Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»1960s Movies»Movies 1965
    Movies 1965 Movies W 3 Mins Read

    What’s New, Pussycat? (1965)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Troubled Paris fashion magazine editor Michael James (Peter O’Toole) is obsessed with women, whom he calls “pussycats” and keeps reiterating the title to every female he meets. His girlfriend Carole (Romy Schneider) wants to get married, but he doesn’t feel ready as all these ladies still throw themselves at him, so what is he to do?

    Eccentric psychiatrist Fritz Fassbender (Peter Sellers) is no real help and orders him out of the office due to only being able to listen to him for fifteen minutes at a time.

    Supposedly based on the love life of Warren Beatty, who was originally meant to star (the title was one of his chat-up lines), What’s New Pussycat? was scripted by Woody Allen, who also appeared in the cast in his first big screen role.

    Allen was clearly still learning his craft at this point, and even though the film was a box-office smash, he complained that unchecked ad-libbing and a disinclination to excise the mediocre had swamped his material.

    Allen plays Victor, Michael’s friend who is also in love with Carole but whose awkward attempts to seduce her end up failing.

    Michael finds himself back at the apartment of Liz (Paula Prentiss), a stripper and aspiring poet who attempts suicide when he tries to make excuses and leave. Her self-destructive nature is made light of, and in a running gag, she attempts to kill herself with pills a few more times during the course of the film.

    The beautiful actresses continue to pile up: there’s another patient of Dr Fassbender’s, Renee (Capucine), who also falls for the charms of Michael, despite Carole seeming the most appropriate for him all along.

    whatsnewpussycat_009

    O’Toole and Sellers are allowed to indulge themselves terribly, with an overextended drunk act a particular lowlight and Sellers’ psychiatrist not so much a spoof on Sigmund Freud as an excuse to put on a funny accent and wig, all at the top of his voice. However, it is interesting to see him share a scene or two with Allen, especially in another suicide scene.

    The film’s grand finale is set in a hotel where men take their mistresses out in the French countryside and contrives to have all the cast members running about after each other, one even carrying a bomb. Ursula Andress parachutes into Michael’s car for no reason other than yet more temptation now he has become engaged.

    Originally planned as a low-key black-and-white affair, it snowballed into a freewheeling star vehicle over which director Clive Donner was not always in total control.

    What’s New, Pussycat? is the ultimate Mod confection and features a brilliant pop score by Burt Bacharach with the hit theme song featuring Tom Jones.

    Doctor Fritz Fassbender
    Peter Sellers
    Michael James
    Peter O’Toole
    Carol Werner
    Romy Schneider
    Renée Lefèbvre
    Capucine
    Liz
    Paula Prentiss
    Victor Shakapopolis
    Woody Allen
    Rita
    Ursula Andress
    Anna Fassbender
    Edra Gale
    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton

    Director
    Clive Donner

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Wrong Arm of the Law, The (1963)
      Wrong Arm of the Law, The (1963)
      A classic British caper comedy from the genius comedy writing team of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Cor blimey cockney…
    • Wrong Box, The (1966)
      Wrong Box, The (1966)
      Bryan Forbes' large-screen colour venture into the realms of black comedy is a story set in the Victorian era about…
    • Work Is a Four Letter Word (1967)
      Work Is a Four Letter Word (1967)
      David Warner and scouse songbird Cilla Black star in this delightfully absurd film, set in a near-future dominated by automation,…
    • John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965)
      John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965)
      During the Cold War, American U2 pilot John Goldfarb (Richard Crenna) crashes his spy plane in the Middle East and…
    • World of Henry Orient, The (1964)
      World of Henry Orient, The (1964)
      Henry Orient (Peter Sellers in his first Hollywood film) is a madly egocentric and overly amorous unexceptional avant-garde concert pianist…
    • Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965)
      Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965)
      As Bus Riley, Michael Parks shuffles and mumbles his way through this small-town melodrama. He's a former sailor twice jilted…
    • What the Peeper Saw (1972)
      What the Peeper Saw (1972)
      A widowed writer (Hardy Kruger) brings his young, glamorous new bride, Elise (Britt Ekland) to his bleak, isolated home in…
    • Rotten to the Core (1965)
      Rotten to the Core (1965)
      This bright, breezy British crime comedy from the Boulting brothers begins with incompetent villains Jelly (Dudley Sutton), Scapa Flood (James…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWhat Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
    Next Article What’s Up Doc? (1972)

    Comments are closed.

    Can you help?
    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small.


