The Stepford Wives (1975)

Director:

Bryan Forbes

Writers:

Ira Levin (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 February 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Something strange is happening in the town of Stepford.

Plot:

Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Cleaning | Suburb | Photographer | Psychiatrist

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Katharine Ross	...	Joanna Eberhart
Paula Prentiss	...	Bobbie Markowe
Peter Masterson	...	Walter Eberhart
Nanette Newman	...	Carol Van Sant
Tina Louise	...	Charmaine Wimpiris
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Dr. Fancher (as Carol Rossen)
William Prince	...	Ike Mazzard
Carole Mallory	...	Kit Sunderson
Toni Reid	...	Marie Axhelm
Judith Baldwin	...	Patricia Cornell
Barbara Rucker	...	Mary Ann Stravros
George Coe	...	Claude Axhelm
Franklin Cover	...	Ed Wimpiris
Robert Fields	...	Raymond Chandler
Michael Higgins	...	Mr. Cornell
Josef Sommer	...	Ted Van Sant (as Josef Somer)
Paula Trueman	...	Welcome Wagon Lady
Martha Greenhouse	...	Mrs. Kirgassa
Neil Brooks Cunningham	...	Dave Markowe (as Simon Deckard)
Remak Ramsay	...	Mr. Atkinson
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Kim Eberhart
Ronny Sullivan	...	Amy Eberhart
John Aprea	...	Young Cop
Matt Russo	...	Moving Man 1
Anthony Crupi	...	Moving Man 2
Kenneth McMillan	...	Market Manager
Tom Spratley	...	Charlie the Doorman
Dee Wallace	...	Nettie the Maid
Patrick O'Neal	...	Dale Coba
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emma Forbes	...	Alison Van Sant (uncredited)
Dennis Kear	...	Young Grocery Boy (uncredited)

Directed by
Bryan Forbes

Writing credits
Ira Levin		(novel)
William Goldman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Gustave M. Berne	....	executive producer
Roger M. Rothstein	....	associate producer
Edgar J. Scherick	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Owen Roizman		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Timothy Gee

Casting by
Juliet Taylor

Production Design by
Gene Callahan

Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Andy Ciannella	....	makeup artist
Romaine Greene	....	hairdresser
Dick Smith	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Neil A. Machlis	....	unit manager (as Neil Machlis)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Haley	....	second assistant director (as Mike Haley)
Peter R. Scoppa	....	first assistant director (as Peter Scoppa)

Art Department
Don Bachardy	....	drawings
Stanley Cappiello	....	scenic artist
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master

Sound Department
Janet Davidson	....	sound editor
Jack Fitzstephens	....	sound editor
James Sabat	....	sound mixer
Dick Vorisek	....	re-recording mixer: Trans Audio Inc.

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrique Bravo	....	camera operator
Muky	....	still photographer
Gary Muller	....	second assistant camera
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	first assistant camera (as Tom Priestly Jr.)
Dusty Wallace	....	gaffer
Robert Ward	....	key grip (as Bob Ward)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peggy Farrell	....	wardrobe
George Newman	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Patrick McMahon	....	assistant editor
Irving Rathner	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Suzanne Ciani	....	musician: electronic music
Michael Small	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Raymond Hartwick	....	transportation

Other crew
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor
Robert Ellis	....	titles
Martin Fribush	....	executive: Fadsin Cinema Associates
Shari Leibowitz	....	production secretary
Gaetano Lisi	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Kay Summersby	....	fashion consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fadsin Cinema Associates
• Palomar Pictures (I)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS) (for Video Treasures)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Finnkino (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Suomen 3M (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Video Treasures (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• VideoFilmes (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1990) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  locations (as Cine Mobile Systems)
• Lloyd Zeiderman & Assoc.  location auditing
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

Runtime:

115 min | UK:100 min (2004 DVD release) | UK:110 min (2001 DVD release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 (unrated) (2004)

Filming Locations:

Darien, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Fadsin Cinema Associates

Trivia:

Author Ira Levin was originally going to write this as a stage play, until he realized there were too many characters and opted to turn it into a novel instead, which the film was based on.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the Eberharts enter Stepford for the first time riding in their station wagon, Joanna's head scarf disappears and reappears several times as the scenes change.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Joanna Eberhart:Hello, Bobbie.
Bobbie Markowe:Oh, hello, Joanna.
Joanna Eberhart:How are you?
Bobbie Markowe:I'm fine. How are you?
Joanna Eberhart:I'm fine. How are the children?
Bobbie Markowe:Fine...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 3 Men and a Little Lady (1990)

"Like one of those robots in Disneyland..."

"The Stepford Wives" certainly isn't the greatest thriller ever made, it isn't one of my all-time favorite movies, yet I've probably seen it 25 times and I'm always willing to return for more of its creepy, seductive ambiance. Director Bryan Forbes has created a funny/sinister atmosphere surrounding a secretive society of men in suburbia who exchange chilling glances and lines when they are alone ("She cooks as good as she looks, Ted."). It does however feature a very moody and unhappy Katharine Ross at the center, and it's easy to see why somebody might want to bump her off: she gripes, she complains, she stalks out of rooms flicking her long, thick hair out of her face. When Patrick O'Neal tells Ross at a social gathering that he used to work at Disneyland, she balks, "You don't look like someone who enjoys making other people happy." This just after meeting the man! Thank goodness then for happily crass and vulgar Paula Prentiss as Katharine's gal-pal Bobbie. Prentiss overdoes it a bit, but she comes into the picture at the right time and gives it an extra lift. The scenario (a squeaky clean Connecticut community) is gleefully turned inside out to reveal sinister underpinnings, and I loved Ross' sequence with the psychiatrist (who seems convinced by Katharine's outlandish story, which is a nice change of pace). No, it isn't art (or even the black comedy screenwriter William Goldman says he intended it to be), but "The Stepford Wives" is smooth, absorbing, and enjoyable. It cooks as good as it looks. ***1/2 from ****