Butterflies Are Free (1972)

A blind man moves into his own apartment against the wishes of his overprotective mother and befriends the freethinking young woman next door.

Director:

Milton Katselas

Writers:

Leonard Gershe (screenplay), Leonard Gershe (play)

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Goldie Hawn	...	Jill
Edward Albert	...	Don
Eileen Heckart	...	Mrs. Baker
Paul Michael Glaser	...	Ralph (as Michael Glaser)
Michael Warren	...	Roy (as Mike Warren)

Storyline

All Don Baker wants is a place of his own away from his over-protective mother. Don's been blind since birth, but that doesn't stop him from setting up in a San Francisco apartment and making the acquaintance of his off-the-wall, liberated, actress neighbor Jill. Don learns the kind of things from Jill that his mother would never have taught him! And Jill learns from Don what growing up and being free is really all about.

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Plot Keywords:

blind man | overbearing mother | san francisco california | based on play | apartment | 

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Taglines:

The long run hit play on the screen with all its humor and all its heart.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las mariposas son libres

Filming Locations:

1355 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Frankovich Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eileen Heckart and Paul Michael Glaser reprized their roles they created in the original 1969 Broadway production which were as Mrs. Baker and Ralph Austin respectively.

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Goofs

The door behind Don is open when seen at 1:19:55 or earlier and closed whenever seen following 1:20:07. At 1:20:42, the door opens when Mrs. Baker rushes past Don, and in the next second it is obvious that Don was nowhere near the door.

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Quotes

Mrs. Baker: [trying to make Don come home] If you insist on staying here, I will not support you.
[Don goes to the phone]
Mrs. Baker: What're you doing?
Don: Calling The Chronicle. What a story! 'Florence Baker Refuses to Help the Handicapped!'
Mrs. Baker: Donnie, I'm serious.
Don: Oh, well, then I'll call the New York Times.
Mrs. Baker: What are you going to do for money? The little you saved must be gone now.
Don: I can always walk along the streets with a tin cup.
Mrs. Baker: Now you're embarrassing me.
Don: Oh, no, I'll stay away from Saks.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Sandy Duncan/Binnie Barnes/Steve Martin/George Foreman (1973)

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Soundtracks

Take Me Home, Country Roads
Music and Lyrics by John Denver, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert
Published by Cherry Lane Music Co.
Sung by Edward Albert

User Reviews

**** One of Goldie's finest moments

Need strong proof to support the argument that Goldie Hawn is the finest of actresses? Watch this classic one along with her masterpiece Private Benjamin. In Butterflies she's funny, tragic, serious and as endearing as she could possibly could be as Jill, the wacky new girl in town who finds herself surprised when her neighbour Don (Edward Albert, Eddie Albert's son) reveals to her that he's completely blind. They have lunch, go shopping, get to know each other, and worst of all meet Don's mother. Don't mistake Eileen Heckart or her awards in the role of the domineering matriarch, she ain't just any aging woman playing a mother. The character is annoying, callous, loving and wise and the relationship that develops between the three characters is very moving. All this presented with great dialogue provided by Leonard Gershe (based on his own stage play).