One of the more peculiar trends that we see happening in film comes when we realize that there are certain instances where specific years tend to be particularly strong in terms of looking at a particular subject, which is rarely intentional. 1957 is likely the best year for media satires, solely due to the fact that three of the very best were produced and released at the time – on one end, we have Alexander Mackendrick’s scathing and subversive Sweet Smell of Success, and on the other there is Elia Kazan’s shocking and terrifying A Face in the Crowd, both of which are amongst the most brutal indictments on the uncontrollable nature of the media ever produced. Squarely in the middle of the two is another film, one that is slightly less well-regarded, but remains one of the most pointed and effective explorations of the media ever produced – Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, which was written and directed by Frank Tashlin, one of the foremost experts in the kind of upbeat Technicolor comedies that defined the 1950s, having made films like The Girl Can’t Help It and Artists and Models, both of which are wildly entertaining films that combine musicality and comedy to form hilarious satires of different subjects. Here, we are witness to the story of a down-on-his-luck advertiser that finds himself encountering that sweet smell of success so many of his peers yearn for, coming in the form of a chance romance with a film star that is looking for a patsy to take part in an elaborate showbusiness scandal. Hilariously irreverent, but told with the kind of ferocious optimism that defined a lot of films during this era, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is a tremendously funny and thought-provoking satire that implicitly understands its audience and its expectations, and delivers on all of them.

Tashlin’s background as an animator on programmes such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies are put to good use in his longer directorial outings, with the combination of the colourful visual landscape and fast-paced humour being directly influenced by his many years of hard work in the short-form medium. It’s certainly not difficult to see the influence these films had on Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, which takes the form of an upbeat satire that explores a very complex issue through a more rudimentary approach. Stories about the advertising industry of the 1950s are not difficult to find – on both film and television, we see parables about the foreboding presence of Madison Avenue and its tendency towards compacting entire populations into key demographics, marketing specific items at different groups for the sake of manifesting a profit for corporate America. These stories are a dime a dozen, and often aren’t all that inventive outside of a few strong ideas – and whether we’re watching one produced during this era, or a pastiche to this period in recent history, there are a few key components that are found in all of them. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? exists as both a subversion of these conventions, and an outright celebration of them – there’s nothing quite like a quick-witted satire that knows what it wants to say, and manages to achieve something of value through its execution – and Tashlin mastered this kind of complex humour that was not only accessible to all viewers at the time, but has remained endearing, over half a century later. There are many layers to the film, and the director easily navigates all of them, gradually pulling apart the layers to form a vivid and enticing romantic comedy that pays attention to the small details, as well as the broader strokes.

Perhaps the most alluring component of the film are the two stars – Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? boasts a pair of leads that weren’t just great actors, but embodied the period in which the film took place. Jayne Mansfield and Tony Randall had careers outside of the 1950s (although the former did tragically pass away in the next decade), but they became icons of the era purely based on their body of work within it. Mansfield was a fascinating case – she utilized her extraordinary beauty and magnetic screen presence in a way that was often quite unexpected. Considering many dismissed her as a lesser version of the blonde bombshell that Marilyn Monroe defined, the decision to weaponize this quality and use it to her benefit was a very smart decision – rather than trying to overtake Monroe or any of the other striking performers that were part of this group, Mansfield took on roles that often critically satirized them. The character of Rita Marlowe was based on this stock archetype, so casting Mansfield was a good decision, since she had the presence to convincingly play the part, but also the diverse gifts to do something interesting with it. Randall, on the other hand, enjoyed a career that went well into his old age, and while he did have some great leading roles, he was mostly known for supporting parts in vehicles for other actors, the happy-go-luck best friend of the protagonist who helps them in their various schemes, but ultimately comes off as just a secondary character. In Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Randall is front and centre, being the romantic lead – and he certainly was very adept at handling the material, undoubtedly a result of both his talents and experience in the industry, which may not have been intended to shine a spotlight on offbeat character actors like Randall, but certainly did so when it came to projects that knew how to use him as more than just a sidekick, which the director seemed to be actively trying to do with this film.

Satire is such a bizarre concept – it’s often difficult to define it exactly, since there are so many different ways to describe it, and it tends to take many different forms. It’s best to view it less as a genre or artistic style, and more as a general feeling, something that one can recognize when they see it, but otherwise not offer the most concrete definition, with the flexibility being one of its most significant qualities. This may seem like a troublesome approach to describing something that is as widely-discussed, but many artists have used this more malleable definition to configure the concept of satire to their own specific needs. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? draws on a very specific kind of humour, that of the romantic comedy, but looks at it from the other perspective – what if there wasn’t such a thing as love at first sight, but rather a more cynical way of looking at romance, one that exists less to fill a void within the involved parties, and more an opportunity to further some agenda? This film is primarily one about desire, albeit a more forthright kind, a form of longing for fame and wealth, which is inextricably tied to the idea of showbusiness, which Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is extent on exploring in a lot of detail. Despite being a film that is quintessentially the product of the 1950s, it feels remarkably fresh – considering that our obsession with celebrity culture has only increased over time (especially in worshipping individuals who are famous solely for the sake of being famous), the film is remarkably prescient, almost being able to predict the future, or rather showing that history has a tendency to repeat itself – and this principle is always a good way to enter into a discussion about what great satire is, since any attempt to lampoon a certain side of the culture is going to be successful if we can watch it several decades later and still finding resonance in the story being told.

In making Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, Tashlin had quite a challenge ahead of him, being tasked with condensing the entire concept of celebrity culture, the advertising industry and the social and political atmosphere of the United States into a single film. However, his approach is one that is almost ridiculously simple, since every scene is approached from the perspective of contributing to a wider discussion on the nature of showbusiness, the broad umbrella under which every concept in the film can somehow fit. The film is about a group of characters putting on a show, just on a much larger stage, and where the stakes are monumentally higher, which is where the story is at its most effective. There are a number of ideas simmering beneath this film that warrant discussion – and yet, it never feels overstuffed, with each theme being expanded on appropriately and with a lot of space around which it can manoeuvre a few genuinely funny jokes. Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? is an unexpectedly progressive satire, a film designed to poke fun at the rabid cult of celebrity that existed in the 1950s, but yet remains an invigorating and thought-provoking comedy that still has real-world resonance, which means much more than a lot of satirical works that are funny in context, but haven’t aged particularly well. This film has a dedicated group of supporters, but it is often overshadowed by more directly confrontational films on the same issues – but if anything is proven by Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, it is that an effervescent comedy can have a lot of depth, and through actively engaging with its core themes and addressing the wealth of information that surrounds our culture, a great film can come from the most unexpected sources.