Divorce American Style (1967)

After 17 years, things have got too predictable and stale. They argue, they visit a marriage counselor, Richard (drunk) visits a prostitute. They split up. After meeting other people, they ... See full summary »

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Writers:

Robert Kaufman (story), Norman Lear (screenplay)

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Richard Harmon
Debbie Reynolds	...	Barbara Harmon
Jason Robards	...	Nelson Downes
Jean Simmons	...	Nancy Downes
Van Johnson	...	Al Yearling
Joe Flynn	...	Lionel Blandsforth
Shelley Berman	...	David Grieff
Martin Gabel	...	Dr. Zenwinn
Lee Grant	...	Dede Murphy
Pat Collins	...	Pat Collins
Tom Bosley	...	Farley
Emmaline Henry	...	Fern Blandsforth
Dick Gautier	...	Larry Strickland
Tim Matheson	...	Mark Harmon (as Tim Matthieson)
Gary Goetzman	...	Jonathan Harmon

Storyline

After 17 years, things have got too predictable and stale. They argue, they visit a marriage counselor, Richard (drunk) visits a prostitute. They split up. After meeting other people, they are re-united at a night club where they realize that their marriage was better than their divorce.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | divorce | alimony | prostitute | dancing | 

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Taglines:

See it with someone you love

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Divorce à l'américaine

Filming Locations:

Topanga Plaza Mall - 6602 Topanga Plaza, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

National General Production Inc., Tandem Enterprises Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim Matheson and Gary Goetzman again played brothers in the 1968 release Yours, Mine, and Ours.

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Goofs

In the bathroom, Richard accidentally sprays water all over the mirror with when he fumbles with his Waterpik. Then Barbara walks over to the mirror and it's clean and dry.

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Quotes

Nelson Downes: I can imagine how anxious you must be to find the right woman. Your present wife a blonde maybe?
Richard Harmon: Ya, ya.
Nelson Downes: Well sir, a nice cool brunette would be just what the doctor ordered.

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER: Opening credits (and the musical score) begin when a conductor - having just walked across a field and set up a music stand - raises his baton, gives a downbeat, and "cues" the sounds of husbands and wives arguing from the houses in the neighborhood below. At the end of the picture, the conductor again appears in the field above the neighborhood and begins conducting the final musical score through the closing credits (and drowning out the sound of arguing).

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Connections

Referenced in Punky Brewster: Divorce Anderson Style (1987)

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Soundtracks

Let's Fall in Love
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by Ted Koehler
Sung partially by Pat Collins

User Reviews

A scathing depiction of modern American society.

This movie is a scathing satire of the institution of marriage in modern American society. It offers a honest and frank glimpse of the problems associated with marriage. In the movie, the women are depicted as shrill and manipulative, the men as dupes and drunks, marriage itself as transient and temporary, and love as a sham. According to the movie, marriage is something "to be worked at," not to be enjoyed. Lawyers are crass and insensitive and the judicial system unforgiving. Dick Van Dyke plays Richard Harmon, a man whose life becomes a living nightmare when his marriage starts collapsing. far from being victims, the children are depicted as deriving much joy from their parents' bickering. Men are shown as being crushed under the weight of alimony and the women openly sneering at their men. Marriage counseling is depicted as being pedantic and out of touch and incapable of resolving marital discord. Set in 1967, the movie also depicts heavy consumption of alcohol and the use of cigarettes to deal with anxiety. Society in general is depicted as decadent and materialistic. The parent-child relationship is shown to be situational and shallow, with little love or affection. The story contains no heroes, nothing gets resolved, with the story ending the way it started, the details of which will not be disclosed in this report. The relationship between men and women is depicted as being a power struggle, with both men and women being prone to fits of acting out behavior bordering on outright physical violence. The Harmon character is shown breaking dishes, drinking, yelling, and losing his composure. His best friend is depicted as a cheater and panderer, and a white-collar pimp. The only character that has any redeeming qualities is the whore who has sense enough not to play into Harmon's acting out, not because she cares but because it would put her at risk. The potential for violence permeates throughout the story. Another of Harmon's friends is an out and out drunk. In the movie nobody cares about anybody; everybody is self-centered. There is no sense of community, no real desire to resolve issues, no personal warmth. Psychologically, all the principal characters are neurotic and are resistant to dealing honestly with their feelings. The worst offender of them all is Harmon whose affable exterior hides a deeply narcissistic personality that sets off his wife, which in turn triggers her own defenses. Sadly, these scenarios are not implausible; indeed they are too, too true.