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 Owlish Felix is an unpublished writer who vents his frustration by reporting to the super that the woman in a neighboring flat takes the occasional payment for sex.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:

it's no longer a story for children.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [us

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

El búho y la gatita

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

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: Hey, how come you and Miss Weyderhaus
[referring to Felix's pianist fiancee]
Doris: don't mess around?
Felix: I told you.
Doris: What? She's very fragile. She's fragile, right?
Felix: She's worried... she's worried about her hands. She doesn't want to hurt her hands.
Doris: She could wear boxing gloves.

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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

Referenced in Survivor Stories with Dawn Wells (2013)

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Soundtracks

The Confrontation
(uncredited)
Performed by Blood Sweat & Tears

User Reviews

Loud, abrasive, crude and edited but still funny

Comedy/drama taking place in NYC about meek, mild Felix (George Segal) ending up stuck with loud, obnoxious prostitute Doris (Barbra Streisand). Naturally they hate each other and naturally fall in love.

This movie is VERY loud (basically because Streisand yells nonstop), the humor is pretty caustic (Streisand thinks Segal is gay and throws quite a few homophobic jokes at him) and is pretty risqué--it was edited from an R rating but there's still plenty of swearing and sexual sequences. Still it is fun. Segal and Streisand work well together--the script is full of one liners that they throw at each other full tilt. And it might seem strange that Streisand could convincingly play a prostitute--but she actually looks very attractive here and pulls it off (she played another one in "Nuts" in 1987).

This isn't perfect however. It seems a little bit too long and some of their arguing gets repetitive. Also there is annoying edit when Streisand says the word "f***". I'm guessing it was cut to get a PG rating but it renders one scene incomprehensible and I DID hear it in the video version released in the 1980s. What's the story? Also there's a very ugly scene at the end where Segal humiliates Streisand in Central Park. Segal also shot some nude scenes which never made it into the final print.

Still this is worth catching. I wouldn't let the kids see it though. This is pretty strong for a PG film.