Review of The Loved One (1965) by Patrick G — 13 Jun 2010

As the story goes, author Evelyn Waugh ('Brideshead Revisited') was so offended by the hypocrisy of the American film and funeral industries while attending a service at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles he came up with the storyline for this movie.

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British poet Dennis Barlow (American Robert Morse) jorneys to L.A. to visit his uncle, Hollywood artist Sir Francis Hinsley (Sir John Gielgud), who is wallowing in his quest for some refinement in the degredation of Tinseltown. Finding himself on the outs with the bigwigs, Sir Francis ends his life by hanging himself over his swimming pool. In preparing for his funeral, Dennis comes across the Whispering Glades Cemetery and sweet, naive Aimee Thanatogenous (Anjanette Comer), along with a mixture of other individuals whose workings within this business borders on the outre.

Barlow's jorney through this milieu of quiet distinguished wackos who always refer to the dead as 'the loved one' (hence, the movie's title) pushes the envelope of taste as the passing of a military big-wig gives enigmatic cemetery chief Reverend Wilbur Glenworthy (Jonathan Winters) the idea for a magnanimous send off.

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Cameos abound in this film with loads of Hollywood names playing against type like perrenial good-guy Roddy McDowall as spoiled producer's son D.J. Jr., the flamboyant Liberace in a simple suit as demure casket salesman Mr. Starker, tough-guy Rod Steiger as the effeminate make-up artist to the dead stars, Mr. Joyboy, comic Milton Berle as harried husband to a wife mourning a lost pet, future singer-songwriter Paul Williams as teen whiz-kid Gunther Fry (despite the fact he was 25 at the time) and hard-bitten Lionel Stander as newspaper advise columnist Guru Brahmin.

On paper, 'The Loved One' stood to offend a lot of people and entertain lots more. Sadly, it didn't do either.