The Owl and the Pussycat (1970)

A stuffy author enters into an explosive relationship with his neighbor, a foul-mouthed, freewheeling prostitute.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writers:

Bill Manhoff (play), Buck Henry (screenplay)

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, George Segal, Robert Klein

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbra Streisand	...	Doris
George Segal	...	Felix
Robert Klein	...	Barney
Allen Garfield	...	Dress Shop Proprietor
Roz Kelly	...	Eleanor
Jacques Sandulescu	...	Rapzinsky
Jack Manning	...	Mr. Weyderhaus
Grace Carney	...	Mrs. Weyderhaus
Barbara Anson	...	Miss Weyderhaus
Kim Chan	...	Theatre Cashier
Stan Gottlieb	...	Coatcheck Man
Joe Madden	...	Old Man Neighbor
Fay Sappington	...	Old Woman Neighbor
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marilyn Chambers	...	Barney's Girl (as Evelyn Lang)

Storyline

Can a bickering odd couple in Manhattan become friends and maybe more? Owlish Felix is an unpublished writer who vents his frustration by reporting to the super that the woman in a neighboring flat takes the occasional payment for sex. She's Doris, more wildcat than pussycat, and when Felix's peeping-tom-tattle-tale routine gets her bounced from her apartment, she knocks at his door at 3 AM, aggressive and ticked off. They yell, lose another apartment, and pick up where they left off in a friend's flat and beyond. Dancing by the light of the moon seems unlikely for this owl and pussycat.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitute | apartment building | new york city | based on play | hot | 

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Taglines:

The Owl and the Pussycat is no longer a story for children.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's source stage production of "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Bill Manhoff featured only two characters with this movie version opening-up the play to increase the cast numbers to a much bigger total of nineteen speaking parts.

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Goofs

At the very beginning, Doris huddles in a doorway to get out of the rain. As a bus pulls up to the kerb, she starts to walk towards it, but in the next tighter shot Doris still in the doorway. The next shot, back on the street, Doris is already on her way towards the bus.

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Quotes

Doris: [to Felix through the door] Swear! Swear that you are just a little fruit all alone in the hall.

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Alternate Versions

Rated "R" in the U.S. in 1970, film was recut and re-rated "PG" for a 1972 release.

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007)

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Soundtracks

The Warmup
(uncredited)
Performed by Blood Sweat & Tears

User Reviews

Where's the F-word when you need it?

It's great to see "Pussycat" in widescreen at last. Streisand and Siegel make a good team and the movie is still pretty racy, even by today's standards, although it would have been racier still if some bluenose hadn't removed one of Barbra's more notorious expletives from the soundtrack. Fans of the original well remember the scene in which she tells a bunch of hooligans that are harassing her and Siegel to "F---- off!" Amazingly, this line has now been dropped from the DVD version so that the two scenes that come next make little sense, including her follow-up line, "people are so touchy these days, you have to watch every word." The cropped VHS tape may have looked terrible but at least it did retain the line with the F-word, probably the first time it was ever uttered by a big female star in a major motion picture. (Of course, now screenwriters have over-used it to such an extent that you suspect they wouldn't be able to get along without it if it were ever banned from use.) Some aspects of the film would probably be politically incorrect today, such as certain homophobic slurs the hooker screams at the writer, and it's pretty hard to imagine this relationship lasting too much longer after the fadeout. Still the stars are compulsively watchable.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [us

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Owl and the Pussycat

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$23,681,338

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rastar Pictures, Tom Ward Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1