Jason Steel [Dean Martin] is a beloved actor who plays a compassionate doctor on a popular TV drama. The fame that comes with such a role blends into his real life, leaving him feeling a bit adrift as the show itself seems to drift and lose its edge. The constant influx of fans and attention becomes a heavy weight, especially when he’s trying to navigate a sense of purpose beyond the studio lights.
During a weekly Wednesday poker gathering with friends—Tom, Harry, Sanford, Yoshimi, and Leonard—the men debate marriage and the ideal of lifelong commitment. Jason teases that his fiancée, Melissa, will soon prove to everyone just how wonderful married life can be. Their talk is interrupted by a call from a woman who needs Jason’s help, prompting him to rush home. The others joke that he must be off to a romantic tryst, unaware that the caller is actually one of their own wives, Jacqueline Macha Méril, Tom’s wife, who seeks Jason’s counsel about reigniting excitement in her own marriage.
Jacqueline’s visit quickly escalates beyond advice when she kisses him. Jason pulls away, reminding her that her place is to talk to Tom, not him, but the moment has already planted seeds of suspicion. Back at the poker table, Charlie, the valet, overhears and misreads the situation, convinced that an affair is underway.
The pattern repeats at the next poker night when Tobi [Jill St. John], Harry’s wife, calls for Jason’s counsel about her marriage. Jason steps out to meet her, and the two share a dance while he offers guidance. Yet once again Charlie misreads the scene, and the air around the group grows tenser. On set, Harry chides Melissa—Jason’s fiancée—about keeping Jason up late, arguing it makes him less capable at work. Melissa, puzzled by the conversations, questions the mysteries swirling around Jason’s behavior and the wedding plans they’ve discussed.
At the following poker session, Jason is summoned away again, leaving his friends to wonder why he seems to be “shopping” around for affection when he already has Melissa. Back at home, Jason tries to navigate the delicate balance of giving marital advice to three of his friends’ wives in turn—Isami [Yoko Tani], Yoshimi’s wife; Tobi; and Jacqueline—each time she hides when the next visitor arrives at the door. The suspense grows as a policeman arrives, drawn by the odd, almost theatrical disruption taking place at Jason’s home.
Seeking clarity, Jason schedules a session with Sanford Kaufman [Martin Balsam], a psychiatrist. He explains that the flurry of calls and the blurred lines between friendship, marriage, and desire have left him unsure about the future of his own relationship. He admits to feeling anxious that his marriage might end up as unhappy as those around him. After the session, a sense of relief washes over him, and he resolves to marry Melissa.
Stella Irving [Carol Burnett], Melissa’s best friend and Sanford’s assistant, overhears part of the conversation and fears a much darker interpretation: she worries that Jason’s interest stretches beyond innocent friendship and into disloyal territory. Sanford and Stella briefly fear Jason has been lusting after their wives, and their anxiety only grows.
Jason, feeling exposed and vulnerable, reaches out to Melissa to confess everything. But Melissa remains cautious about Jason’s neurosis, so Stella hatches a scheme: Melissa will pretend to marry another man, Sam Jones [Steve Clinton], to force Jason’s hand. A few days later, Melissa reveals that the “marriage” to Sam was a ruse, and she’s left him, but she doesn’t reveal the truth to Jason yet. Jason, convinced that a real commitment is near, insists that Melissa divorce Sam and make their own marriage official. Stella, ever the trickster, lies that they’re flying to Tijuana for a “divorce,” and Jason agrees to join them rather than risk more questions.
In the end, Jason accompanies the group as they travel, only to uncover the deception and be shattered by the lie that now stands between him and Melissa. He leaves, heartbroken that the only woman he believed to be truly honest with him may have betrayed his trust. Yet Stella and Charlie press him to a confrontation, nudging him toward Melissa and pushing him to pursue a resolution. He goes to see Melissa, angry but resolute, and declares that they should marry that very night.
In this film, the tension between celebrity life and intimate fidelity sits at the center of the comedy-drama. The story uses playful misunderstandings and sharp exchanges to probe how easily trust can fray when the boundary between fans, friends, and lovers becomes blurred. The ensemble cast adds texture to the situation: Jacqueline [Macha Méril], Mona Kaufman, Stella Irving [Carol Burnett], Dora Ashley, and the rest float in and out of Jason’s orbit, their actions driving the misunderstandings and the emotional pulse of the plot. Through its brisk, character-driven humor and moments of genuine vulnerability, the movie invites us to consider what truly binds two people together when the world is always watching.
