pounds of Trouble was a shoe-in for success! So why was this movie granted access to one of the most amazing places in the world? Well it’s a very interesting a secretive story.

When I first began to look for some fun facts about 40 Pounds of Trouble I was surprised to find that I could find very little about this film. After some hard, deep research what I found was extremely interesting.

Walt Disney had turned down more than twenty previous requests to use Disneyland as a background in motion picture films so why 40 Pounds of Trouble? One name: Jules C. Stein.

Jules C. Stein was a close friend of Walt’s in the early 1930’s and one of the first investors in Disneyland. He eventually purchased Universal Pictures after leaving his career as an eye surgeon. Stein advised Walt and Roy Disney about the television business, helped them with connections and business affairs, was a sounding board for Walt when he was dreaming about Disneyland. Oddly enough Walt advised Stein on Universal studios backlot.

With a friendship that strong and deep, it’s no wonder why Walt said yes and allowed Stein to use Disneyland in his movie. With over 100 studio tech’s on-site, it made Disneyland the most expensive movie set in Hollywood history!

“We are going to Disneyland!” – Steve McCluskey

Plot Overview

The movie begins with some instant action as we are thrown into a fun car chase! As the chase comes to an abrupt end we meet Steve McCluskey (Tony Curtis) an OCD manager of a gambling establishment in Lake Tahoe.

We soon learn the reason for the chase; Steve refuses to pay alimony to his ex-wife who lives in California and while he is in Nevada he can not be served by an attorney. It is clear that Steve is successful, popular and as smooth as butter as he peruses around the Casino doing his managerial job and turning down the casino girls that throw themselves at him.

Things take a turn when Steve is introduced to the new lounge singer Chris Lockwood (Suzanne Pleshette). Chris is beautiful, but word around the place is that she is the mistress of Bernie (Phil Silvers), the owner of the Casino. After some banter between Chris and Steve, we learn that Chris is actually Bernie’s niece (though there is still some doubt as to if that is true by everyone who works in the casino).

Another drastic turn happens when a (40 pound) 6-year-old girl named Penny Piper (Claire Wilcox) appears and is left in the hotel room at the casino. When no one can find her parents, Steve decides to avoid bad publicity for the casino and takes her under his wing while trying to locate her parents.

Through twists and turns, a super fun chase through a retro Disneyland, and romance between Chris and Steve, we are left with some crazy circumstances.

Will Steve’s ex-wife finally catch him so he has to pay alimony? Will Steve find Penny’s parents? And will Steve and Chris end up in a happily ever after?

“ I don’t need gum anyways, that’s only for people who can’t brush after every meal” – Penny Piper

The Good

One word: Disneyland! The chase scene that takes place in Disneyland is mesmerizing to watch. If nothing else, being able to see Disneyland rides and sights that have unfortunately been removed is a wonderful treat! The acting is well done; Tony Curtis does a great job as Steve and the other supporting actors also do well in their respective roles.

“No one’s ever gonna mistake me for Peggy Lee” – Chris Lockwood

Interestingly enough, Suzanne’s performance caught Walt Disney’s eye, which ushered in her Disney film career – starting with The Ugly Dachshund in 1966. It was also a nice surprise to see Stubby Kaye as Cranston (best known for playing Nicely-Nicely in Guys and Dolls on Broadway and on screen) as he was a nice comic relief. I would also like to add that there is no language, very little sexual innuendo, and though drinking is seen – it is not glorified in anyway.

The Bad

Sadly there are many negatives about this film – starting with the film’s pace. At times it feels that things are fast-paced and fun, but the bulk of the film is slow and just seems to drag – leaving us wanting more.

Another unfortunate part to this film is how Disneyland is portrayed. Though still a fun scene, so many things about it are confusing and, at times, dark. Anyone who has been to Disneyland will instantly see the flaws such as the monorail letting the main characters off at Main Street, all the rides being mashed together (i.e. scenes from Mr. Toad, Snow White, and the Matterhorn) and hats being sold on a table. This is such a shame and, as a huge Disneyland fan, I found myself shaking my head at times.

Walt Disney himself was very unhappy with how the film’s use of the theme park turned out, feeling that it had been misrepresented (what was at the park and where things were). There was nothing Walt could do about how Disneyland had been portrayed, as he was not consulted on the editing or publicity of the film and so we are left with the sloppiness.

It wouldn’t be until 1996 in the movie That Thing You Do!, that a non-Disney film would be able to use Disneyland as a setting for a very brief clip. This was due to the fact that Tom Hanks, who had just voiced Woody in Toy Story, was director of the movie.

Conclusion

So we come to the question we always ask ourselves: is it worth my free time? While not the worst movie I have seen, my vote is to pass. Although it has its good points, unfortunately 40 Pounds of Trouble falls flat in many ways.

The New York Times summed it up pretty well when they said, “40 Pounds of Trouble is a witless remake of a Runyon Story… Blunt promotion, thin humor fill script… The trouble with 40 Pounds of Trouble is that it is just too hackneyed and dull” and I have to agree.

If you feel like taking a trip down memory lane, watch the twenty minutes of Disneyland awesomeness and skip the rest.

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