Under the Yum Yum Tree Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

A landlord, who is definitely on a few watchlists, tries to sabotage his new tenants’ platonic cohabitation experiment because he wants to make the woman his next, highly inappropriate, conquest.

🍿 Under the Yum Yum Tree: Detailed Plot Synopsis

The Platonic Experiment: A Modern Relationship Test

The film centers on Robin Austin, a young college student, and her fiancé, David Manning. To test their compatibility before marriage, Robin proposes a platonic cohabitation experiment: they will live together in an apartment without any physical intimacy. They find a seemingly ideal apartment in the Centaur complex, owned and operated by the eccentric landlord Hogan. Unbeknownst to them, Hogan exclusively rents to attractive young women, often with ulterior motives. His latest conquest, Dr. Irene Wilson (Robin’s aunt and college professor), has just moved out, leaving the apartment open.

Hogan’s Schemes: A Landlord’s Undue Influence

Initially, Hogan believes Robin will be another solo female tenant, fueling his lecherous pursuits. However, he soon discovers David’s presence and their unusual arrangement. Determined to thwart their platonic living and seduce Robin himself, Hogan embarks on a series of manipulative and intrusive schemes. Hogan’s tactics range from subtly sabotaging their relationship to more direct, often creepy, interventions, including using his unlimited supply of apartment keys to enter their unit unannounced. Meanwhile, David struggles with the celibacy clause of their agreement, while Robin remains largely oblivious to Hogan’s true intentions.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Hogan (Jack Lemmon): The lecherous apartment landlord who rents only to young women for the purpose of seducing them, setting his sights on new tenant Robin.
• Robin Austin (Carol Lynley): A college student who proposes a platonic cohabitation arrangement with her fiancé to test their compatibility, unknowingly becoming the target of her landlord’s advances.
• Dave Manning (Dean Jones): Robin’s sexually frustrated fiancé who reluctantly agrees to a platonic living arrangement and must contend with Hogan’s persistent interference.
• Dr. Irene Wilson (Edie Adams): Robin’s aunt and a college professor who, having been a previous conquest of Hogan, uses her experience to protect her niece from his manipulative schemes.
• Dorkus Murphy (Imogene Coca): The observant and often disapproving cleaning lady who works for Hogan and is married to the gardener, Murphy.
• Murphy (Paul Lynde): The envious gardener who works for Hogan and keenly observes the romantic entanglements and the landlord’s schemes.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Hogan: “I always feel sorry for people who don’t drink, because when they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re gonna feel all day.” – Hogan expresses his cynical view on life and pleasure, highlighting his hedonistic philosophy.
• Robin Austin: “I don’t want to be carried away by my own fermenting juices!” – Robin explains her decision to live platonically with David to ensure their compatibility is based on more than just physical attraction.
• Hogan: “I have an unlimited supply of keys.” – Hogan glibly admits his constant access to the tenants’ apartments, revealing his intrusive and voyeuristic nature to David.
• Dr. Irene Wilson: “Love isn’t something that just falls off a tree; it’s something you create.” – Irene offers a wise perspective on the nature of lasting relationships, contrasting with the film’s ‘yum yum tree’ metaphor for easy attraction.

💰Box Office

• Budget: $1.5 million
• Domestic Gross: $9.8 million
• Worldwide Gross: $9.8 million

💥 Under the Yum Yum Tree Reviews

Personal Review

Honestly, ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ is a wild ride, and not always in a good way! I went in expecting a fun, innocent 60s romp, but Jack Lemmon’s character, Hogan, is just so unbelievably creepy. I spent half the movie squirming, thinking, ‘Someone call the police!’ Yet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Carol Lynley is absolutely luminous, and the dynamic between her and Dean Jones trying to maintain their ‘platonic’ living arrangement is genuinely amusing, despite Hogan’s constant, unsettling interference. It’s fascinating as a time capsule, showing just how much attitudes towards consent and privacy have (thankfully) changed. The visual style, with all the bright colors and that eccentric apartment set, definitely sticks with you. Just be prepared for a ‘comedy’ that feels more like a cringe-fest at times!

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of classic Hollywood farces (with a strong caveat for dated content)”
  • “Viewers interested in cinematic portrayals of evolving 1960s social norms and morality”
  • “Jack Lemmon completists (though he reportedly disliked the film himself)”
  • “Those looking for a ‘bad movie night’ selection to critically analyze dated themes”
  • “Fans of supporting actors like Carol Lynley, Dean Jones, Edie Adams, Paul Lynde, and Imogene Coca”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Explicitly lecherous and predatory male lead character (Hogan)”
  • “Strong themes of misogyny and sexism”
  • “Outdated and problematic portrayals of gender roles and relationships”
  • “Suggestive situations and innuendo (common for 1960s ‘sex comedies’)”
  • “Implied sexual harassment and boundary violations”

Professional Reviews

• FilmCritiq: “Under the Yum Yum Tree is a bewildering relic of a bygone era. Jack Lemmon, usually a master of charm, plays a deeply unlikable and frankly disturbing landlord whose antics are more creepy than comical. While Carol Lynley shines with undeniable beauty, the film’s dated ‘sex comedy’ premise struggles to find humor in its lecherous foundation, making for a truly awkward viewing experience.
• VintageViews: “While ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ offers a colorful glimpse into 1960s morality, its central premise and Jack Lemmon’s portrayal of a predatory landlord haven’t aged well. Dean Jones and Carol Lynley are a charming on-screen couple, grappling with societal expectations, but the film’s attempts at snappy wit often fall flat, leaving it more a curiosity than a compelling comedy.

