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With its assets in a sling, a panicked business group decides to solve its tax problems by creating a gargantuan entertainment flop and use it as a tax write-off. Before all you film buffs shout out the name of the famed comedy The Producers, let us introduce you to Panic Button, an earlier, lesser-known comic riff on the same theme.
Michael Connors (Mannix) plays the biz group’s front man and spearhead of a sham film production of Romeo and Juliet that would have made The Bard put down his quill forever if he had seen it. Essential to the front man’s scheme: hire a lead actor (spiritedly played by Gigi's Maurice Chevalier) whose movies only draw flies, a non-actress vamp to play Juliet (Jayne Mansfield, celebrated early in her career as “sex on the rocks") and a director (Touch of Evil’s Akim Tamiroff) proud of his ability to guide actors in portrayals of lampshades and trees. Eleanor Parker (The Sound of Music) also stars.
Original Release
04/10/1964
US Release
04/10/1964
Links
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Maurice Chevalier | Philippe Fontaine / Phillippe |
Eleanor Parker | Louise Harris / Louise |
Jayne Mansfield | Angela |
Akim Tamiroff | Pandowski |
Carlo Croccolo | Guido |
Vincent Barbi | Mario |
Kenny Delmar | (voice) |
Leopoldo Trieste | |
Alberto Rabagliati | |
Paula O'Neil |
Directors
George Sherman, Giuliano Carnimeo
Writers
Hal Biller, Morton Friedman, Ron Gorton, Stephen Longstreet
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Maurice Chevalier | Philippe Fontaine / Phillippe |
Eleanor Parker | Louise Harris / Louise |
Jayne Mansfield | Angela |
Akim Tamiroff | Pandowski |
Carlo Croccolo | Guido |
Vincent Barbi | Mario |
Kenny Delmar | (voice) |
Leopoldo Trieste | |
Alberto Rabagliati | |
Paula O'Neil | |
Charles Fawcett | |
Annette Andre | Drama student |
Harriet Medin | |
Mimo Billi | (as Mimmo Billi) |
Daniele Vargas | |
Aldo Pini | |
Walter Coy | |
Jerry Chierchio | |
Luciano Bonanni | |
Ángela Cavo |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Ron Gorton | Producer |
Greg Michie | Producer |
Giuliano Simonetti | Producer |