The Richard Boone Show (TV Series) The Fling (1963) User Reviews

An interesting look at sacrifice,temptation,loyalty and love.

[ronnybee2112 · 9/10 · 26 September 2021]

Richard Boone's character,'Jim Hensel',is a man that is seemingly carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. His wife 'Katy Hensel' has been sick for years and he has been taking care of her as best he can without ever really thinking of himself,because he loves her!

It is implied that they haven't been intimate in ages.

Well,an old drunken war-buddy of 'Jim Hensel',named curiously enough 'Sailor'(?!?) is played by Harry Morgan,(aka MASH's Col Potter). 'Sailor' runs a small diner and admires the relationship that Jim and Katy Hensel have. Sailor is often drunk and can be pretty obnoxious. Somehow he manages to find and hire a wild,flirty, and beautiful young woman 'Florinda' for his restaurant. She eventually takes a shine to 'Jim Hensel'. Now Jim Hensel is obviously a pretty decent man from what we know so far,but on the other hand he is only human,and this woman is a firecracker ! Watch and see what happens.

This One's An 11

[lexyladyjax · 10/10 · 2 December 2011]

Fascinating four character drama about a husband and wife and his temptation by an exotic creature who drifts into their tiny social circle. Katy (Bethel Leslie) is dependent upon Jim (Richard Boone) for her daily care and companionship and it's clear she is not a burden to her loving husband.

Jim and Katy Hensel live in the California desert for her health, so far off the grid they have no electricity. This radical lifestyle change was made for Katy's health. Specific reasons for Katy's illness aren't given. Were we to speculate at this point from her symptoms and the move they made to the dry desert and her mobility problems, she would seem to suffer from a combination of asthma and some form of Multiple Sclerosis.

Conversations make it clear that both Katy and Jim miss aspects of their lives left behind them, but only Jim has the ability to pursue his longing for what's been lost by their move to the desert. The object of Jim's desire, Florinda Kirty (Laura Devon), perfectly portrays a flighty young woman who may or may not be of light moral character.

Jim's life is further burdened by the presence of an old war buddy, Sailor (Henry Morgan), his driver from the Pacific theater. Sailor is a great admirer of Katy and Jim's relationship and feels greatly betrayed by Jim's attraction to Florinda.

Boone rates an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10 for this one. He's magnificent in the reading of the letter at the end.

Some things are better left unsaid

[lor_ · 18 September 2023]

Terrific performances and subtle scripting make "The Fling", a simple little story, pack an emotional story. It's a solid exemplar of what Richard Boone was driving at with his innovative repertory theater series for television.

It opens by showing us the codependency of Boone's marriage to Bethel Leslie. Eight years ago she took ill, and he gave up everything to move them to a little shack in the desert where he cares for her. With "Blue Moon" creeping in and out on the soundtrack, we see their simple life with simple pleasures, and a loving relationship.

But Harry Morgan as Boone's old war buddy who was Leslie's boyfriend long ago, we have an unstated, completely repressed triangle established. It's refreshing to see Morgan, so much identified with low-key, no-nonsense roles, here as an ebullient, hale & hearty fellow nicknamed Sailor, often a little bit drunk as he runs a diner sv4erl miles from the couple's home. Completing the central cast is Laura Devon, perfect in a classic Homewrecker role, tempting Boone toward sin from the moment he lays eyes upon her.

Boone gives a tightly-wound performance, always seeming on the verge of bursting out of his holding-everything-inside facade, leading to a very strong confrontation between the two men. The program's denouement is at first heart-breaking but then ending on a more positive, heartwarming note.

I really enjoyed this little play, not a bombastic 4-character drama like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But in its own insinuating way comes to quite a different, viable conclusion.