As someone must have said by now, this is a 1970s movie. Its subject is confrontations between bewildered, sympathetic or bemused feminists of the period and bewildered, sympathetic or bemused males of the period. It is a comedy with elements of satire, meaning the viewer know things should turn out fine, although it just does not seem so during the earlier stages. This made-for-TV classic of its sort has a likable and fine cast, a witty script and more fun per minute than almost any other film on the same topic. It is a look at the bad position women have been placed in in the U.S., at 1970, and since 1770. and what some people wanted to do about that problem; it is also about persons who do not have all the answers but are trying to negotiate a way of restating the questions. The chosen story-line pits two "natural" antagonists, a nice-guy police officer played by David Hartman who is not anti-feminine just not pro 'women's lib" and about as confused as anyone is on the topic, and Barbara Eden, a young woman who is sure she is pro-feminine but not certain how she ought to proceed. Each gets bad advice from their friends, in Eden's case JoAnn Worley and in Hartman's case just about everyone. Eden has a fiancée, nice-guy Herb Edelman, who is sympathetic but gormless; and there is a hitch...because there are so few apartments in San Francisco, Hartman and Eden cannot have the apartment they love and need except by sharing it. Since their schedules do not clash, they agree to try a mutual occupation arrangement. But not until after she has harassed him and he has frisked her, in the line of duty; by this time we viewers have had demonstrated several facts--that they annoy one another and are attracted to one another; but that he is not ready to admit she needs more rights and she is not ready to admit some in the movement have overdone their protests. The clever script omits nothing--bra burning, enlisting prostitutes who agree with the idea of liberation to the point of sometimes overdoing lack of controls, her father's spending time with Julie Newmar, a charming lady of the streets, Worley and Edelman getting together and deciding that if she wants to dominate he really wants her to do so, and the principals overcoming their differences and falling in love. A message in this film? Hardly. It is about the need for non-acrimonious communication, confronting 70's issues and the fun provided by the script's author, James S. Henerson. Jerry Paris, TV veteran actor and director, kept the events moving fluidly. In addition to the good actors already named, the cast included TV veterans Arthur Batanides, Harry Morgan as Eden's father, John McGiver, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Perry, Sheila James and Penny Marshall, among others. Cinematography was by Emil Oster, good and suitably-comedic original music by Jack Elliott and Allyn Ferguson. Theladies take up karate, the men take to worrying, but in the end this pleasant film's creators, a film very much imitated by never duplicated since, comes down on the side not of compromise but of tolerant understanding and individual choices--surely a welcome alternative to preaching, maintaining a rightless status quo for females or compounding a bad situation with more bad ideas. Give it a try; this film is funny and occasionally wise. As most who have seen it would say, this is memorable and balanced.
15 Reviews
synopsis is wrong
the_doofy4 October 2018
The cop is 'the fuzz', not a chauvinist. Eden's character is more of a confused feminist, case in point, an actual fem would snap at a guy for opening a door for her.
The actors in this thing is a who's who from the late 70s, it was a joy to see so many in one movie.
Barbara's role was pretty hilarious, I can tell she got a kick out of her character.
A guy like the cop would not actually have a playboy bunny as a girlfriend, however it was a kick seeing farrah playing that character.
It was fun watching this
The actors in this thing is a who's who from the late 70s, it was a joy to see so many in one movie.
Barbara's role was pretty hilarious, I can tell she got a kick out of her character.
A guy like the cop would not actually have a playboy bunny as a girlfriend, however it was a kick seeing farrah playing that character.
It was fun watching this
Archetypal Early-'70s TV Movie
lisado26 February 1999
If you're looking for the state-of-the-art of TV movies from this time period, look no further. Everything about this movie is serviceable and familiar. Just a bit more memorable than some TV movies, if only for the fact that it has more than its share of well-known players and some above average (if somewhat overblown) writing. Puts a comic spin on its battle-of-the-sexes/mores clash premise and churns out a mildly entertaining, ever-so-slightly provocative and risque (for the time) look at the relationship between a supposed feminist activist and her police officer roommate. It certainly does not go out of its way to make any statements for the ages. Formula from beginning to end...nary a plot twist in sight!!
There are certainly better uses of your time, but if you're home sick, and it's on, it could be an amusing way to pass the time.
There are certainly better uses of your time, but if you're home sick, and it's on, it could be an amusing way to pass the time.
