James Garner arrives in Lisbon. He's on assignment from his bank to conduct a survey on a proposed bond issue for hydro-electric power generation. As soon as he arrives, he is mistaken for a British spy sent to investigate a diamond smuggling ring. Every spy in town, down at the heels since the end of the War thinks he's the man to follow around, including Melina Mercouri. Tony Franciosa is not a spy. He's a simple smuggler, who hopes to get a 5% finder's fee, lumbered with Sandra Dee, who's on the prowl for him.
It's a somewhat cumbersome comedy, lumbered with an unfortunate score by Bert Kaempfert; one of the themes would become the hit song "Strangers in the Night." To hear it swell up, played on the mandolin made me hear Sinatra singing it, and distracted me from what was going on. Garner's irritation at being thought a spy and his unconsummated romance with Miss Mercouri began to pall until the plot began to speed up. Franciosa and Dee, on the other hand, with their blithe nonchalance, were delightful through the end.
