California Suite (1978)

Misadventures of four groups of guests at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Neil Simon (screenplay)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Alan Alda, Maggie Smith

Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Hannah Warren
Alan Alda	...	Bill Warren
Maggie Smith	...	Diana Barrie
Michael Caine	...	Sidney Cochran
Walter Matthau	...	Marvin Michaels
Elaine May	...	Millie Michaels
Herb Edelman	...	Harry Michaels (as Herbert Edelman)
Denise Galik	...	Bunny
Richard Pryor	...	Dr. Chauncey Gump
Bill Cosby	...	Dr. Willis Panama
Gloria Gifford	...	Lola Gump
Sheila Frazier	...	Bettina Panama
David Sheehan	...	David Sheehan
Michael Boyle	...	Desk Clerk
Len Lawson	...	Frank

Storyline

4 totally different and seperated stories of guests in a hotel. Maggie Smith and Michael Caine came from England to attend the Oscars; Jane Fonda came from New York, Alan Alda is her ex who lives in California; in the slapsticky part Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and their wives come to the hotel to relax and play tennis and find there is only one room vacant; in the fourth segment Walter Matthau has come a day before his wife for his nephew's Bar Mitzvah, his brother: sends a prostitute to his room.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | tennis | oscars | prostitute | actress | 

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Taglines:

The best two-hour vacation in town!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's California Suite

Filming Locations:

21932 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rastar Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening credits, famous 70s artworks of British artist David Hockney are featured. The painting before Elaine May's name is entitled "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures), 1972" and features a swimming pool with the Hollywood hills in the backdrop. The "two figures", both male, one swimming and the other standing over watching have been mysteriously edited out of the picture for some unknown reason.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[a two-seater plane is flying over snow-capped mountains]
Harold: For heaven's sake, Wendy - look for an airport. Will you look for the airport?
Diana Barrie: Oh don't make such a fuss. Just put it down on a mountain.
Harold: What do you mean 'just put it down'? I'm lucky I can keep it up. I told you I never flew before.
Diana Barrie: Don't shout at me - I'm a first-class passenger.
Harold: You're a first class lunatic. It's all over Wendy - our relationship has a quarter of a tank to go.
Diana Barrie: Yes, but - you do love me, don't you Harold? ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, famous 70s artworks of British artist David Hockney are featured. The painting before Elaine May's name is entitled "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with two figures), 1972" and features a swimming pool with the Hollywood hills in the backdrop. The "two figures", both male, one swimming and the other standing over watching have been mysteriously edited out of the picture for some unknown reason.

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Connections

References The 50th Annual Academy Awards (1978)

User Reviews

Mediocre Simon is better than none...

California SUITE is the 1978 film adaptation of Neil Simons' quartet of one-acts set at swank Los Angeles hotel. Out of the four stories, the strongest is "Visitors from London" which stars Maggie Smith as an actress in town for the Academy Awards after receiving her first nomination, in deep denial about her in-name only marriage to a closeted antique dealer (Michael Caine). Smith delivers a flawless comedy performance that ironically won her her second Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress. Caiine is just as effective in this bittersweet tale. "Visitors from New York" stars Jane Fonda as a workaholic New Yorker who has flown to California to retrieve her daughter (Dana Plato) who flew away from home to move in with Fonda's ex (Alan Alda). Fonda's character is a little on the unsympathetic side but she and Alda make their scenes work. "Visitors from Philadelphia" stars Walter Matthau as a man in town for a convention who tries to conceal from his visiting wife (Elaine May) that there's a passed out hooker in his bed. This episode is pure slapstick with little substance but Matthau makes it bearable. The other episode "Visitors from Chicago" stars Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Sheila Frazier, and Gloria Gifford as two couples vacationing together who get involved in some silly travel situations. This is definitely the weakest of the four playlets and looks like it should be in another movie of its own. A well-mounted, but spotty effort at best, California SUITE is worth the rental for the glorious performance of Maggie Smith alone.