Lord Love a Duck (1966, George Axelrod)

Roddy “Mollymauk” McDowall of “Planet of the Apes” and “Fright Night” is a freaky kid who digs (stalks) new student “The Real” Tuesday Weld. They become friends but not in the way that Roddy would like. He says he will do anything for her, and he does: teaches her how to get enough cashmere sweaters to join the “sweater club”, takes her to a foreign beach for spring break (where she meets hunky fellow student Bob), helps her marry Bob and arranges her honeymoon (actually he fails that last one out of jealousy), then when she tired of Bob and craves movie-star fame, Roddy kills Bob with a tractor during graduation in the opening/closing scene and sits in jail while Tuesday gets famous.

Meanwhile, the movie is somewhat of a satire on everything from education to fame to family life to other movies. Real wacky and light at times, but unexpectedly dark and serious at others, particularly when Tuesday’s drunken mother commits suicide. Similarly, Roddy’s moving in with Bob and Bob’s yogurt-enjoying mother is an obvious comedy setup, but then he turns the mom into a hopeless moaning drunk while he drives Bob crazy and destroys his marriage.

Interesting movie overall… wouldn’t call it “uneven” in a bad way, more “successfully scattershot”. Katy and I kinda liked it.

Martin West (Assault on Precinct 13) plays Bob and Ruth Gordon (Maude!) is his mom.