Barbara Eden, David Hartman, and the supporting cast have enough charm in the fluffy The Feminist and the Fuzz
tavm9 September 2012
Just watched this made-for-TV movie starring Barbara Eden-her first after her TV series "I Dream of Jeannie" was canceled-and David Hartman-years before gaining fame as the first host of "Good Morning, America". She's a doctor who mostly believes in the women's liberation movement while he's a cop who's puzzled by some of their stances. After some haggling, they reluctantly agree to share an apartment since one works in the morning and the other at night. They are also initially seeing someone else-Ms. Eden has a liberal lawyer who lives with his mother played by Herb Edelman and Hartman's occasionally with a Playboy bunny played by young Farrah Fawcett. Others in the supporting cast include Jo Anne Worley as the head of WAM-Women Against Men-who has no hesitation of using her karate chop, Julie Newmar as an aspirational X-rated actress, and Harry Morgan as Ms. Eden's dad. Look also for Penny Marshall in some scenes. Anyway, I found the whole thing a little silly but funny enough for my tastes. And with the short running time meant to fill a 90-minute slot, The Feminist and the Fuzz should go down easy as the fluff it was meant to be.
Okay so I laughed, but I rolled my eyes more.
mark.waltz4 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a huge fan of pretty much everybody in this cast, and JoAnne Worley is certainly on the top of my list as one of the funniest women ever in the history of show business. But in this film, she is given a character so vile that every time she comes onscreen, I wanted to fast forward. There is nothing funny about her doctor man-hating feminist, going out of her way and with pleasure to beat up David Hartman, the cop roommate of her friend Barbara Eden. She's another feminist doctor who becomes Hartman's roommate in a lavish San Francisco apartment ($200 a month!) after an argument over equal rights.
Obvious dated sensibilities dominate this film but that's not what makes it a bad film. It's played for laughs and those last end up coming out in really bad taste, making everything silly when it is actually stupid. There are great moments for John McGiver, Herb Edelman (as Eden's boyfriend) and Harry Morgan, but the women are presented in one-dimensional ways, either completely missindress or stereotypically ditzy and vapid, as evidenced by the bit roles played by Julie Newmar and Farrah Fawcett.
You'll recognize Penny Marshall and Sheila Kuehl among the other feminists, members of WAM (women against men), and the presence of a male writer and director indicates that this was not on the side of any realistic kind of feminism. Like "What's Up Doc" the following year, this makes good use of the San Francisco locations, but it certainly is not a good follow-up to Jeannie for Barbara Eden. Her character may make some good arguments for the reason for the fight for women's rights, but her sincerity in her beliefs is questionable. The WAM movement and its followers are outlandishly offensive. Probably one of the worst TV movie comedies ever made.
Obvious dated sensibilities dominate this film but that's not what makes it a bad film. It's played for laughs and those last end up coming out in really bad taste, making everything silly when it is actually stupid. There are great moments for John McGiver, Herb Edelman (as Eden's boyfriend) and Harry Morgan, but the women are presented in one-dimensional ways, either completely missindress or stereotypically ditzy and vapid, as evidenced by the bit roles played by Julie Newmar and Farrah Fawcett.
You'll recognize Penny Marshall and Sheila Kuehl among the other feminists, members of WAM (women against men), and the presence of a male writer and director indicates that this was not on the side of any realistic kind of feminism. Like "What's Up Doc" the following year, this makes good use of the San Francisco locations, but it certainly is not a good follow-up to Jeannie for Barbara Eden. Her character may make some good arguments for the reason for the fight for women's rights, but her sincerity in her beliefs is questionable. The WAM movement and its followers are outlandishly offensive. Probably one of the worst TV movie comedies ever made.
more romantic comedy than feminist movie
petersjoelen27 September 2020
I can't stand feminist movies today , they are mean nasty and full of man hating
themes , even the comedy versions .
Back in the 70's it was different ( well in this one it was ) .
The tone of the film is more of an romantic comedy with the feminist themes that are sometimes ridiculed and that is in my opinion a good thing .
Barabara eden and David Hartman are playing their parts very well and also the rest of the cast is good .
The end with all the people together where the confusion is solved is funny
and the happy end is in the line of what you would expect from a romantic comedy .
