Main Cast: Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Ruth Hussey, Don DeFore, Louis Nye
Release Year: 1960
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
Unlike the typical Bob Hope and Lucille Ball vehicles, The Facts of Life is essentially a domestic drama with comic undertones. Hope is married to Ruth Hussey, while Ball is the wife of Don DeFore. All four are old friends, who for many years have taken each other for granted. A series of unforeseen circumstances requires Hope and Ball to spend a great deal of time together without their spouses, and as a result they fall in love. Though the affair is never consummated, Hope and Ball are prepared to run off together, but in the end they decide that adultery at their age just isn't worth the trouble. Long unavailable for viewing due to legal tangles, The Facts of Life has gained legendary status as one of the few Bob Hope films of the 1960s to concentrate on character development rather than silly one-liners. Recent viewings have revealed that, though a far more mature work than one might expect from Hope or Ball, Facts of Life still relies to a great extent on the sort of TV sitcom material that the fans of the two stars had come to expect by 1960. Still, the film was considered offbeat enough to warrant an Oscar nomination for best screenplay (by longtime Hope associates Norman Panama and Melvin Frank). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Womack is one of the most prolific and influential acts in R&B and rock. With songs like "I Can Understand It," "Harry Hippie," and "Woman Got to Have It," Womack often displayed a depth, candor, and an expert turn of phrase that helped him outpace his contemporaries. Facts of Life is the follow-up to the 1972 classic Communication. This album is even better. Womack is known for his often uncomfortably real takes on love, life, and relationships, and Facts of Life expertly deals with a myriad of subjects. The only released single is his revamped take of the standard "Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out." The song has been done ad infinitum, but Womack put a nasty edge on it that made it sound like a song he wrote himself. "I'm Through Trying to Prove My Love to You" is punctuated by his great guitar riffing and plaintive vocal and lyrical gems like, "See when you take my heart/ I can't let you take my soul." "He'll Be There When the Sun Goes Down" benefits from more witticisms and a strong string arrangement from Womack and Rene Hall. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Facts of Life is that Womack is so adept at taking others' material and making it his own. "Natural Man," a cover of "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman," is the biggest shock here. Where Aretha Franklin's version had her skillfully shouting from the rooftops, Womack brings tenderness to the lyric and is believable. Produced by Womack and recorded in Muscle Shoals with its renowned players, Facts of Life is an album of undeniable craft. ~ Jason Elias, All Music Guide
Bobby Womack (Guitar), Bobby Womack (Vocals), Bobby Womack (Producer), Bobby Womack (Main Performer), Bobby Womack (Horn Arrangements), Bobby Womack (String Arrangements), Pete Carr (Guitar), Barry Beckett (Piano), Barry Beckett (Keyboards), Margaret Goldfarb (Assistant Producer), Rene Hall (String Arrangements), Roger Hawkins (Drums), David Hood (Bass), Clayton Ivey (Keyboards), Jimmy Johnson (Guitar), Kathy Kinslow (Assistant Producer), Charles Levan (Assistant Producer), Frank Lopez (Assistant Producer), Martin (Photography), Jerry Masters (Bass), Jerry Masters (Engineer), Kerry McNabb (Engineer), Steve Melton (Assistant Engineer), Cheryl Pawelski (Assistant Producer), Truman Thomas (Keyboards), Tom Cartwright (Executive Producer), Tom Cartwright (Reissue Producer), Christina Hersch (Mixing), Mike Salisbury (Art Direction), Mike Salisbury (Design), Malia Kleppinger (Assistant Producer), Dawn Van Patten (?), Dawn Van Patten (Sample Clearance), Martin (Photography), Phill Brown (Mastering), David Turner (Guitar)
As the yearly vacation of six neighbors, the Gilberts, Masons, and Weavers, approaches, Kitty Weaver (Lucille Ball) and Larry Gilbert (Bob Hope) find themselves frustrated with the routine. When both their spouses (Ruth Hussey and Don DeFore) are kept away from the vacation, Kitty and Larry find themselves alone in Acapulco, with the Masons (Philip Ober and Marianne Stewart) bedridden with illness. Forced together, Kitty and Larry fall in love. Once the vacation is over, however, they have difficulties in either abandoning or continuing their romance.
