Tammy and the Bachelor
Encyclopedia
Tammy and the Bachelor is a 1957 romantic comedy film and is the first of the four Tammy films. It stars Debbie Reynolds
as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan
as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen
as Peter Brent. It was adapted from the book Tammy Out of Time by Cid Ricketts Sumner
.
) is a seventeen-year-old girl living in a houseboat in
Mississippi
(within sight of Louisiana
) with her Grandpa, John Dinwitty (Walter Brennan
). She runs around barefoot, dreaming of life outside of the swamp, and talking to her best friend, Nan, a goat.
One day in the swamp, Tammy discovers the wreckage of a plane and the unconscious body of Peter Brent (Leslie Nielsen
). Tammy and her grandfather help Peter recover at their home, during which Tammy falls in love with Peter. However, he must return to his own home, but tells Tammy that if anything happened to her grandfather, she would be welcome to come and stay with him.
Several weeks later, Tammy's grandfather is arrested for making moonshine
. With no one else to stay with, Tammy sets off for Brentwood Hall. She arrives during a dance, and sees Peter with his friends. When Peter's friend Ernie discovers Tammy outside of the party, Tammy tries to explain her grandfather's imprisonment; however, Peter misunderstands, and tells Mrs. Brent (Fay Wray
) that Tammy's grandfather has died, leading the Brents to take her in. Tammy learns that Peter is busy with "Brentwood #6," a tomato that he is growing in hopes of making Brentwood Hall self-sustaining once again. After Tammy finally tells everyone that her grandfather isn't actually dead, Mrs. Brent is upset over Tammy announcing to everyone that she has a relative in jail. However, Peter and his Aunt Renie convince Tammy to stay, leading her to sing of her love for Peter
.
Peter's love interest drops by Brentwood Hall. Her uncle wants Peter to stop meddling around with tomatoes and offers him a deal to come to work with him in the advertising business. Peter turns down the offer. That week is also Pilgrimage Week, which includes a ball and tours of Brentwood Hall, all while in costume. Renie gives Tammy the dress that Peter's great-grandmother wore. Mrs. Brent and Renie suggest that Tammy pretend to be Great-Grandmother Cratchett for the evening. At the Ball that night, Tammy tells a story for the guests, and enchants everyone, even Mrs. Brent.
That night, a hail storm hits Brentwood Hall and destroys all of the Brentwood #6s. The next morning, Peter announces that he is going to accept the advertising offer, leading Tammy to run away. Peter realizes he loves Tammy, finds Tammy's grandfather, and returns to the houseboat, where he kisses her.
and Ray Evans
were nominated for an Oscar for their song "Tammy
". Its naive sentimentality has proved an irresistable target for parody, most notably in Stan Freberg
's "Madison Ave. Werewolf": "When I hold your sweet, hairy hands tight in mine... Clammy! Clammy!".
Reynolds placed second for a Golden Laurel
for Top Female Comedy Performance. The film itself was awarded third place for a Golden Laurel for Top Comedy.
Debbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
as Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree, Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
as Grandpa Dinwitty and Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
as Peter Brent. It was adapted from the book Tammy Out of Time by Cid Ricketts Sumner
Cid Ricketts Sumner
Cid Ricketts Sumner was a novelist from the United States. She also taught English at a Jackson, Mississippi high school and French at Millsaps College....
.
Plot
Tambrey "Tammy" Tyree (Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds
Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
) is a seventeen-year-old girl living in a houseboat in
Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(within sight of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
) with her Grandpa, John Dinwitty (Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
). She runs around barefoot, dreaming of life outside of the swamp, and talking to her best friend, Nan, a goat.
One day in the swamp, Tammy discovers the wreckage of a plane and the unconscious body of Peter Brent (Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
). Tammy and her grandfather help Peter recover at their home, during which Tammy falls in love with Peter. However, he must return to his own home, but tells Tammy that if anything happened to her grandfather, she would be welcome to come and stay with him.
