Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 18, 2021

Arrow Video has been bringing out a series of films by Yasuzô Masumura, including his recently reviewed effort from 1958, Giants and Toys. On a supplement included on that disc, an introduction by Tony Rayns suggests that Masumura might have been a fan of Frank Tashlin, and specifically may well have seen Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, since both Giants and Toys and the film currently under review bear a certain acerbic similarity in their somewhat jaded depictions of the vagaries of mass marketing and sudden celebrity. In that regard, it's interesting to note that Giants and Toys offers an "overnight sensation" who is a female, while Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?'s titular protagonist is the one who suddenly finds his life upended when he's romantically linked to major Hollywood star Rita Marlowe (Jayne Mansfield).

There's all sorts of interesting "meta" and/or backstage data with regard to Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, including but not limited to the fact that Frank Tashlin's cinematic adaptation of George Axelrod's play has virtually nothing in common with the source, other than the character name of Rita Marlowe. Axelrod, who also famously wrote The Seven Year Itch, which had made it to the big screen with another so-called "blonde bombshell" in the lead feminine role, had devised a play which was a comic retelling of the Faust legend. Tashlin ditched that idea, though some might argue there's still a Faustian bargain of sorts that advertising man Rock Hunter (Tony Randall) engages in as he desperately tries to woo Marlowe to be the "celebrity spokesmodel" for a lipstick line that Hunter is tasked with marketing.

The film may also be kind of fun for fans of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Mariska Hargitay, since Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? features both of her parents, with dad Mickey Hargitay on hand as Rita's hunky boyfriend Bobo Branigansky, whom Rita tries to make jealous by announcing to the world that she's now in love with Rock. More "behind the scenes" connections exist between Mansfield and Tashlin, as Tashlin also directed the actress in another one of her films that has maintained a fairly high profile, The Girl Can't Help It from 1956. That film not so coincidentally co-starred Tom Ewell, who of course was the "afflicted" husband experiencing that seven year itch mentioned above.

One of the interesting differences between Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? and the aforementioned Giants and Toys is that Japan was just barely beginning to feel the effects of television in 1957 and 1958, whereas the United States was already knee deep in mass marketing delivered via the (then) tiny box in the living room. That probably will make this film a delight for not just Baby Boomers, but for anyone who grew up with a "sales pitch" being lobbed at them from the small screen. Randall has fewer of the tics that sometimes informed his performances, and he makes for a winning combination with Mansfield, who is charming as a supposedly brainless "dumb blonde".

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. It's interesting to note that both this release and the Masters of Cinema release for the UK market are each just slightly wider than 2.35:1, with the Eureka! Entertainment release coming in at 2.37:1. A cursory comparison of screenshots will show that the Masters of Cinema version is considerably brighter than this one, and the color timing of this release in general will probably be the most controversial aspect, as along with the less bright look it also has a noticeable if slight bluish tint at times, especially in some of the interior scenes, which can probably be gleaned pretty easily by looking at some of the screenshots accompanying this review. This "blue" aspect has often been a point of contention for fans in a number of Blu-rays of 20th Century Fox releases, and while there may be arguments to be made in terms of how much a blue-centric (that's a word, I'm sure of it) production design contributes to the perception of that hue, I think there's an unmistakable skewing toward blue throughout this version (for one notable example, contrast screenshot 18 in this review with screenshot 4 in Svet's review of the Eureka! release and look at the difference between the color of Tony Randall's suit jacket). The darkness perhaps tends to make the grain field look slightly grittier than on the Eureka! release, but in my estimation there aren't any real resolution problems to be concerned about with this release. Detail levels are also generally excellent, especially in terms of some of the mid-century modern fabrics on costumes and sets.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

If the video side of things may not pass muster with those who prefer the appearance of the Eureka! Entertainment Masters of Cinema version, this release has more audio options than the German Blu-ray. DTS-HD Master Audio tracks in 5.1, 4.0 and 2.0 are available. According to the IMDb, the film was originally released with either mono or 4 track stereo sound, and both the 4.0 and 5.1 tracks provide good if not exactly mind (and/or ear) blowing surround activity, especially with regard to some of the goofy effects and Cyril Mockridge's score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Film Historian Dana Polan


• Isolated Score Track is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Fox Movietone Newsreels (Portions Silent) (SD; 9:39)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:23)

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is arguably even more relevant to today's world than it was in the mid- to late fifties when it first came out. This is one of those rare films that is often laugh out loud funny but which has a serious if acerbic subtext that skewers quite a bit about American culture, without ever seeming overly churlish about it. This is often thought of as the prime "Jayne Mansfield vehicle", and she's absolutely wonderful in the film. The supporting cast is filled to the brim with fantastic character actors, including Henry Jones, Joan Blondell, Betsy Drake, a young Barbara Eden and a typically amorous Groucho Marx in a cameo toward the end of the film. I'm personally more pleased with the appearance of the Eureka! Entertainment Masters of Cinema version, but of course individual mileage may vary, and there's no question that this release has better audio options. With caveats noted, Recommended.