Yes i enjoyed this movie
The best part of watching the film was watching the steam pouring out of my wife's ears!!
planktonrules6 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"The Feminist and the Fuzz" is an incredibly dated and occasionally offensive film. It's clearly a product of the 1970s but today a lot of women, and not just rabid feminists, would no doubt be irritated by the silliness and stupidity of the script. As my wife said it, "this film sets back feminism 60 years".
David Hartman plays a cop and Barbara Eden is the feminist. When both show up to rent the same great apartment at the same time, he ends up ticketing her...which she deserved. However, he is totally sexist and the pair don't know what to do about the apartment. Then, she gets the brilliant idea of them BOTH getting it and sharing it! Wackiness and hilarity supposedly follow...supposedly.
The script is filled with just about every stereotype and cliché known at the time...including Eden's wacky man-hating friend who is a blackbelt and beats up the fuzz! It comes off like a pilot for a very bad sit-com...very bad. Cringe-inducing and just badly done-- and a waste of talent.
By the way...in this film we are expected to believe that the genial but, at best, ordinary looking Hartman is dating Farrah Fawcett and eventually has Barbara Eden fall for him as well...in his dreams!!!
David Hartman plays a cop and Barbara Eden is the feminist. When both show up to rent the same great apartment at the same time, he ends up ticketing her...which she deserved. However, he is totally sexist and the pair don't know what to do about the apartment. Then, she gets the brilliant idea of them BOTH getting it and sharing it! Wackiness and hilarity supposedly follow...supposedly.
The script is filled with just about every stereotype and cliché known at the time...including Eden's wacky man-hating friend who is a blackbelt and beats up the fuzz! It comes off like a pilot for a very bad sit-com...very bad. Cringe-inducing and just badly done-- and a waste of talent.
By the way...in this film we are expected to believe that the genial but, at best, ordinary looking Hartman is dating Farrah Fawcett and eventually has Barbara Eden fall for him as well...in his dreams!!!
Very entertaining - and funny too!
meganmushrat1 May 2005
The Feminist and the Fuzz is a movie I have been trying to find on VHS or DVD for several years. It was made back when the Feminist Movement was hot stuff and is a thoroughly enjoyable 'spoof' on the battle of the sexes. Both Barbara Eden and David Hartman did great jobs in their roles, and the cameo appearances by Harry Porter, Farrah Fawecett and Julie Newmar (did I get the names right?) were wonderful. Although it is definitely a comedy, it does make one think a little bit about whether or not the feminist movement (women are exactly equal to men) is accurate or not. If you have a chance to see it and you are looking for an evening of light entertainment - go no further.
"Talk about the Odd Couple!"
moonspinner556 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Female doctor (and women's libber) Barbara Eden, on her way to look at an apartment for rent in San Francisco, gets pulled over by cop David Hartman for running a red light; he's about to let her off with a warning, but his compliments about her beauty cause her to get defensive and talk him INTO giving her a ticket. They end up renting the apartment jointly (under the auspices of a married couple), but her feminist viewpoint clashes immediately with his condescending, chauvinistic attitudes. TV-made romantic comedy, pandering to the lowest common denominator, isn't even interested in scoring points for either side (it's too stupid), though it doesn't hesitate to treat the city's younger citizens (the hippies) with blind prejudice. Wide-eyed Eden is all girlish twinkles and overeager comebacks (no militant overtures from this sugarpuss); next to her, stone-faced Hartman is practically an isle of sanity.
Better than average TV movie
bejwak23 August 2003
I saw this movie when it first came out on TV. As a 16 year old I really appreciated the sight of Barbara Eden in a Bunny suit. It has many familiar faces and a pleasant story line. Nothing objectionable and good for the whole family. I give it an 8 and would certainly buy it on DVD if it becomes available.
A Beautiful Female Cast
Uriah438 April 2016
"Officer Jerry Frazer" (David Hartman) is a San Francisco police officer who is looking for an apartment. "Dr. Jane Bowers" (Barbara Eden) is a pediatrician who is also looking for an apartment. The problem for both of them is that affordable apartments are very difficult to find in this particular city. As luck would have it, when an apartment becomes vacant both of them rush to claim it and just happen to arrive at the same time. Recognizing that the rent is a little too pricey and cognizant of the fact that they have different shifts, they then decide to share the apartment with each other. The problem is that each of them have a different set of values which are in direct opposition to the other yet agree to pretend to be married to satisfy the landlord. Likewise, they each have companions of their own which complicates things even further. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film turned out to be an interesting made-for-television movie in large part because of the beautiful female cast which featured Farrah Fawcett (as Jerry's girlfriend "Kitty Murdock"), Julie Newmar ("Lilah McGuinness") and of course the aforementioned Barbara Eden. Yet in spite of these attractive ladies, the film itself suffered from a predictable plot and a deficiency of comedy. That said, while it certainly wasn't a bad movie, I didn't consider it to be all that great either and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
Goofy made for TV fun
BandSAboutMovies26 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The January 26, 1971 ABC Movie of the Week, this film was directed by Jerry Paris, who you may know as Jerry Helper, the dentist and next-door neighbor of Rob and Laura Petrie. What you may not know is that he directed 237 of the 255 episodes of Happy Days in addition to Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment and Police Academy 3: Back in Training.
