Penelope is a 1966 Romantic Comedy crime film directed by Arthur Hiller, starring Natalie Wood, Ian Bannen, Peter Falk, Dick Shawn and Arlene Golonka. The screenplay by George Wells was based on the 1965 novel of the same name, written by Howard Fast under the Pen Name "E.V. Cunningham". John Williams composed the soundtrack (credited as "Johnny Williams"), and Edith Head conceived Wood's wardrobe.
Penelope Elcott (Wood), the wife of wealthy New York banker James Elcott (Bannen), decides to rob her husband's bank to attract his attention and pulls it off, and she also tells everything to her infatuated psychiatrist Dr. Gregory Mannix (Shawn). Police Lieutenant Horatio Bixbee (Falk) is on the case.
Not to be confused with the 2006 film Penelope with Christina Ricci.
This film features examples of:
- Attempted Rape: Penelope tells her psychiatrist that her kleptomaniac tendencoes began in college when a professor (Jonathan Winters) lured her into his laboratory and attempted to sexually assault her, but she escaped, taking the watch fob of the professor with her in the process.
- Bank Robbery: Penelope commits two robberies in her husband's bank. She does so solely to attract his attention.
- Bubblegum Popping: When Penelope hangs out with Lt. Bixbee, Bixbee lets her help herself on his bubblegum and they both make bubbles while talking. She then pops her first two bubbles, but not the third.
- The Chanteuse: Penelope's job before she became James' wife.
- Desperately Craves Affection: Penelope's psychiatrist comes to the conclusion that she is stealing to attract attention from her distant husband.
- Dropped Glasses: Penelope loses one of her contact lenses when she meets James for the first time and the both of them searching for it ends up being their first romantic click.
- Hopeless Suitor: Mannix is infatuated with Penelope, who doesn't return the feelings.
- Involuntary Charity Donation: The Salvation Army officer comes at the police department to report about the stolen $1000 banknote that a disguised Penelope gave to him. Since it's stolen money it has to be given back to James, but Penelope (as herself) ends up pushing a reluctant James to sign a $1000 check for the Salvation Army in return.
- Just Like Robin Hood: Penelope donates $1000 out of the money she stole in her husband's bank to the Salvation Army.
- Latex Perfection: Penelope's old lady mask is very convincing when she has it on her face, while it doesn't appear to be so when James finds it in the bank's toilets.
- Lead Police Detective: Lt. Horatio Bixbee leads the robbery case. His portrayal by Peter Falk makes the role a sort of dry run for Columbo, with several similar mannerisms and observation skills (though somehow not enough to unmask Penelope for the latter).
- Married to the Job: James is too busy with his banking job to care about his wife Penelope, which combined with her kleptomaniac tendencies leads her to commit robberies to attract his attention.
- Master of Disguise: For the first bank robbery, Penelope disguises herself as an old woman, and quite convincingly so. A few minutes later, she fools everyone with a wig and a yellow suit long enough to get away during the chaos that follows her old lady trick.
- Ms. Fanservice: Penelope, who is in various flattering dresses through the film, and sometimes just in her underwear or in a bikini.
- Office Golf: Mannix practices some golf in his office towards the end.
- Played for Laughs: The flashback with the Attempted Rape on Penelope by a teacher is played comedically.
- Right Under Their Noses: Penelope joins her husband and Lt. Bixbee at the police department to watch the footage of her own bank robbery. Later on, she hangs out with Bixbee.
- Screaming Woman: Serena the bank clerk screams at the top of her lungs after Penelope (in old lady disguise) threatened her with a gun to steal banknotes.
- Skewed Priorities: While she's being chased by the professor who wants to sexually assault her in his lab, Penelope takes time to write "HELP" on the room's chalkboard... and the professor stops to erase the word instead of chasing her.
- Sticky Fingers: Penelope is kleptomaniac and can't help but stealing things just for the sake of it.
- Therapist in Therapy: Once he's done with Penelope in their first therapy scene, Mannix sees another therapist.
- Weapon for Intimidation: For the first bank robbery, Penelope (in old lady disguise) uses a toy gun to threaten the bank clerk and steal banknotes, though the fact that it's a toy gun isn't made clear until the first therapist scene.
