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:

Take some time to smell the flowers.

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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

Italian censorship visa # 61471 delivered on 27-11-1972.

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Goofs

Jill and Don leave their apartment so he can show her where the laundry is - 44 steps to the right of the apartment entrance, which is at 1355 Grant Avenue. However, they arrive at the Toy Sun laundry, which was at 1521 Grand Avenue - two blocks and more than 44 steps away. Also note that they walk past Mooney's Irish Pub at 1525 Grant Avenue next door to the laundry.

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Quotes

Mrs. Baker: [interrogating Jill about being divorced] How long were you married?
Jill: Six days.
Mrs. Baker: And on the seventh day you rested?
Jill: No, I split.

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Connections

References The Sound of Music (1965)

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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

The golden days of Goldie Hawn. (spoilers)

I like watching 1970s comedies based on plays. They're so simple; usually three or four characters in one or two settings in a story with light-hearted quick wit comedy. Butterflies are Free is one of those movies.

This is the story of a young blind man (played by Eddie Albert, Jr.) trying to prove to his mother that he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He moves into his own apartment, adjacent to a young eccentric actress (Goldie Hawn). His overprotective mother is suspicious not only of him living alone, but that should he fall in love and then have his heart broken, he won't be able to deal with it.

Everyone in the film is terrific. I started looking for more Eddie Albert, Jr. movies as well as more Goldie Hawn movies from what looks to be her hayday (her movies nowadays just don't have the same effect). It's a very simple, very fun little film.