    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • John Silver’s Return to Treasure Island
      1 9 8 6 (UK) 10 x 60 minute episodes In this ten-hour […]
    • Betty Everett
      Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1939, Betty Everett was […]
    • Cool Runnings (1993)
      Derice Bannock (Leon), a Jamaican sprinter and the son of a gold […]
    • Deputy Dawg Show, The
      1 9 5 9 – 1 9 7 2 (USA) 102 x 5 minute episodes Deputy […]
    • Counter-Attack
      1 9 6 0 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes This fortnightly seven-part […]
    • Menotti
      1 9 8 0 (Australia) 13 x 60 minute episodes This drama series […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    Vale Cynthia Weil. One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/songwriter-cynthia-weil-death-music-b2350742.html

    Vale Cynthia Weil. One of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century.

    www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/songwriter-cynthia-weil-death-music-b2350742....
    ... See MoreSee Less

    14 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶Happy 81st Birthday to Anita Harris, born 3rd June 1942 in Somerset, England. She is an all round entertainer, singer/dancer/actress.
    As a child she was a keen ice skater, and just before her 16th birthday she was talent spotted and invited to join a dance troupe and headed for Las Vegas, performing 3 shows a night. She stayed 6 months.

    While she enjoyed dancing, singing was always her first love. Upon returning to England she joined the Cliff Adams Singers and was with them for 3 years. In 1961 she made her first recordings with the John Barry Seven. Possibly two of her best known recordings are 'Just Loving You' and 'We're Going on a Tuppenny Bus Ride'.

    In the 1960's She appeared in a two 'Carry On' films. On TV in the 70's among other things she was on David Nixon's Magic Box for 8 years as his assistant. She continued working on stage and screen with entertainment legends – everyone from Bob Monkhouse and Tommy Cooper to Bruce Forsyth, Morecambe and Wise and Harry Secombe. In 1986 she made her debut in 'legitimate theatre' playing Grizabella in the West End production of Cats.
    Today she continues to perform on stage and in cabaret with her band. You can hear her recordings on
    serenade-radio.com the Best in Easy Listening.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 11
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I remember using whatever one was cherry-flavoured.

    It was Dr Mopp for me.

    www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/look-whos-back/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Look whos back | Raleigh UK

    www.raleigh.co.uk

    They will be available to buy online and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham. The online sale will have a virtual queuing system in place and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham there will be a queueing system outsid...
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    FIREBALL XL-5 begins this Saturday, 3rd June at 2:35pm on #TalkingPicturesTV So here's five fascinating facts about the Gerry Anderson's 'Supermarionation' programme!
    1 - The series was inspired by the 'space race' between the USSR and the USA. 2 - 39 episodes were made in black and white. 3 - The series premiered on ATV London in October 1962. 4 - The voice of Steve Zodiac was provided by actor Paul Maxwell. 5 - The famous theme song was sung by Don Spencer.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    6 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 3
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/31/bruce-springsteen-review-murrayfield-stadium-edinburgh

    That's why they call him "The Boss".
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Bruce Springsteen review – after half a century, still having the time of his life

    www.theguardian.com

    Springsteen and the E Street Band feel like a bar band that can’t believe their luck to be playing a stadium – and the enthusiasm is infectious
    6 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Sad news. We wish her well 🤗

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dame Esther Rantzen says her lung cancer is in stage four

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV presenter and Childline founder says she is on a new form of medication for the disease.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 3

    Comment on Facebook

    Oh no 😢 in my prayers Esther xxx

    Didn’t she want to put the unvaccinated into camps during lockdown…

    That’s not cool 😞

    Another great voice has left us 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Tina Turner: Music legend dies at 83

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Her unmistakable voice on hits like The Best and What's Love Got to Do With It made her a superstar.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I found out on tiktok before I saw it on any news channels..

    Terrible, terrible news. Taken far too young. Vale Andy Rourke!

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed Rourke died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_xELTfEds

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65576903 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Beatles: Rare first edition White Album given to charity

    www.bbc.co.uk

    A 1968 White Album, complete with original inserts, is given to a Sutton Coldfield charity shop
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    I recently fulfilled the dream of over 40 years and saw The Zombies perform live (They were amazing!). Their current bass player is a chap called Søren Koch, and this is his regular band - The Beatophonics. If you love 60s Beat music, do yourself a favour and have a listen. They are truly superb. open.spotify.com/artist/5W05FY5rERtVTBippPjold?si=nU5zM8gJSXONAGCWOUrTnA

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Canada Cold War Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Kraütrock Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music Video games
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.