Speaking of police, hey, there's the fuzz right there in the title. Said cop is played by David Hartman, who would go on to host Good Morning America from 1975 to 1987. He's Officer Jerry Frazer and somehow, he ends up splitting an apartment with pediatrician Jane Bowers (Barbara Eden). They're quite the odd couple - that had to be the pitch for this - as he's a traditional man's man who dates a Playboy Bunny (Farrah Fawcett!) and she's a believer in women's lib who has a mother's boy for a fiancee (Herb Edelman, who would one day be Blance's ex Stanley on The Golden Girls).
This is just packed with TV stars, like M*A*S*H* and Dragnet's Harry Morgan as Jane's father, Jo Anne Worley as the feminist leader of Women Against Men Dr. Debby Inglefinger and Julie Newmar as an aspiring porn star who asks Jerry to arrest her so she can have a place to sleep.
It's 74 minutes of fluff, you know exactly where it's going but man, there's nothing like early 70s TV to just make our 2021 world feel a little better.
Speaking of police, hey, there's the fuzz right there in the title. Said cop is played by David Hartman, who would go on to host Good Morning America from 1975 to 1987. He's Officer Jerry Frazer and somehow, he ends up splitting an apartment with pediatrician Jane Bowers (Barbara Eden). They're quite the odd couple - that had to be the pitch for this - as he's a traditional man's man who dates a Playboy Bunny (Farrah Fawcett!) and she's a believer in women's lib who has a mother's boy for a fiancee (Herb Edelman, who would one day be Blance's ex Stanley on The Golden Girls).
This is just packed with TV stars, like M*A*S*H* and Dragnet's Harry Morgan as Jane's father, Jo Anne Worley as the feminist leader of Women Against Men Dr. Debby Inglefinger and Julie Newmar as an aspiring porn star who asks Jerry to arrest her so she can have a place to sleep.
It's 74 minutes of fluff, you know exactly where it's going but man, there's nothing like early 70s TV to just make our 2021 world feel a little better.
A very funny movie with most of beautiful Barbara very visible.Enjoyable.
pat-17610 November 2005
This movie is funny in the extreme. Barbara Eden and David Hartman Barbara Eden play their parts perfectly. I especially enjoyed the fun at the night club and the scene with Jerry (David Hartman) carrying Jane Bowers (Barbara Eden) out and putting her in the police car as his girl friend (Farah Fawcet) watched.Also the scene where Jo Ann Worley clobbers David Harman with Karate chops. The scenes with Jo Ann Worly as the head man hater,were extremely funny . Also the parts with the nosy irritable, ornery landlord added to the fun. It is too bad that these movies are not presented on TV more often. So what if they are dated. They are funny even in these disturbing times.
Where can I find a copy of The Feminist and the Fuzz?
pqseashore31 January 2009
When I watched The Feminist and the Fuzz, I did not own a VCR. Later I thought I could purchase it, but it seems that it never came out on VCR or DVD. I often record a movie while I watch it, and so I hope that someone did that when it was shown in 1971 (?). I would be happy to buy a copy even if the quality is poor, as long as it can be seen. I tried for many years to find a copy of the PBS movie She Loves Me and had just about given up when someone saw one of my many posted requests and directed me to someone who had recorded it and offered to sell me a copy. I bring it out at Christmas time for the sheer joy of experiencing the wonderful music and happy story again. Even though it first came out as The Shop Around the Corner with Jimmy Stewart and The Good Old Summer Time and You've Got Mail, I still treasure She Loves Me over all of them. I thank you for any help you can offer for The Feminist and the Fuzz.
One of the best B movies i've ever watched
cwolf1025 April 2020
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