Main Cast: Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, Bob Dishy, John Harkins, Ruth White
Release Year: 1967
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
Plot
Expanded from a two-character play by Murray Schisgal, this comedy stars Eli Wallach as Ben Harris, a disgruntled New York City mail carrier. Harris is fed up with being cheated by his landlords, the Kellys (Roland Wood and Ruth White), so he terrorizes them and the city's housing authority until they agree to give him a new apartment. Not satisfied, Harris "goes postal" by kidnapping a bored suburban housewife, Gloria Fiske (Anne Jackson) and taking her back to his apartment. To his surprise, he finds that Gloria also hates the world, and they become fast friends. He eventually lets her go but follows her home. When he tries to climb into her window, her husband Jerry (Bob Dishe) chases him away. Harris returns to his apartment building, where the Kellys invite him in to watch TV, and somehow this soothes his wrath. Dustin Hoffman has a small role as a hippie named Hap. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Review
The Murray Schisgal play upon which The Tiger Makes Out is based is very much a product of its time. It's also very much a product of the theater, and the impact it had on-stage depended, to a great extent, upon the electricity created between the live actors and the live audience, as well as its compact, one-act form, which allowed the writer to make his points and then get away from them, with no obligation to delve more deeply. Expanding the piece into a full length film was a mistake, as the material comes across as quite thin and very padded, and the semi-surreal comedy comes across as rather forced. The one benefit of opening up the play in this manner is that it provided supporting roles for a staggering array of stage talent, including Rae Allen, Frances Sternhagen, Bob Dishy, Bibi Osterwald, Elizabeth Wilson, and the then-unknown Dustin Hoffman. Unfortunately, most of them are wasted and have little to do. Stars Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach, of course, are given plenty to do, and they do it extremely well; but the camera still is not able to fully capture the duo's special chemistry. Still, their performances make much of the film engaging -- much more so than it has a right to be. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Anthea Sylbert - Costume Designer, Arthur Hiller - Director, Robert Jones - Editor, Shorty Rogers - Composer (Music Score), Milton Rogers - Composer (Music Score), Milton Rogers - Songwriter, Martin Bell - Makeup, Paul Sylbert - Production Designer, Arthur Ornitz - Cinematographer, George Justin - Producer, John Godfrey - Set Designer, Murray Schisgal - Screenwriter, Murray Schisgal - Play Author
Loser Ben Harris (Wallach), an alienated mailman, decides to get a girl the only way he can — by kidnapping her. Putting his plan into operation one rainy night, he spots an attractive young woman. He races ahead of her and prepares an ambush. However, his would-be target finds shelter from the downpour and he ends up pulling a bag down over Gloria Fiske (Jackson) instead. When he carries her back to his basement apartment and removes the bag, he is dumbfounded to find he has captured a middle-aged housewife. With no alternative, he makes do with the person he has caught, but she proves to be not quite what he envisioned.
