Kotch (1971)

Director:

Jack Lemmon

Writers:

John Paxton (screenplay)
Katharine Topkins (novel)

Release Date:

17 September 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Joseph Kotcher, a retired traveling salesman, lives with his son Gerald and daughter-in-law Wilma in Los Angeles...

Plot Keywords:

Senility | Teenage Pregnancy | Old Age | Gas Station Restroom | One Word Title

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Joseph P. Kotcher
Deborah Winters	...	Erica Herzenstiel
Felicia Farr	...	Wilma Kotcher
Charles Aidman	...	Gerald Kotcher
Ellen Geer	...	Vera Kotcher
Donald Kowalski	...	Duncan Kotcher
Dean Kowalski	...	Duncan Kotcher
Arlen Stuart	...	Mrs. Fisher
Jane Connell	...	Miss Roberts
James Brodhead	...	Mr. Weaver (as James E. Brodhead)
Jessica Rains	...	Dr. McKernan
Darrell Larson	...	Vincent Perrin
Biff Elliot	...	Motel Manager
Paul Picerni	...	Dr. Ramon Caudillo
Lucy Saroyan	...	Sissy
Kim Hamilton	...	Emma Daly
Tamar Cooper	...	Nurse
Amzie Strickland	...	Nurse Barons
Paul Fierro	...	Pablo
Larry Linville	...	Peter Stiel
Penny Santon	...	Mrs. Segura
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Janya Braunt	...	Mrs. Pugh (uncredited)
Dee Carroll	...	Dorothy Ballinger (uncredited)
Jack Lemmon	...	Sleeping Bus Passenger (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack Lemmon

Writing credits
John Paxton		(screenplay)
Katharine Topkins		(novel "Kotch")

Produced by
Richard Carter	....	producer

Original Music by
Marvin Hamlisch

Cinematography by
Richard H. Kline		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ralph E. Winters

Casting by
Barbara Gallagher

Art Direction by
Jack Poplin

Set Decoration by
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
John A. Anderson		(as John Anderson)

Makeup Department
Jean Austin	....	hairdresser
Harry Ray	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Leon Chooluck	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dismukes	....	assistant director
Harry Hogan III	....	assistant director

Art Department
Richard M. Rubin	....	properties

Sound Department
Richard Portman	....	re-recording supervisor
Jack Solomon	....	sound
Frank E. Warner	....	sound effects

Special Effects by
Jack Erickson	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Kenneth Adams	....	key grip
Tim Griffith	....	gaffer
Eric D. Andersen	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Ruth Carter	....	location still photographer (uncredited)
James R. Connell	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Hal Shiffman	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Irving Rosenblum	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Maria Luisa Alcaraz	....	production coordinator (as Maria-Luisa Alcaraz)
Alan DeWitt	....	dialogue director
Susan Dworsky	....	special properties
Henry L. Jaffe	....	consultant (as Henry L. Jaffe M.D.)
Jeremy Lepard	....	title designer
Joe Mazzuca	....	script supervisor
Art Sarno	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
• Kotch Company Productions

Distributors

• Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV)
• Magnetic Video (1980) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  locations (as Cinemobile Systems)
• Pacific Title  titles executed by
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  interior filming
• Samuel Goldwyn Studios  sound recording

Also Known As:

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:6 | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, California, USA

Company:

American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Trivia:

Larry Linville's film debut.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Kotch collects old bowling pins to throw into his fireplace to keep warm; in reality, the thick plastic coatings would create smoke and noxious fumes.

Quotes:

Erica Herzenstiel:Dumbest thing I've done in my life, having a baby in a filling station.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 44th Annual Academy Awards (1972) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Life Is What You Make It

A hidden gem

When this movie first came out I was in college and must have taken 4 or 5 different dates to see it. This movie was a mini cult phenomenon on campus, at least where I was, so I have always been surprised that it didn't get more publicity and acclaim. I saw it so many times because I felt it was a very worthwhile and meaningful film as a view into aging, the way we take care of elderly people, especially when it might be inconvenient for us. It was a good look into the feelings and hang-ups of people interacting among themselves: a retired man feeling increasingliy irrelevant in the environment he is compelled to live in, his spineless and uncomprehending son who doesn't offer much support at all, and his post-natal depressive daughter-in-law who can't understand why she has to put up with this codger who complicates her alreay-more-complicated life.

The movie also has a lot to say about the power of the human spirit to cope with change and make the best of things that aren't always going the way we always want them to.

I would like to see it again after 30+ years, but I can't find it at the usual rental stores. Having thought about it, though, I will continue to seek.