Who's Got the Action | Dean Martin, Lana Turner | One of my very favorite Dino or Lana films!

Who's Got the Action | Dean Martin, Lana Turner | From the President of the official Dean Martin Fan Center

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Who's Got the Action

	Who's Got the Action Dean Martin, Lana Turner Paramount, 1998 average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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One of my very favorite Dino or Lana films!

I have to start of by saying, I love everyting Dean Martin does or says ;) . He's my absolute favorite, and I own everything he ever put on film...some in triplicate...

*Warning, I'm going to lay out the plot, note a specific scene, & make a tiny hint to a small part of the ending. Just so you know in advance ;) *

With all of that, I have to say I ADORE this movies. (The fact it got a "B-" in one review is NUTS!). Lana Turner also happens to be one of my very favorite actresses (this was the third film I saw her in; the first was with John Wayne in The Sea Chase and the second was Bachelor in Paradise with Bob Hope--she sure can pick some good leading men!). She is just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful in this film as Dino's concerned and scheming wife.

Dean, an attorney, has a gambling addiction. He's on a terrible losing streak, and betting on the horses is costing him big time, distracting him from gorgeous Lana, and just generally zapped his once-carefree attitude. Worried he's having an affair, Lana consults his best friend, Eddie Albert, only to learn, to her instense-relief, that he's not great at picking a winner in the third ;) .

So, what's a good concerned wife to do? Have Eddie tell Dino that he should switch and use HIS bookie for better luck, and pose as that bookie, of course! Lana decides to force Eddie to con his buddy Dean into using his wonderful "bookie", when that bookie is actually Lana. Her plan is that, when Dino keeps up losing and gets pushed to the very edge, she'll surprise him and give him back all the money he's lost, and that, of course, will convince him to give up gambling.

But...what if Dean picks a winner?...

That's just what happens. Poor Lana has to figure out a way to pay out when her hubby begins to win. There, the dynamic changes. The wife is now the one worring to death and Dean is as happy as can be, drinking, betting, and spending money, not realizing it's actually costing him...until he begins to notice some of their furniture is missing...haha.

So, it's a mad dash for Lana to try to cover up her scheme, hoping Dean will begin to lose again, but in the mean time, Walter Matthau, the kingpin running Dean's old booking outfit, is none-too-please with this new upstart bookie wants to find him and break him to pieces for "grabbing all the action" (hence the title).

Now we have Lana trying to cover her scheme and Dean's bets, Eddie trying desperately but unsuccessfully to stay out of it, Matthau and his goons hunting for this crazy new bookie, and Dean happily oblivious to it all, enjoying his wonderful betting skills and payouts. To make matters worse, Matthau's nightclub-singer mysteress moves in next door to Dino and Lana, and Lana not only befriends her and gets her help, but also sells some of her furniture to her to pay Dean's bets. Mass-confusion hilarity!

The absolute, bar-none, most hilarious scene in this movie is where Dean, thrilled with his expert gambling skills, comes home to worried and frazzeled Lana drunk in celebration. He's spent money, and brought home booze, and is ready for a night out and some lovin' from Lana (Hysterical! Dean trying to, um, "kiss on" Lana is a common occurance in this movie, and it's funny everytime!). It is absolutely hysterical, and worth buying a $30 tape for alone. A marvelous quote, "Waiter! Pour scotch--all over us." Watch for that after Dean comes home drunk and take Lana out to the nightclub because it gets no better than that! Oh! And during the druken scene where Dean is trying to put the moves on Lana and she keeps pushing him down and away from her and he simply and literally bounces up off of the bed she pushes him onto and tries again...about three times... I could go on, but I'm cracking up just thinking about it. You watch and see what I mean.

Anyway,...

The dynamic between Dean and Lana is breath-taking it so in rhythm and so funny and so wonderful. They make an adorable husband and wife. They're very well matched, and it's nice to see any actor matching with a movie wife that is of a "real age", it makes it all the more funny and enjoyable. Lana really handles this part beautifulyy and professionally and up to the hilt, not to mention Dean has not only a wonderful comedic handling of his demenor but also has plenty of good-old physical comedy to work with. The movie is just so "feel-good" to me, complete with cute happy ending with a happy marriage (and a little more ;) ).

It's not only hysterical with brilliant people in it, it just has that wonderful early-pre-icky-Beatles-60's look and Rat Pack coolness about it. If you enjoy something like Ocean's 11 AND a cute, hip romantic comedy (like say, if you've seen Lana in Bachelor in Paradise on TCM and loved it as I did, this is a trilion billion times better), you'll LOVE this.

It's happy and fun and cool and wonderful and just plain *hysterical*. Buy it at any price! Any fan of Lana's comedies will enjoy this, and any fan, for sure, of Dino's style, period, and especially his insanely wonderful comedic skills and King of Cool essence will die of laughter when they watch these two very funny people tear it up with a hysterical story-line, wonderful 50's-becoming-60's-Rat-Pack-Era look, cuteness and fluffiness splattered in with slick and cool aspects like nightclubs and gambling and the Mob. Just genius!

I can't put Dean's movies into a list of favorites, but I'll put this one into the very very very top tier with Ocean's 11 and Rio Bravo and Some Came Running and other goodies everyone loves like those, and really one of my very favortie movies of all time. I don't love it because I love Dino and Lana, I love Dean and Lana because of things like this. It's a true, true, gem; I (obviously!) can't rave about it enough!

(PS, pick up the vintage book if you can find it here too! I managed to get ahold of one with Dino and Lana on the cover...yes, if you can't all ready tell from that gushing, long review that I dearly adore this movie, I love it that much!)

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From the President of the official Dean Martin Fan Center

"Who's Got the Action?" is one of the films that often gets missed when thinking of Dean Martin. Made right after "Sergeant's 3", and before the very dramatic "Toys in the Attic", this light-hearted comedy has enough Hollywood names in it (Lana Turner is his co-star) to keep you guessing where you've seen their faces before. It's by far NOT Dean's best work, but it's a fun filled breezy comedy like the kind we all grew up with, making for a fun Saturday night. Dean only sings over the credits (unfortunatly), but his scenes with the great Walter Matthau and Eddie Albert are great. The best is with comedian/actor Paul Ford. This was made in 1962... right before Kennedy was killed, and the Rat Pack was in it's glory years. Dean has that twinkle in his eyes that we all love, and never takes himself too seriously. The story is all about betting - horses - bookies and wives... nothing 'heavy' or Academy award winning... but anything with Dino in the lead is just plain fun! I'd give it a "B-" - Neil Daniels (chairman) Dean Martin Fan Center: admin@deanmartinfancenter.com

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Who's got the Action?

This movie starring lovely Lana Turner and Dean Martin, and Walter Matthau is great. Dean bets on horses and the wife tries to stop him by becoming her bookie but what happens if he wins? Find out by watching this movie.

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