Frank Oz was the director of the 1988 American comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, which starred Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and Glenne Headly. The screenplay was written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, and Paul Henning. An updated version of the 1964 film Bedtime Story with David Niven and Marlon Brando is The Hustle, starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. Shapiro and Henning wrote the remake once more.
In the movie, two con artists compete to steal $50,000 from an heiress. Martin plays the role of Freddy Benson, a less well-off, small-time rival of Caine’s more rich and slicker Lawrence Jamieson who plans complex ruses to cheat wealthy women. It takes place on the French Riviera. On December 14, 1988, the film was released, and critics praised it highly.
Filming locations included Antibes, Cannes, Beaulieu-sur-Mer (referred to in the movie as “Beaumont-sur-Mer”), Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Nice, and Villefranche-sur-Mer. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild was visited by the main characters in the scenario.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Movie Locations Captured During Shooting.
The 1964 film Bedtime Story was remade with Michael Caine and Steve Martin playing Lawrence and Freddy, two con men vying for Janet Colgate’s (Glenne Headly) attention on the pleasantly opulent French Riviera.
The British nobility has spent their summers in this sprawl of beach resorts, centred on Nice and spreading from Cannes to Monte Carlo. Later, the mansions of famous artists like Matisse, Picasso, and Renoir—all of whom were located in Cagnes-sur-Mer—came to light. Finally, it became associated with the jet set and, specifically, the yearly Cannes Film Festival in the 1960s.
But the setting for “Beaumont-sur-Mer” is fictitious. Beaumont’s “Grand” is represented by the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, which may be found at 71 Boulevard du Général de Gaulle in an opulent Edwardian resort south of Beaulieu on the point of the Cap-Ferrat peninsula.
The lavish hotel, which has hosted famous guests like Somerset Maugham and Charlie Chaplin, has a Rotunda built in 1909 by Gustave Eiffel (the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower), as well as a big lobby with a crystal table by René Lalique and an exquisite silver chandelier by Tisserant.
The city of Nice and the adjoining fishing community of Villefranche-sur-Mer were additional Riviera locations. The picturesque town and its labyrinth of winding alleyways have appeared in a number of films, including Ronin and the rogue Bond movie Never Say Never Again.
The resort’s casino is currently located in the Rotonde Lenôtre neighbourhood of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Avenue Fernand Dunan, a Belle Époque structure that was formerly the dining room of the previous Hotel Bristol and is now utilised as an exhibition space. The Aerodrome International Cannes-Mandelieu is “Beaumont’s” airport.
The art gallery is now a part of the Ephrussi de Rothschild Foundation’s Villa Ile-de-France in Cap Ferrat. Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild business family, had the residence constructed on the narrowest portion of the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat peninsula and had it decorated with antiques, works by old master painters, sculptures, and ceramics. The now-open public property was given to the Institut de France’s Académie des Beaux-Arts division in 1934 by the deceased widow.
The yacht harbour is located in Juan Les Pins, southwest of Cap d’Antibes, but Lawrence’s opulent residence was Villa Hier, a private estate on the Cap d’Antibes beachfront that required tonnes of sand to pave the naturally stony beach.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Plot
Lawrence Jamieson is a shrewd and knowledgeable con artist who operates in the vicinity of Beaumont-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. He pretends to be a prince in exile and schemes to attract wealthy women with the help of his butler Arthur and the immoral police officer Andre in order to raise money for his country’s “freedom warriors.” His only cause for concern was “The Jackal,” a new con artist who had debuted in the area.
On a train, Lawrence runs upon American conman Freddy Benson. By creating a terrible story about a sick grandmother, Freddy brags about his poor successes in robbing wealthy women of their money.
Lawrence tricks Freddy into picking a different location, and out of concern that his prey may be scared away by Freddy’s amateur antics, Lawrence has him arrested and put on a plane out of town. Finally, after bumping across one of Lawrence’s former marks, Freddy uses extortion to convince Lawrence to accept him as a student.
