Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Frank Perry

Writers:

Sue Kaufman (novel)
Eleanor Perry (writer)

Release Date:

10 August 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

I, Tina Balser, Housewife, Did Not Do My Chores Today. I Did...Something Else!

Plot:

A housewife with an abusive husband has an affair with a writer.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Group Therapy | Abusive Husband | Housewife | Lawyer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Richard Benjamin	...	Jonathan Balser
Frank Langella	...	George Prager
Carrie Snodgress	...	Tina Balser
Lorraine Cullen	...	Sylvie Balser
Frannie Michel	...	Liz Balser
Lee Addoms	...	Mrs. Prinz
Peter Dohanos	...	Samuel Keefer
Katherine Meskill	...	Charlotte Rady
Leonard Elliott	...	M. Henri
Valma	...	Margo
Hilda Haynes	...	Lottie
Donald Symington	...	Pediatrician (as Don Symington)
Alley Mills	...	Women's lib girl (as Allison Mills)
Alice Cooper	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Bruce	...	Himself... guitarist for the Alice Cooper band
Glen Buxton	...	Himself... guitarist for the Alice Cooper band
Jeanette Du Bois	...	Vera
Dennis Dunaway	...	Himself... bassist for the Alice Cooper band
Kurt Garfield	...	Carpenter
Jason Holt
William Kiehl	...	Elliot Asher
I.W. Klein	...	Stuttering man in group therapy
George Loros	...	Malcolm
Lester Rawlins	...	Dr. Linstrom
Renee Semes	...	College Girl in group therapy session
Neal Smith	...	Himself... drummer for the Alice Cooper band

Runtime:

95 min | 104 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | USA:R

Company:

Frank Perry Films Inc.

Quotes:

Jonathan Balser: How about a little roll in the hay?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "My Wife and Kids: Diary of a Mad Teen (#3.5)" (2002)

SIlent Reproach is Often Times a Loaded Gun!!!!!!

Richard Benjamin and Carrie Snodgress are a married couple who are plagued with the preconceived notion that a prerequisite to living in Central Park West means being content with nothing!!!...Richard Benjamin is an attorney who is floundering in his attempt to be accepted into New York's intellectual circles!!!..Carrie Snodgress is a housewife who is fatigued with domestic malaise and always seems to be the scapegoat for her husband's frustrations...As a diversion, she seeks a form of social escapism by way of a gigolo...The relationship is manifested through sophisticated encounter...The gigolo is a precocious punk who gets emotionally abusive to her...As a result the wife (Carrie Snodgress) feels more isolated and confused than ever before in her life...At the end of the film, the wife finds out that her gigolo prefers the boys, and the husband is resolutely defeated by irrational conclusions in every aspect of his life...The lavish parties, the academic pretensions, and the extensive therapy are all urban subterfuges for individual insecurity!!!

The characters and the social situations are extremely well developed, especially in that they bring out the nuances as being the true culprits for this married couple's precarious existence!!!...This film makes avoidable disappointments a very emphatic reality!!... An Excellent!!!Excellent!!!Excellent!!! Excellent Film!!!!