Audience Reactions

Viewers found Jack Lemmon’s character to be either uncomfortably creepy or hilariously over-the-top, sparking intense debate.: Many appreciated Carol Lynley’s captivating presence and the film’s vivid 1960s aesthetic, while others found the supporting cast like Paul Lynde and Imogene Coca to be scene-stealers amidst the problematic humor.

Overall Consensus: Despite a talented cast, ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ is widely considered a highly dated and often uncomfortable ‘sex comedy,’ with its central character’s lecherous antics overshadowing any comedic intent for modern audiences, though some view it as a fascinating historical artifact.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “Jack Lemmon, who also co-produced the film, insisted on hiring his friend Edie Adams and expanding her role considerably from the original stage play to help her financially after her husband Ernie Kovacs’s sudden death left her debt-ridden.”
• “Orangey, the cat in the film who plays Hogan’s pet, was a highly successful animal actor who also famously portrayed the cat in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and the titular lead in the film ‘Rhubarb’.”
• “Star Jack Lemmon reportedly despised this film, considering it one of the worst he ever made, despite its moderate box office success.”
• “Dean Jones was the only cast member to reprise his role from the original Broadway play, where he played David Manning.”
• “A television pilot based on the film was made a few years later, starring Ryan O’Neal, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Harold Gould, but it was not picked up for a series.”

🖥️ How to Watch Under the Yum Yum Tree?

While ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’ premiered in 1963, this classic sex comedy is available for streaming and purchase on various digital platforms. You can typically find it for rent or purchase on services like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube. Check your preferred platform for current availability and pricing. For physical media collectors, it may also be available on DVD or Blu-ray from major retailers.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Under the Yum Yum Tree, you might like these similar films:

• Pillow Talk (1959): A pioneering ‘sex comedy’ of the era with similar themes of romantic misunderstandings and suggestive humor, featuring sophisticated sets and a focus on sexual tension without explicit content.
• The Apartment (1960): Also starring Jack Lemmon, this film explores apartment and relationship dynamics, but offers a more nuanced and dramatic exploration of loneliness and exploitation, showcasing a different facet of Lemmon’s acting range from a similar period.
• How to Murder Your Wife (1965): Another Jack Lemmon comedy from the mid-60s that, like ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree,’ explores themes of relationships and gender roles through a comedic lens, albeit often with dated sensibilities.
• Barefoot in the Park (1967): A classic 1960s romantic comedy about a newlywed couple adjusting to married life in a small apartment, exploring the challenges of cohabitation in a more charming and less problematic way.
• No Strings Attached (2011): While much more explicit, this modern romantic comedy directly tackles the concept of a purely platonic, non-romantic arrangement, mirroring the central ‘platonic cohabitation’ experiment of ‘Under the Yum Yum Tree’.

🛒 Under the Yum Yum Tree Related Products

• Under the Yum Yum Tree Blu-ray: Experience this controversial 1963 ‘sex comedy’ in stunning high definition. This Blu-ray edition offers crisp visuals and audio, letting you revisit the vibrant, albeit dated, world of the Centaur Apartments.
• Jack Lemmon: The Iconic Collection (DVD/Blu-ray Box Set): Dive deeper into the remarkable career of Jack Lemmon with this curated collection featuring his acclaimed performances in classics like ‘The Apartment’ and ‘Some Like It Hot.’ See why he’s considered one of Hollywood’s greatest.
• Mid-Century Modern Apartment Decor Set: Bring a touch of vibrant 1960s California cool to your living space with this decor set, inspired by the colorful and quirky aesthetic of vintage ‘sex comedy’ films. Includes decorative pillows, an accent lamp, and a retro-inspired bar cart.
• Landlord’s Little Black Book (Humorous Journal): A tongue-in-cheek journal designed for fans of classic comedies. Features a vintage-inspired cover and plenty of blank pages for jotting down your own (appropriate!) observations, rental notes, or comedic ideas. *Does not include actual spying tools or dubious advice.*

🎧 Soundtrack

Under the Yum Yum Tree features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Under the Yum Yum Tree” – performed by James Darren

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

Columbia (Under The Yum Yum Tree variant)

Ever noticed how movie studios sometimes create unique logos for specific films? This super short clip shows the special Columbia Pictures logo variant just for ‘Under The Yum Yum Tree’ – it’s a cool little detail that you probably never even knew existed!

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