Main Cast: Barbra Streisand, George Segal, Robert Klein, Allen Garfield, Roz Kelly
Release Year: 1970
Country: US
Run Time: 96 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
The Owl and the Pussycat began life as a two-character Broadway play by Bill Manhoff, about a stuffy author who entered into an explosive relationship with his neighbor, a foulmouthed, freewheeling prostitute. Manhoff wrote the part of the hooker for a black actress, but all that changed when Barbra Streisand was cast in the role for the film version. George Segal portrays the male lead, and the play's two-character austerity was expanded to a cast of 19 speaking parts. Beyond the added characters (including Robert Klein as Segal's swinging roommate), the heart and soul of the film is the Segal-Streisand relationship; he is utterly appalled by her lifestyle, she is turned off by his prudishness, and both are made for each other. The Owl and the Pussycat was adapted for the screen by Buck Henry, who shows up in a cameo role in one of the bookstore scenes. The film represented the last work of cinematographer Harry Stradling, who'd previously photographed Streisand in Funny Girl; Stradling died during production, and was replaced by Ernest Laszlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Odd couples -- whether of the same or different sexes -- have been a Hollywood staple for decades. The Owl and the Pussycat, Barbra Streisand's first foray into non-musical territory, is in that tradition, and while it is not a film for the ages, it is still a very professional, well-made, and enjoyable film. Somewhat notorious at the time for its very salty language (much of which is edited in some versions) and for the attention-grabbing lingerie that Streisand wears, it feels a bit dated now. However, Buck Henry's screenplay from Bill Manhoff's play has enough zingers and pulls the right strings to make up for this. Most importantly, Streisand and George Segal have a very definite chemistry; as they are in practically every frame of the film, this is crucial. As the more outrageous character, Streisand tends to steal focus, but Segal is powerful enough -- even within the limits of his character's wimpiness -- to keep up with her. His slow burns are especially well done. Streisand has several highlights, such as the ad for her porn flick, "Cycle Sluts," and a sequence in which she rebuffs some men in a car. If the parts are not deep enough to allow for great acting, they do allow the performers to exhibit splendid technique. Ultimately, Owl and the Pussycat is an old fashioned opposites-attract romantic comedy with some very 1960s and '70s trappings, nothing a viewer hasn't seen many times before, but fun to see again. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jacques Sandulescu - Rapzinsky; Jack Manning - Mr. Weyderhaus; Grace Carney - Mrs. Weyderhaus; Barbara Anson - Ann Weyderhaus; Stanley Gottlieb - Coatcheck Man; Fay Sappington - Neighbor; Joe Madden - Neighbor; Evelyn Lang - Barney's Girl; Marshall Ward - Car Gang Member; Tom Atkins - Car Gang Member; Stan Bryant - Gang in Car; Dominic Barto - Man in Bar; Marilyn Chambers - Barney's Girl; Kim Chan - Theater Cashier; Buck Henry - Man Looking Through Doubleday's Bookstore
Credit
Philip Rosenberg - Art Director, Bob Wrightman - Art Director, George Justin - Associate Producer, Ann Roth - Costume Designer, William C. Gerrity - First Assistant Director, Herbert Ross - Director, Margaret Booth - Editor, John F. Burnett - Editor, Dick Halligan - Composer (Music Score), Blood, Sweat & Tears - Songwriter, Dick Halligan - Songwriter, Joe Cranzano - Makeup, Ken Adam - Production Designer, John Robert Lloyd - Production Designer, Andrew Laszlo - Cinematographer, Harry Stradling - Cinematographer, Raymond Stark - Producer, Leif Pedersen - Set Designer, Dennis L. Maitland - Sound/Sound Designer, Arthur Piantadosi - Sound/Sound Designer, Buck Henry - Screenwriter, Bill Manhoff - Play Author
The Owl and the Pussycat is a 1970 romantic comedy film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal. Barbra Streisand plays the role of a somewhat uneducated actress, model, and part-time prostitute. She temporarily lives with an educated want-to-be writer, played by Segal. Their differences are obvious; yet through time, they start to admire each other. Comedian/actor Robert Klein appears in a supporting role. Future adult film actress Marilyn Chambers, who makes her film debut here, plays Klein's girlfriend. (She is credited here as Evelyn Lang.)
The soundtrack record[1] released for the movie (Columbia Masterworks MS30401) features dialogue from the film and music from the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears.
The movie was released several years ago on DVD, however, fans of the movie have complained that one line of dialogue spoken by Streisand (her character's use of the word "fuck")[2] has been deleted from the DVD release [1].
Barbra Streisand filmed a nude scene for "The Owl and the Pussycat"[3] which was cut from the film. Streisand told the press: "The director of 'The Owl and the Pussycat' wanted a topless shot, and I agreed on two conditions: one, there would be nobody in the room but George [Segal]; two: I had the right to kill the shot if I didn't think it would work."[4] In 1979, a magazine named "High Society" published the nude frames which were cut from the film and Streisand sued.[5]
The screenplay was written by Buck Henry, based on a stage play by Bill Manhoff[6]. In the stage version; the would-be writer and the would-be actress are the only characters. In the play's original Broadway production (1964-65), the "Owl" was played by white actor Alan Alda and the "Pussycat" by black actress/singer Diana Sands; the film version omitted the interracial aspects of the characters' relationship.
Mad Magazine did a spoof of the film in its September 1971 issue (Issue #145), in which much is made of Streisand's profanity. At the end, Segal's writer character throws his typewriter down an embankment, saying that the words he's used as a writer made him sick. Then he throws her over, saying "Four-letter words make me even sicker! So long, Foul-Mouth!"
