Bedtime Story

Bedtime Story is a 1964 American comedy film made by Marlon Brando's company, Pennebaker Productions. It was directed by Ralph Levy and produced by Stanley Shapiro, with Robert Arthur as executive producer, from a screenplay by Shapiro and Paul Henning. The music score was by Hans J. Salter and the cinematography by Clifford Stine. The film stars Marlon Brando, David Niven and Shirley Jones. The film has been the basis for two remakes: 1988's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine; and 2019's The Hustle, starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. Plot Lawrence Jameson is a refined, elegant con artist living in the French Riviera town of Beaumont-sur-Mer, where he masquerades as the deposed prince of a small European country, seducing wealthy women into donating money and jewellery to his revolutionary "cause". Meanwhile, Corporal Freddy Benson is a small-time operator in the US Army stationed in Germany, conning his way into the hearts and finances of young women with sob stories about his sick grandmother. His attempt at seducing the daughter of a local Bürgermeister (a mayor) backfires when her father arrives home early, but Freddy is able to blackmail his colonel into giving him an early discharge. On a train to Beaumont-Sur-Mer, Freddy cockily displays his skill as a conman to Lawrence, whom he believes to be a henpecked husband. Lawrence, believing Freddy's "poaching" will endanger his own activities, attempts to distract him into leaving town, and when that fails, arranges for his arrest. Lawrence has him released and buys him a plane ticket to America. Unfortunately, one of Lawrence's former conquests is on the plane and gives away Lawrence's deception. Freddy returns and blackmails Lawrence into taking him on as an apprentice.