"When hubby still takes one last look and wifey still wants one last word, somebody's going to have One Last Fling," proclaimed the trailer for this 1949 Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott marital comedy. Billed as "a rollicking merry-go-round with a laugh at every turn," and "the laugh-loaded story of a Mrs. and her Mr., who was a good husband day in and night out!," One Last Fling was written by Richard Flournoy and William Sackheim, and based on a story by Herbert Clyde Lewis. Englishman Peter Godfrey, who had directed middle-budget, light comedies for Warner Bros, was at the helm.

Although One Last Fling was a fluffy comedy, the story of a woman who worked during World War II and finds herself bored with being a post-war housewife was a true reflection of the times. The war had pushed women into the workforce as never before, with Rosie the Riveter remaining an iconic symbol of those women who rolled up their sleeves to get the job done. But what happened to Rosie when the men came home and she was forced back into the home?

One Last Fling has Olivia Pearce (Alexis Smith) spending the war years in charge of the music store owned by her husband, Larry (Zachary Scott). When Larry returns home, Olivia is back to being a New York housewife. The store begins to expand and Larry decides to hire someone to head up the sales department, so he looks to recent divorcee Gaye Winston (Veda Ann Borg), who had been his secretary during the war. A series of misunderstandings results in Olivia thinking she has the job, and Larry is forced to hire her. When Larry has lunch with Gaye to explain, Olivia sees him and thinks he's having an affair. Also in the cast was Ann Doran and future Gilligan's Island and Mr. Magoo star, Jim Backus.

This was not the first time that Alexis Smith and Zachary Scott had worked together; they had been previously paired in Whiplash (1948) and South of St. Louis (1949) and the experience making this film was a happy one. In a letter to his future wife, Ruth Ford, Scott wrote, "I am making One Last Fling at Warner Bros. now, a comedy, my first, and loving it." Unfortunately, the critics didn't. The mysteriously named "H.H.T." writing for The New York Times called it "loud" and "childish." "Miss Smith is decorative, no more, and Mr. Scott manages to look and act like a mistreated spaniel. [...]Ransom Sherman, as a wolfish uncle, and Jody Gilbert, as a powerful Katrinka eavesdropper, almost make the whole thing worth staying awake."

SOURCES:

Davis, Ronald L. Zachary Scott: Hollywood's Sophisticated Cad
H.H.T. "One Last Fling" The New York Times 1 Jul 49
The Internet Movie Database
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/85694/One-Last-Fling/
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/95061/One-Last-Fling-Original-Trailer-.html

By Lorraine LoBianco