Synopsis

Frank Sinatra stars as Charlie Y. Reader, a successful young Manhattan theatrical agent – and equally accomplished bachelor – who is dedicated to life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit. Enter Debbie Reynolds’ beguiling Julie Gillis, an aspiring actress who has set a date and mapped out her life just shy of where the wedding portrait will hang. Now, she just needs to find the groom – preferably one with blue eyes. She sets her marital sights on Sinatra, and the man about town meets his match. Also in traps of their own are Celeste Holm as Charlie’s former flame Sylvia, and David Wayne as his great friend Joe, a married man with three children who’s visiting from out of town.

Cast & Crew

THE TENDER TRAP

Directed by Charles Walters

Produced by Lawrence Weingarten

Cast: Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, David Wayne, Celeste Holm

Screenplay by Julius Epstein

Based on the play by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith

Cinematography: Paul Vogel

Editing: John Dunning

Music conducted and score composed by Jeff Alexander

Song “(Love Is) The Tender Trap” – lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by James Van Heusen

In Cinemascope photographed in Eastman Color

Description

Color
111 minutes

“Charles Walters’ direction is smooth and lively, the settings and costumes are chic and the whole thing looks very delicious in color and Cinema-Scope. A song sung twice over lightly by Miss Reynolds and the old-time Frankie-boy adds a lilt to the thematic soundtrack of a thoroughly diverting show.”
- Original review by Bosley Crowther, New York Times, 1955

In this ring-a-ding-ding 1955 delight, Frank Sinatra stars as Charlie Y. Reader, a successful young Manhattan theatrical agent – and equally accomplished bachelor – who is dedicated to life, liberty and the happiness of pursuit. Enter Debbie Reynolds’ beguiling Julie Gillis, an aspiring actress who has set a date and mapped out her life just shy of where the wedding portrait will hang. Now, she just needs to find the groom – preferably one with blue eyes. She sets her marital sights on Sinatra, and the man about town meets his match. Also in traps of their own are Celeste Holm as Charlie’s former flame Sylvia, and David Wayne as his great friend Joe, a married man with three children who’s visiting from out of town.

On top of one of his most acclaimed film performances, Sinatra scored a Billboard Top 10 pop hit that would be a mainstay of his repertoire for decades to come with the Academy Award-nominated title song, “(Love Is) The Tender Trap” (lyrics by Sammy Cahn, music by James Van Heusen). THE TENDER TRAP was adapted from the 1954 Broadway play by Max Shulman and Robert Paul Smith.

Warner Home Video’s DVD release of THE TENDER TRAP as part of the Frank Sinatra Collection presents bonus features including: the new featurette Frank In The Fifties; Soundtrack Remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1; the original theatrical trailer; and subtitles in English, French and Portuguese.