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

Jason Robards first appears at the 44-minute mark, Jean Simmons in the 51st minute and Van Johnson only in the 81st minute.

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Goofs

When the lady hypnotist turns toward the audience in the nightclub, a puff of cigarette smoke goes in reverse.

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Quotes

Dede Murphy: So, since when do men grow up? They just grow old. You know what I call this apartment sometimes? Boys' Town.

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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 I Dream of Jeannie: Divorce, Genie Style (1968)

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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

Stuck in the Sixties...

It's amazing how preconceptions can affect a movie's popularity. Multiple reviewers seem to feel Divorce American Style should be "funnier," because they've apparently decided it's a comedy. (And one of a particular type, presumably.) Unfortunately, this isn't a film that fits into any such predefined mold. It's a dark satire, dealing with the insane approach to divorce current at the time of its making (especially in California). And it succeeds splendidly on that level.

No, we're not expected to guffaw as we watch Dick Van Dyke being first railroaded into divorce, then reduced to poverty by punitive alimony payments. We're expected to shake our heads and smile wryly at the folly of the times. And to walk out just a little more determined to push for true equality of the sexes, and a truly rational legal framework for their relations.

We're not there yet, but things have moved forward so unimaginably far that today's viewers may not understand the attitudes in this film. To put it in context, compare it to The Dick Van Dyke Show. Divorce was utterly unthinkable in the cozy world of Rob and Laura Petrie. Yet here, just a few years later, we see Van Dyke and Reynolds playing essentially the same Rob and Laura roles, and not only admitting the possibility of divorce, but tackling some of its uglier ramifications. It was a huge leap forward, for Van Dyke, for Hollywood, and for society as a whole.

Of course, on a dramatic level, Divorce American Style still has a lot of that old-time Dick Van Dyke Show sensibility. But it's sharper than many similar films of the time (courtesy of Norman Lear, no doubt), and benefits from some great performances (especially by Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds and Jason Robards). The conditions it dissects may no longer exist, but that doesn't have to spoil our enjoyment.