There's Always Vanilla
Encyclopedia
There's Always Vanilla is a 1971 film and was director George A. Romero
's second motion picture and, , his only romantic comedy
. It is one of the few Romero films that does not deal with a zombie apocalypse
or other supernatural horror
themes. It has never been released on VHS
, but is currently available in full only in the Region 1 Anchor Bay Entertainment
DVD
release of Season of the Witch. The film has also been circulated under the alternate title, The Affair.
Romero himself has stated that he considers this film to be his worst, and has referred to this film as "a total mess". Like many of Romero's earlier films, he cites the reason as undercapitalization.
and makes money by various means, from pimping to guitar playing. Chris returns to his home city of Pittsburgh
and visits his father who owns and operates a baby food
factory. After an evening of drinking at a local bar, and visiting an old girlfriend of Chris' named Terri Terrific (Johanna Lawrence), Mr. Bradley wants Chris to abandon his bohmeian lifestyle and do what was agreed upon when he retired from the military; return to the family business of making baby food, but Chris refuses.
On the street at a local train station, Chris meets Lynn (Judith Ridley billed as Judith Streiner) a beautiful young woman who works as a model and actress in local TV commercials. Chris charms his way into Lynn's life and moves in with her. At first their relationship is a pleasant escape from daily life. But when Lynn starts to resent supporting the loafing Chris, she motivates him into getting a steady job. But then, Lynn finds out that she's pregnant and decides on getting an abortion without telling Chris knowing how irresponsible he is.
Chris does get a job at a small advertising firm. But when he's given an account to advertise enlistments for the U.S. Army, he quits, clearly displaying his resentment of his past lifestyle. Meanwhile, Lynn cannot bring herself to get an abortion, abandons Chris, and moves in with a high school boyfriend who agrees to marry her and raise her baby as his own. His romance with Lynn ruined and his lifestyle destroyed, Chris swallows his pride and moves back in with his father, still unable to decide what to do with his life, but believing that he ultimately must accept the old values like his father has. However Chris has more encouragement after a talk with Mr. Bradley, who takes his son to dinner at a Howard Johnson's
and explains that life is like an ice cream parlor, and that of all of life's most exotic flavors to chose from, there is always vanilla that one can fall back on.
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's second motion picture and, , his only romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
. It is one of the few Romero films that does not deal with a zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
or other supernatural horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
themes. It has never been released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
, but is currently available in full only in the Region 1 Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of Season of the Witch. The film has also been circulated under the alternate title, The Affair.
Romero himself has stated that he considers this film to be his worst, and has referred to this film as "a total mess". Like many of Romero's earlier films, he cites the reason as undercapitalization.
Plot
There's Always Vanilla follows the life of Chris Bradley (Raymond Laine) a retired U.S. Army soldier who has become a drifterVagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
and makes money by various means, from pimping to guitar playing. Chris returns to his home city of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and visits his father who owns and operates a baby food
Baby food
Baby food is any food, other than breastmilk or infant formula, that is made specifically for infants, roughly between the ages of four to six months to 2 years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes, can be produced by many manufacturers, or may be table food that the rest of the family...
factory. After an evening of drinking at a local bar, and visiting an old girlfriend of Chris' named Terri Terrific (Johanna Lawrence), Mr. Bradley wants Chris to abandon his bohmeian lifestyle and do what was agreed upon when he retired from the military; return to the family business of making baby food, but Chris refuses.
On the street at a local train station, Chris meets Lynn (Judith Ridley billed as Judith Streiner) a beautiful young woman who works as a model and actress in local TV commercials. Chris charms his way into Lynn's life and moves in with her. At first their relationship is a pleasant escape from daily life. But when Lynn starts to resent supporting the loafing Chris, she motivates him into getting a steady job. But then, Lynn finds out that she's pregnant and decides on getting an abortion without telling Chris knowing how irresponsible he is.
Chris does get a job at a small advertising firm. But when he's given an account to advertise enlistments for the U.S. Army, he quits, clearly displaying his resentment of his past lifestyle. Meanwhile, Lynn cannot bring herself to get an abortion, abandons Chris, and moves in with a high school boyfriend who agrees to marry her and raise her baby as his own. His romance with Lynn ruined and his lifestyle destroyed, Chris swallows his pride and moves back in with his father, still unable to decide what to do with his life, but believing that he ultimately must accept the old values like his father has. However Chris has more encouragement after a talk with Mr. Bradley, who takes his son to dinner at a Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's is a chain of hotels and restaurants, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants...
and explains that life is like an ice cream parlor, and that of all of life's most exotic flavors to chose from, there is always vanilla that one can fall back on.