bensonmum2 The Happy Thieves gets off to a good start. Art thief Jimmy Bourne (Rex Harrison) steals a painting from a Spanish villa. He hands it over to Eve Lewis (Rita Hayworth) for transport to Paris. Once she arrives, Eve is shocked to discover the painting is missing. They have no idea how the stolen painting could have been stolen. To make matters worse, they are contacted by a man who has photographic proof they stole the painting. His silence comes with a heavy price tag. Jimmy and Eve must steal a gigantic, heavily guarded Goya from a Paris museum. Can they pull it off?On paper, The Happy Thieves looks like a real winner. It's got a lot o things that usually appeal to me. Rex Harrison is an actor I usually enjoy. His work in My Fair Lady, for example, is fantastic. Likewise, I usually really enjoy Rita Hayworth. Gilda is one of my all time favorite films. The Happy Thieves is billed as a Euro- heist/comedy - a "genre" that appeals greatly to me. Finally, there's some nice cinematography, interesting locations, and strong actors in supporting roles. It all should have worked. Unfortunately, The Happy Thieves is no where near as good as it should have been. The problem - it's as dull a movie as I've seen recently. Harrison, Hayworth, the heist/comedy elements - none of it can completely save this dud. The Happy Thieves is a chore to get through without falling asleep. It's about as dull as a kitchen knife at a beach house rental - and that's dull. Call it a missed opportunity. A generous 4/10 is the best I can rate the movie.

ksf-2 "Thieves" opens with Jimmy (Rex Harrison ) snitching a painting from a museum, and meeting his chick out front. Harrison will go on to win the Oscar for My Fair Lady in 1965. His co-star and partner in crime is Rita Hayworth as "Eve". Hayworth really should have won SOMETHING for her work in Gilda back in 1946, fifteen years before. Also watch for Britt Eckland, who married (and co-starred with ) Peter Sellers in the 1960s....she was also a Bond girl in "Man with the Golden Gun". This part in "Thieves" was only her second role...the first was "uncredited redhead" in GI Blues, with Elvis ! So... after stealing the painting, they have lost it, and now Eve and Jimmy have to figure out what happened to it. The film is okay... but can't help thinking the part of "Jimmy" could have been someone with more personality or style. Not sure who would have done it better. Overall, its pretty slow-moving. Story by Richard Condon, who also wrote Prizzi's Honor and Manchurian Candidate. Directed by George Marshall, who had started in the silents... such a prolific actor, writer, director.

MartinHafer With Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth, you might tend to think you'll see a pretty good film but unfortunately the film only barely manages to earn a 5 and most of this is due to these actors. Try as they might, the film is just an amazingly listless film. Plus throughout the film I kept expecting a payoff to make my time investment worth while. Sadly, when the film was over, my first thought was "is that all there is to it?!". No magic, no chemistry...just a rather bland caper about stolen masterpieces. If you are looking for a good crime film or some of the excitement of GILDA, keep looking. This film features second-rate writing and barely enough energy to keep your interest. It isn't that the film is bad, but it certainly wasn't good either.

Maciste_Brother I don't know why this film is totally forgotten. Maybe because it's a typical United Artist movie: not great enough to be remembered but with an interesting cast that's worthy of a little more attention.It's not the greatest film ever made and it certainly has its fair share of problems but the story is interesting, and the whole scene when they switch the real painting for the fake one is fun and suspenseful. The location filming in Spain is excellent, thanks mainly to the beautiful B&W cinematography.But if there's one reason to check out THE HAPPY THIEVES, it's simply for watching Rex Harrison and Rita Hayworth act together. They make an interesting duo. In fact, I have to say that they make one of the sexiest screen couples ever. I can't put my finger on why but those two together seems to be a match made in heaven.