The Pad and How to Use It (1966) Reviews

A nebbish tries to become a ladies' man overnight, with disastrous results, in this comedy. Bob Handman (Brian Bedford) is a bright but painfully shy young man who is more than a bit nervous around the opposite sex. While attending a Mozart recital, he meets a beautiful woman named Doreen Marshall (Julie Sommars), and he displays his typical panache with the ladies by spilling his drink all over her. Bob somehow works up the courage to ask Doreen for a date, and she accepts; not sure what to do next, Bob calls on his buddy Ted (James Farentino), a self-assured playboy who tries to give Bob a crash course on how to handle women. However, the teacher outshines the student, and Doreen falls for Ted's easy charm while Bob gets drunk and bemoans the sad state of his love life. The Pad and How to Use It was based on a one-act play by Peter Shaffer, who later went on to greater success with Equus and Amadeus. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi