The Yellow Canary, Pat Boone as a Teen Idol?

Yep! Pat Boone, the teen idol from yesteryear played a teen idol! Barbara Eden is in this...so is Jack Klugman. A ribald sex comedy from the late 50s? I should tell you this was written by Rod Serling. Yes, Pat Boone plays a teen idol, fawned and drooled over by teen girl lovelies. Get this...Pat Boone plays an evil cad. None of the lovelies are safe around him.  His wife, played by Eden, wants a divorce.  He uses and exploits all his friends with deadly results. Dark and gritty. Sure, Pat Boone will croon, and sometimes it will be fun...but by design, of this film, sometimes his singing will be weird and tortured. Let us look at this Film Noir film from 1963, "The Yellow Canary," directed by Buzz Kulik. 

Andy Paxton (Boone) is the aforementioned teen idol. He has dozens of gold records and a sultry wife Lisa (Eden). They have a cute one-year old. Off stage, Andy is a complete heel. He fools around on his wife, barely knows his own child, and exploits his staff. Hub (Steve Forrest) plays Andy's director of security and is about to get real busy.  See, someone murders the babysitter and kidnaps the child. Lisa is panicked and horrified...Andy is inconvenienced. Enter detective Lt. Bonner (Klugman). He won't get much cooperation from Andy as the crooner tries to let Hub handle most of the investigation. Bonner is a good cop and can see through Andy's thin veneer. A ransom is finally demanded and it is a big one. Andy now figures on paying.

Uh oh...Andy soon learns his inner circle is not as loyal to him as he thought.  His childhood pal Bake (Steve Harris) is his manager and he has just embezzled from Andy. Bonner finds this out and arrests Bake, but not fort the abduction. Lisa is beside herself and sneers at her two-timing husband. Andy's stage performances go from alluring and fun to twisted and odd. More brutal murders occur and Lisa is terrified that her little boy may also have been been murdered.  Hub hits the streets and calls old informants...then he gets a hot lead.  The lead is so hot, more murders, assaults, and debauchery are thrown at us.  Andy is now not in control and he does not look smooth and confident anymore.  Lisa loses all hope...and Lt. Bonner, we can tell, believes their child is a goner.  Hub? He's confident and maybe a little too confident.  Both Lisa and Andy see this and now Lisa has a job...flirt with Hub distract him, and... well...you'll see.

This movie takes us from the stage with playful crooning and fawning beauties to the dark underside of the gritty city in no time.  No one emerges as someone with virtue, and everyone shows their prurient and evil side.  If Andy wants to see his son again, and save his marriage, he will have to change into something he doesn't have any familiarity with. Does Andy want to see his son again and save his marriage to the "I Dream of Jeannie" babe?  Is one of Andy's inner circle the kidnapper/murderer? Will the final reveal be as dark as the rest of this film?  Not the feel good film of 1963, but Pat Boone is wonderful, and so is Barbara Eden. For a gritty mystery that will leave you feeling like you need a shower, see "The Yellow Canary." Oh, one more thing! Sgt. Schultz (John Banner) is also in this.