Several weeks later, Tammy's grandfather is arrested for making moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
. With no one else to stay with, Tammy sets off for Brentwood Hall. She arrives during a dance, and sees Peter with his friends. When Peter's friend Ernie discovers Tammy outside of the party, Tammy tries to explain her grandfather's imprisonment; however, Peter misunderstands, and tells Mrs. Brent (Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
) that Tammy's grandfather has died, leading the Brents to take her in. Tammy learns that Peter is busy with "Brentwood #6," a tomato that he is growing in hopes of making Brentwood Hall self-sustaining once again. After Tammy finally tells everyone that her grandfather isn't actually dead, Mrs. Brent is upset over Tammy announcing to everyone that she has a relative in jail. However, Peter and his Aunt Renie convince Tammy to stay, leading her to sing of her love for Peter
Tammy (song)
"Tammy" is a popular song with music by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. It was published in 1957 and debuted in the film Tammy and the Bachelor. It was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Original Song....
.
Peter's love interest drops by Brentwood Hall. Her uncle wants Peter to stop meddling around with tomatoes and offers him a deal to come to work with him in the advertising business. Peter turns down the offer. That week is also Pilgrimage Week, which includes a ball and tours of Brentwood Hall, all while in costume. Renie gives Tammy the dress that Peter's great-grandmother wore. Mrs. Brent and Renie suggest that Tammy pretend to be Great-Grandmother Cratchett for the evening. At the Ball that night, Tammy tells a story for the guests, and enchants everyone, even Mrs. Brent.
That night, a hail storm hits Brentwood Hall and destroys all of the Brentwood #6s. The next morning, Peter announces that he is going to accept the advertising offer, leading Tammy to run away. Peter realizes he loves Tammy, finds Tammy's grandfather, and returns to the houseboat, where he kisses her.
Cast
- Debbie ReynoldsDebbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer.She was initially signed at age 16 by Warner Bros., but her career got off to a slow start. When her contract was not renewed, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave her a small, but significant part in the film Three Little Words , then signed her to...
as Tambrey 'Tammy' Tyree - Leslie NielsenLeslie NielsenLeslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
as Peter Brent - Walter BrennanWalter BrennanWalter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
as Grandpa (John) Dinwitty - Mala PowersMala PowersMary Ellen "Mala" Powers was an American film actress.She was born in San Francisco, California. In 1940, her family moved to Los Angeles. Her father was an executive with United Press. In the summer of her relocation, Powers attended the Max Reinhardt Junior Workshop where she enjoyed her first...
as Barbara Bissle - Sidney BlackmerSidney BlackmerSidney Alderman Blackmer was an American actor.Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. He started off in an insurance and financial business but gave up on it. While working as a builder's laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately...
as Professor Brent - Mildred NatwickMildred NatwickMildred Natwick was an American stage and film actress.- Early life :A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born to Joseph and Mildred Marion Dawes Natwick. She graduated from the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore...
as Aunt Renie - Fay WrayFay WrayFay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
as Mrs. Brent - Philip OberPhilip OberPhilip Ober was an American actor.Ober often appeared in roles as a straight man in farcical circumstances. One of his most memorable stage role was in Lawrence Riley's Broadway hit Personal Appearance opposite Gladys George. From 1954 to 1967 he frequently appeared in television series...
as Alfred Bissle - Craig HillCraig Hill (actor)Craig Hill is an American film actor.Craig Hill was a co-star in the Desilu TV production "Whirleybirds" from 1957-1959 as the character "P.T."He was also starred in the movie "The Blsck Shield of Falsworth" as Francis Gascoyne in 1954....
as Ernie - Louise BeaversLouise BeaversLouise Beavers was an African-American film and television actress. Beavers appeared in dozens of films from the 1920s to the 1930s, most often in the role of a maid, servant, or slave. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Beavers was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, one of the four African-American...
as Osia, the cook
Awards
Jay LivingstonJay Livingston
Jay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
and Ray Evans
Ray Evans
Raymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films...
were nominated for an Oscar for their song "Tammy
Tammy (song)
"Tammy" is a popular song with music by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. It was published in 1957 and debuted in the film Tammy and the Bachelor. It was nominated for the 1957 Academy Award for Best Original Song....
". Its naive sentimentality has proved an irresistable target for parody, most notably in Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
's "Madison Ave. Werewolf": "When I hold your sweet, hairy hands tight in mine... Clammy! Clammy!".
Reynolds placed second for a Golden Laurel
Laurel Awards
The Laurel Awards were cinema awards to honor pictures, actors, actresses, directors and composers. This award was created by Motion Picture Exhibitor magazine, and ran from 1958 to 1968, then 1970 and 1971....
for Top Female Comedy Performance. The film itself was awarded third place for a Golden Laurel for Top Comedy.