Cactus Flower

Julian Winston, a dentist, has been romancing the young Toni Simmons while telling her he is married with children, a story that lets him avoid any promise of commitment. When Toni learns the truth and her distress leads to a suicide attempt, Julian decides to propose after all. Toni insists on meeting the wife she believes exists before she will marry him, so Julian turns to Stephanie Dickinson, the nurse who has worked devotedly at his practice for years, and asks her to play the part. The deception draws in others and produces a series of complications for everyone involved.

Gene Saks directed the film, his third feature after Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple, from a screenplay by I. A. L. Diamond. Walter Matthau plays Julian, Ingrid Bergman appears as Stephanie, and Goldie Hawn plays Toni, with Jack Weston, Rick Lenz and Vito Scotti among a credited cast of thirty-one. Columbia Pictures and Frankovich Productions released it in December 1969.

The film was made for about 3 million dollars and took roughly 26 million dollars worldwide, a return that indicates a wide commercial success. On IMDb it holds a critics' rating of 6.9 from twenty reviews, while on TMDB it scores 7.2 from 249 votes, putting the two measures close together.