The Tender Trap (1955)

My Review

Frank Sinatra and Debbie Reynolds head up the cast of the romantic comedy “The Tender Trap.” Charles Walters (“Easter Parade” 1948) expertly directed this breezy comedy into a big hit at the box office for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The script was written by Julius J. Epstein, based on the 1954 stage play of the same name by Max Schulman and Robert Paul Smith.

The cast from MGM’s extensive stables include Frank Sinatra, Debbie Reynolds, Celeste Holm, David Wayne, Lola Albright, Carolyn Jones, James Drury, Jarma Lewis, Howard St. John, Joey Faye, and Willard Sage as the director. The film’s sole Oscar nod was for Best Original Song for “Love is the Tender Trap,” music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It was sung at the beginning of the picture by Sinatra and by others at various points in the production. It was filmed at MGM Studios in Culver City, California.