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The Owl and the Pussycat (film)
Encyclopedia
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 aspiring writer (Segal). Their differences are obvious, yet over time they begin to admire each other. Comedian/actor Robert Klein
appears in a supporting role. Future adult film actress Marilyn Chambers
, in her film debut, plays Klein's girlfriend. (She was 17 during the film shoot and is credited as Evelyn Lang.)
, was based on a stage play by Bill Manhoff. In the stage version, the would-be writer and the would-be actress are the only characters. In the play's original Broadway production (1964-1965), 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.
received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
nomination, her 3rd in this category. Buck Henry
was also nominated for Writers Guild of America Award
for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium.
.
") has been deleted from the DVD release.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005QCTZ
published 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!"
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
romantic comedy film directed by Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross
Herbert Ross was an American film director, producer, choreographer and actor.-Early life and career:Born Herbert David Ross in Brooklyn, New York, he made his stage debut as Third Witch with a touring company of Macbeth in 1942...
and starring Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
. Barbra Streisand plays the role of a somewhat uneducated actress, model and part-time prostitute. She temporarily lives with an educated aspiring writer (Segal). Their differences are obvious, yet over time they begin to admire each other. Comedian/actor Robert Klein
Robert Klein
Robert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
appears in a supporting role. Future adult film actress Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress and vice-presidential candidate...
, in her film debut, plays Klein's girlfriend. (She was 17 during the film shoot and is credited as Evelyn Lang.)
Background
The screenplay, written by Buck HenryBuck Henry
Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
, was based on a stage play by Bill Manhoff. In the stage version, the would-be writer and the would-be actress are the only characters. In the play's original Broadway production (1964-1965), the "Owl" was played by white actor Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
and the "Pussycat" by black actress/singer Diana Sands
Diana Sands
Diana Sands was an American dramatic actress, perhaps most famous for her portrayal of Beneatha Younger, the sister of Sidney Poitier's character in the original film version of Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun...
; the film version omitted the interracial aspects of the characters' relationship.
Cast
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
as Doris - George SegalGeorge SegalGeorge Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
as Felix - Robert KleinRobert KleinRobert Klein is an American stand-up comedian, singer and actor.-Early life:Klein was born in the Bronx, the son of Frieda and Benjamin Klein, and was raised in a "prototypical 1950s Bronx Jewish" environment. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine...
as Barney - Evelyn LangMarilyn ChambersMarilyn Chambers was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress and vice-presidential candidate...
as Barney's Girl - Roz KellyRoz KellyRoz Kelly is an American actress, perhaps best known for playing Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli's girlfriend Carol "Pinky" Tuscadero on the hit television series Happy Days.-Before Happy Days:...
as Eleanor
Gross
An instant hit, the movie grossed $23,681,338 at the domestic box office. In rentals the movie also grossed $11,645,000. Total gross for the movie was $35,326,338.Award nominations
Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...
nomination, her 3rd in this category. Buck Henry
Buck Henry
Henry Zuckerman, better known as Buck Henry , is an American actor, writer, film director, and television director.-Early life:...
was also nominated for Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium.
Soundtrack
The movie's soundtrack (Columbia Masterworks MS30401) features dialogue from the film and music from the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
.
Home media
The Owl and the Pussycat was released several years ago on DVD. Fans of the movie have complained that one line of dialogue spoken by Streisand (her character saying "fuckFuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
") has been deleted from the DVD release.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00005QCTZ
Deleted scenes
Barbra Streisand filmed a nude/topless scene for The Owl and the Pussycat that 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." In November 1979, a U.S. adult/pornographic magazine named "High Society" published the nude frames that were cut from the film. Streisand sued High Society for the celebrity nude shots.Cultural reference
MadMad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
published 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
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
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!"