Wanting to avoid settling in a nursing home, Joseph Kotcher, a retired salesman, is obliged to leave his son's family. He embarks on a road trip during which he strikes up a friendship with...
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Title: Kotch (1971)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Walter Matthau | ... | Joseph P. Kotcher | |
| Deborah Winters | ... | Erica Herzenstiel | |
| Felicia Farr | ... | Wilma Kotcher | |
| Charles Aidman | ... | Gerald Kotcher | |
| Ellen Geer | ... | Vera Kotcher | |
 |
Donald Kowalski | ... | Duncan Kotcher |
|
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Dean Kowalski | ... | Duncan Kotcher |
|
|
Arlen Stuart | ... | Mrs. Fisher |
|
|
Jane Connell | ... | Miss Roberts |
|
|
James Brodhead | ... | Mr. Weaver (as James E. Brodhead) |
|
|
Jessica Rains | ... | Dr. McKernan |
| Darrell Larson | ... | Vincent Perrin | |
| Biff Elliot | ... | Motel Manager | |
| Paul Picerni | ... | Dr. Caudillo | |
|
|
Lucy Saroyan | ... | Sissy |
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Storyline
Wanting to avoid settling in a nursing home, Joseph Kotcher, a retired salesman, is obliged to leave his son's family. He embarks on a road trip during which he strikes up a friendship with a pregnant teenager and begins to understand the true meaning of life as he helps the girl give birth to her child. Written by Anonymous
Plot Keywords:
old age | senility | based on novel | character name as title | nickname as title |Taglines:
Walter Matthau in the role only he could make so excitingly different...you'll start talking about it from the opening scene. Jack Lemmon directs. He takes his talent 'behind' the camera for the first time to add a new, fresh dimension to his brilliant career.Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 September 1971 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Ainda Há Fogo Sob as Cinzas See more »Filming Locations:
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Palm Springs, California, USACompany Credits
Production Co:
ABC Pictures Corporation, Kotch Company Productions, American Broadcasting Company (ABC) See more »
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Director Jack Lemmon's real life actress-wife Felicia Farr played Kotch's daughter-in-law Wilma Kotcher. This is the only time Farr was directed by her husband in a movie. See more »Goofs
Kotch collects old bowling pins to throw into his fireplace to keep warm. In reality, the thick plastic coatings would create smoke and noxious fumes. See more »Quotes
Joseph P. Kotcher: [about his wife and baby son in the car] She covered all the windows every time she changed him. I don't know why, I don't know what harm it would do people seeing his little pink pecker at 25 miles an hour, but she covered the windows every time.See more »
Connections
Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau (1981) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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What a wonderful movie. For a change,Walter Matthau plays a sympathetic rather than a cantankerous character. He is just wonderful here in his Oscar nominated performance.
What makes the movie so good is that it doesn't really stress the attempt of his son and daughter-in-law to put him in a home and then show the misery of homes. Rather,it deals with the coming of life anew for Matthau when he takes a profound interest in the very pregnant babysitter for his grandson. What an interesting idea and it is so well developed.
Deborah Winters gives a fantastic supporting performance as the pregnant girl,orphaned, raised by an uncaring brother who finds meaning in her life when she aided by Kotch.
There is a totally winning song dealing with what you do with your life.
This film was definitely an under-rated gem. Too bad.