There's a cycle of films from Hollywood in the 1960s that I like to call for lack of a better term "generation gap movies" because they have the feel of old Hollywood trying to keep up with the times and not being particularly good at so doing. Another example of this is one that was on my DVR: Don't Make Waves, early tomorrow (March 31) morning at 4:15 AM as part of a night of movies saluting actress Claudia Cardinale, who died in September 2025.
Cardinale is the nominal female lead here, but this is Tony Curtis' movie all the way. He plays Carlo Cofield, a New Yorker who's vacationing in California when his car gets hit by Laura Califatti (that's Claudia Cardinale, as if you couldn't tell from the Italian accent). Laura decides to make it up to Carlo by putting him up at her house for the night; the question of what's going to happen to his car seems to be one of many plot holes not answered in the movie. More importantly, however, is the fact that this isn't quite Laura's house; instead, it's being funded by swimming pool manufacturer Rod Prescott (Robert Webber). Laura is Rod's mistress; he claims that his wife is an invalid which is why he can't get a divorce. In any case, Rod isn't happy to see Carlo.
Carlo gets an idea when he meets Rod, which is to stay out west and get a job selling pools for Rod's company, having learned that the company is trying to use Jim Backus (in a cameo role) for publicity. Before getting to see Rod again, however, Carlo is on the beach, which is one of those muscle beach types where bodybuilder Harry (David Draper) lives with his girlfriend, skydiver Malibu (Sharon Tate). Carlo falls for Malibu, which is a problem considering she's in a relationship with a big guy. There's also the issue of Laura falling for Carlo.
Further complicating matters is that when Carlo goes to see Rod, who should show up at Rod's office but... Diane Prescott (Joanna Barnes)? She's Rod's wife, and decidedly not an invalid. She also knows quite a bit about what's going on with Rod and Laura. Carlo, being a good publicity guy, is able to leverage all of this into a job for the swimming pool company. And then, to try to keep Malibu, he comes up with a way to have her sky dive into one of the company's swimming pools, although that stunt doesn't quite go off without a hitch. He also goes to see an astrologer whose column Harry reads, "Madame" Lavinia (Edgar Bergen; yes, his character is using a pseudonym), to drive a wedge between Harry and Malibu.
Eventually, everything winds up for the finale when all of the main characters meet at Carlo's beach house. They are, however, threatened with disaster when the monsoon season hits and the rainstorm begins to chip away at the land under Carlo's house....
Apparently Don't Make Waves is based on a book that was published in the late 1950s. Had the movie been made when the book came out, it might have felt fresh. By 1967, however, it feels tired and not particularly funny. The humor feels forced, and Carlo is such a dishonest schemer in the Jack Carson mode that his character isn't particularly likeable. But as always, watch and judge for yourself.
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