That Funny Feeling (1965) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Joan works as a maid-for-hire in New York, cleaning apartments professionally. She is embarrassed by her own modest flat, which drives her to invite her date Tom to a luxurious apartment she cleans daily - not realizing it belongs to him.

Foreshadowing: The opening establishes Joan as a professional cleaner, setting up the central mix-up.

• joan
• maid
• occupation
• new york

Tom Milford is a successful publishing executive. This career places him in the wealthy social sphere that Joan aspires to, making their class difference a central tension in their relationship.

• tom milford
• publishing executive
• job
• career

Most of the action centers on a luxurious upscale apartment in New York. This apartment becomes the setting for the central deception - Joan pretends to live there while actually cleaning it professionally, and it also hosts the high-society party that culminates in the film.

• apartment
• luxury
• setting
• new york
• upscale

That Funny Feeling is set in the mid-1960s, specifically the 1960s era. The story reflects contemporary fashion, social mores, and the stylish, fast-paced lifestyle of that decade's urban elite.

• 1960s
• time period
• era
• setting

The film centers on deception as its primary theme - Joan pretends to own the apartment to impress Tom, while each character constructs lies that escalate the stakes. The story explores how deception fuels romance and social ambition, using humor to examine the blurry line between performance and reality in relationships.

Foreshadowing: The premise itself - a maid pretending to live in a wealthy man's apartment - establishes deception as the story's engine.

• deception
• theme
• lying
• performance
• reality

The film contrasts Joan's modest home with the world of wealth Tom inhabits, revealing class tensions and the cost of social climbing. It satirizes status symbols and access to glamorous spaces, using humor to critique appearances. The resolution suggests authenticity may ultimately trump pretense.

• class
• status
• aspiration
• society
• wealth

Audrey is Joan's aspiring-actress friend who becomes involved in the romantic ruses. She brings a flirtatious, playful energy to the plot and contributes to the comedic chaos surrounding the central deception.

• audrey
• character
• actress friend

Harvey Granson is Tom's friend who provides comedic relief throughout the film. He deals with his own acrimonious divorce and a hidden property, and he participates in the schemes out of loyalty to Tom, offering practical counterpoints to the main couple's deceptions.

• harvey granson
• character
• donald o'connor

The high-society party in the luxurious apartment reaches its peak when a police raid occurs. This event provides comedic contrast to the glamour on display, with a police van and nearby station highlighting the farcical nature of the central deception.

Foreshadowing: The party represents the inevitable unraveling of the characters' web of lies.

• party
• police raid
• comedy
• climax

Despite their mutual deception and the farcical complications that threaten to unravel their relationship, the film suggests that genuine feelings emerge from their tangle of schemes. The resolution implies their connection transcends the lies, with a romantic gesture sealing their bond.

• romance
• ending
• joan
• tom
• relationship