Hollywood movie star Marlo Manners (Mae West) is in London, England to marry Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton). He is her sixth husband. Dan Turner (Dom Deluise) is her manager and arranges for the newlyweds to honeymoon at an exclusive hotel. They are welcomed by a huge crowd of fans in a scene that looks like a motorcade to a royal coronation. In the hotel lobby there is a very impressive rendition of "Hooray for Hollywood" by a large cast of performers.
When Marlo and Sir Michael enter their suite, they are unable to be alone because of constant interruptions. A reporter asks her, "How do you like it in London, Marlo?" She replies, "Hmmm, I like it anywhere." Marlo has career obligations and some of her former husbands visit. She is still pursued by diplomat Alexi Andreyev Karansky (Tony Curtis), director Laslo Karolny (Ringo Starr), gangster Vance Norton (George Hamilton), as well as the entire US athletic team. Marlo says, "I'm the girl who works for Paramount all day, and Fox all night."
Marlo has recorded her memoirs about affairs and scandals with her many husbands and lovers. Turner advises her to destroy the evidence because of an international conference being held in the same hotel. The chairman is Mr. Chambers (Walter Pidgeon) and former husband Alexi is the Russian delegate.
The tape recording is finally recovered and Turner informs Marlo that Sir Michael is actually a secret agent. "He's bigger than 007," he says. Marlo replies, "I haven't had a chance to measure him yet." Eventually the newlyweds retire to Sir Michael's yacht to consummate their marriage.
Some of Mae West's jokes in the film:
"Marriage is like a book. The whole story takes place between the covers."
"A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay."
"Wow! All this meat and no potatoes!"
"I've never seen that position before."
"Why don't you come up sometime 'n see me?"
SEXTETTE is an adaptation of Mae West's Broadway musical comedy of the same name. She was 83 years old when she made this film, her last. As in her other 11 films, she portrays a beautiful woman in her twenties. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950) was written specifically for Mae West, but she turned it down because she only portrays a beautiful woman in her twenties. Get it? Virtually all critics lambaste SEXTETTE as a "turkey", "bomb", and an "embarassing, vulgar, bizarre curiosity". These narrow-minded idiots just don't understand Mae West's art, and probably don't understand any art.
The film is a cult classic, a high-camp movie like MOMMIE DEAREST (1981) and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967). There's nothing else like it. SEXTETTE is outrageous fun, but definitely not for everybody. Probably it was made for her legion of fans. Mae West spent decades performing in vaudeville and night clubs where she could use her brilliant risque one-liners, such as, "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?" She is very famous for these lines, but they were not allowed in her earlier movies. SEXTETTE was her opportunity to film her play and to immortalize her jokes in a motion picture.
The songs performed are: "Love Will Keep Us Together", "Next Next", "Marlo's Theme", "After You've Gone", "Baby Face", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Honey Pie", and "Hooray for Hollywood".
This was the last film for Mae West, Walter Pidgeon, and George Raft. Others in the all-star cast include: Alice Cooper (waiter), Keith Allison (waiter), Rona Barrett (herself), Van McCoy (delegate), Keith Moon (couturier), Regis Philbin (himself), Gil Stratton (himself), Harry Weiss (the Don), George E. Carey (Dockweiler), Ed Beheler (President Jimmy Carter), Ian Abercrombie (Rex Ambrose), Peter Alexander (Ronald Cartwright), Calvin Bartlett (Mr. Foreman), and many others. Herbert Baker wrote the screenplay from West's play. Original music was composed by Artie Butler. Edith Head was costume designer. Ken Hughes directed.
