The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)

A suddenly unemployed ex-executive suffers a nervous breakdown.

Director:

Melvin Frank

Writers:

Neil Simon (play), Neil Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Anne Bancroft, Gene Saks

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Mel Edison
Anne Bancroft	...	Edna Edison
Gene Saks	...	Harry Edison
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Pauline
Florence Stanley	...	Pearl
Maxine Stuart	...	Belle
Ed Peck	...	Man Upstairs
Gene Blakely	...	Charlie
Ivor Francis	...	Psychiatrist
Stack Pierce	...	Detective
Patricia Marshall	...	Woman Upstairs
Dee Carroll	...	Helen
Ketty Lester	...	Unemployment Clerk
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Doorman
F. Murray Abraham	...	Taxi Driver

Storyline

The story of Mel and Edna ('Jack Lemmon (I)' and Anne Bancroft), a middle-class, middle-aged, middle-happy couple living in a Manhattan high rise apartment building. Mel loses his job, the apartment is robbed, Edna gets a job, Mel loses his mind, Edna loses her job . . . to say nothing of the more minor tribulations of nosy neighbors, helpful relatives and exact bus fares. The couple suffers indignity after indignity (some self-inflicted) and when they seem on the verge of surrender, they thumb their noses defiantly and dig the trenches for battle.

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | nervous breakdown | neighbor | brother brother relationship | valium | 

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Taglines:

...and you think you've got problems.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1975 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A Második utca foglyai

Filming Locations:

245 East 87th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Prisoner of Second Avenue" was playwright Neil Simon's eighth long running play on Broadway.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 12 mins) Harry's hands jump from being neatly interlaced on his lap to sprawled out on the chair arms.

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Quotes

Mel: I don't know either where I am or who I am. I'm disappearing, Edna. I don't need an analyst, I need Lost & Found!

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Connections

Referenced in Magic Time: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon (2002)

User Reviews

Terrific comedy drama

I must confess I have a bias for films of the seventies. Most of my all time favourite films were made in that decade and this is one of them.

Jack Lemmon is a New York middle executive who is retrenched. We watch as he slides into depression. Their is some fine humour in this film, which, incidentally was not well received critically, but it is really the underlying drama that makes this such a great film. It is an intensely personal film for me and, apart from some overacting, there is little I can criticise. It is an incisive and briskly paced comedy drama which I never tire of viewing.

By the way, watch out for cameos by pre-fame Sylvester Stallone and F. Murray Abraham.