Blake Edwards dark psychological film about the effects of alcoholism on a previously happy marriage, starred Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. It has been described as "perhaps the most unsparing tract against drink that Hollywood has yet produced, more pessimistic than Billy Wilder's "The Lost Weekend"". The film gave another major boost to Edwards's reputation as an important director. "Darling Lili" star Julie Andrews married Edwards in 1969. While a few critics such as George Morris thought the film a major picture ("it synthesizes every major Edwards theme: the disappearance of gallantry and honor, the tension between appearances and reality, and the
Blake Edwards Edwards served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II, where he suffered a severe back injury, which left him in pain for years afterwards. Edwards' debut as a director came in 1952 on the television program "Four Star Playhouse". In the 1954–1955 television season, Edwards joined with Richard Quine to create Mickey Rooney's first television series, "," a sitcom about a young studio page trying to become a serious actor. Edwards's hard-boiled private detective scripts for "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" became NBC's answer to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, reflecting Edwards's unique humor. Edwards also created, wrote,