Eve and the Handyman

Eve and the Handyman is a 1961 American comedy film written and directed by Russ Meyer. The film stars Eve Meyer and Anthony-James Ryan. The film was released on May 5, 1961, by Pad-Ram Enterprises.[2][3]

Eve and the Handyman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRuss Meyer
Produced byRuss Meyer
Written byRuss Meyer
StarringEve Meyer
Anthony-James Ryan
CinematographyRuss Meyer
Edited byRuss Meyer
Production
company
Eve Productions
Distributed byPad-Ram Enterprises
Release date
  • May 5, 1961 (1961-05-05)
[1]
Running time
65 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

It was Meyer's follow up to The Immoral Mr. Teas, which had been very successful.[4]

Plot

Eve is dressed in a long raincoat and follows the handyman around as he makes his appointed rounds. She watches as he has humorous run-ins while cleaning toilets, taking scrap metal to the dump, cleaning windows, delivering a tree, climbing poles, and remaining a gentleman while trying to help a topless hitchhiker. But why is she watching him so carefully?

Cast
  • Eve Meyer as Eve
  • Anthony-James Ryan as The Handyman
  • Frank Bolger
  • Iris Bristol

Production

The female lead, Eve Meyer, was Russ Meyer's wife. It was the only film of his she starred in although he was heavily involved behind the scenes on most of his early films. She did her own hair and make up and cooked for the crew. "I never worked so hard in my life," she said later.[5]

The film's male lead, Anthony-James Ryan, was Russ Meyer's right hand man. The film was shot in San Francisco over a month in 1960. Ryan recalled, Eve typed the script, it wasn't even a script, just a list of ideas. That's all we had to work with. I improvised some of the stuff." Ryan also assisted in production.[6]

Meyer says there was a crew of four - Russ Myer, his assistant, Eve Meyer and Ryan.[7]

Ryan met his future wife, Jacqueline Stevens, while making the film. She played a nude model.[6]

Reception

According to Ebert the film grossed nearly a million dollars.[8]

Ebert also wrote "One of the most interesting scenes in the movie has Eve dancing in a low-cut dress while playing a pinball machine: the rhythm and cutting suggest sexual intercourse, and the scene has a nice balance between eroticism and humor. A frequent Meyer turnabout theme- the desirable woman who is rejected by the undesirable man- turns up in eve in a hitchhiking scene. Unable to get a lift, Eve takes off one garment after another, still with no success."[9]

References
  1. 'Eve,' New Film Comedy, Due Los Angeles Times 4 May 1961: C15
  2. "Eve and the Handyman (1961) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  3. "Eve-and-the-Handyman - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  4. "Nudity Featured in Film 'QUICKIES': Cheap, Plotless Pantomimes May Be Beginning Trend". Murray Schumach. New York Times. 15 June 1961: 51.
  5. "What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Business like This, Eve?" Wilson, Jane. Los Angeles Times. 9 May 1971: o16.
  6. "Anthony James Ryan Russ Meyer's right-hand man". The Independent. 22 April 2006.
  7. Incredibly Strange Films. Starbrite. 1986. p. 81.
  8. Ebert, Roger (February 16, 1969). "Interview with Russ Meyer". Roger Ebert.
  9. RUSS MEYER: King of the Nudies Ebert, Roger. Film Comment; New York Vol. 9, Iss. 1, (Jan/Feb 1973): 35-46.


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