Lawrence makes an unsuccessful attempt to instil flare and refinement in Freddy. After that, he asks Freddy to assist him in his con games by having him play the part of his mentally challenged brother Ruprecht to scare off the women Lawrence has been seducing (and now, in the new con, proposed to). Freddy violently resigns from the company since Lawrence, regrettably, won’t give him a cut of the company’s profits; yet, he makes a point of remaining in town.
Because Lawrence doesn’t want to cede his territory to Freddy, they agree to a wager: whoever can steal $50,000 from a specified mark first wins, and the loser must leave town. So they target Janet Colgate, a recent immigrant and self-proclaimed “United States Soap Queen.”
Freddy poses as an ex-U.S. Navy man who needs $50,000 to see renowned Liechtensteinian psychiatrist Dr. Emil Schaffhausen for therapy. He claims to be psychosomatically impaired and in need of treatment. When Janet shows sympathy for Freddy, Lawrence steps forward and offers to treat him as Dr. Schaffhausen. But he wants Janet to pay the $50,000 treatment cost up front.
Lawrence discovers that Janet is not actually a soap heiress and instead plans to sell off the majority of her things to pay for Freddy’s medical expenses, despite winning her vacation and the title of “Soap Queen” in a contest. Lawrence tries to back out of the wager because he only scams the rich.
The winner is declared to be the first person to get into bed with Janet, and Freddy counters with a fresh wager. Lawrence concurs that despite his disdain and inability to approach Janet, Freddy will triumph if he is unable to win her over.
Lawrence pretends to continue treating Freddy while Lawrence dances with Janet and teases him. Local British seamen become enraged by this act, and Freddy convinces them to pursue Lawrence. He rushes into Janet’s hotel room and moves quickly in her direction, rising to express his love for her. Freddy has been declared healed by Lawrence, who has been present covertly.
He claims that after the sailors heard that he was a Royal Naval Reserve officer, he escorted Freddy out of the chamber where they had freed him. While he boards a flight with Janet, Lawrence leaves the sailors with Freddy, who is aware that he lost the bet but nevertheless joins them in their drinking celebration.
Janet goes to her hotel room instead, where she finds Freddy. They share a kiss after she confesses her love for him and begin getting ready. Andre informs Lawrence of this, and Lawrence gently admits defeat. He waits for Freddy to arrive so he can celebrate his achievement, but Janet turns up instead, crying and accusing Freddy of taking the cash her father gave her.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Cast
The original Bedtime Story movie from 1964 was written in as a vehicle for Doris Day, Cary Grant, and Rock Hudson. Its eventual cast included David Niven, Shirley Jones, and Marlon Brando.
The 1988 cast of the film experienced changes as well. When Dale Launer was requested to create a script, it seemed like a possible platform for Mick Jagger and David Bowie. Launer suggested remaking Bedtime Story. Sadly, after Launer acquired the rights, Bowie and Jagger quit the remake to work on a Martin Scorsese movie. They were “a little tweezed,” according to Bowie, that they passed on a script that had the potential to be fantastic.
Eddie Murphy apparently auditioned for the role of Freddy Benson, according to Split Sider. John Cleese was also approached about playing Jamieson but declined. He admitted to having second thoughts in a 2008 interview. In two volumes, Michael Palin published his diaries and claimed that Cleese “reluctantly” turned down the role.
According to Palin, on April 1, 1988, Frank Oz contacted and requested him to think about playing Jamieson. Palin took a journey from London to New York City a few days later to apply for the role, but first he had to see if he was right.
Richard Dreyfuss also received a script by email. Due to a miscommunication, Steve Martin was asked to play Jamieson rather than Benson; nonetheless, Martin chose to recite Benson’s lines because he had been asked to play Jamieson in the first place. Oz was intrigued by Martin’s portrayal of Benson, so he chose this course of action. Jamieson eventually received the role of Michael Caine.
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