BAREFOOT IN THE PARK!

Barefoot in the Park

Note: Ordinarily, I post this feature on Thursdays. However, due to a hectic week I've been very delayed. In fact, I make it a monthly habit to visit all of the Bloggers on my Blogroll. A friend once asked me , "God ! How do you find time to do that?" My answer was and is: "I do the alphabet from A thru L one day, then L thru Z the next!" Well, I made it through "L", then work assignments took over. So, you guys who are in the "L-Z" category can expect me to stop over this weekend! No need to vacuum or dust the furniture. I like to keep it real! Now onto the movie...

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Among the actresses that I wish would take on projects on the big screen are Sondra Locke, and Peggy Lipton. Jane Fonda (please, no political rants here) stated last year that she was quite happy in Atlanta, Georgia where she is away from the West Hollywood scene. So, in essence she is finished with movies and one has to understand and respect the decisions of an artist who has been acting as long as Jane Fonda or Robert Redford. Three years ago in an interview I dug up, Fonda revealed that she fell head over heels in love with Redford during this movie and others (They also worked on THE CHASE and THE ELECTRIC HORSEMAN--the latter was previously featured on FMSN). Fonda was married to Roger Vadim and later Tom Hayden during this period. Here's what Jane said about Robert Redford: "There's something about Bob that's impossible not to fall in love with. I was smitten. I couldn't wait to get to work, wouldn't even get mad when he was his habitual one or two hours late. He never knew it, of course. Nothing ever happened between us except that we always had a good time together", she said.

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BAREFOOT IN THE PARK is a perfect film for Summer! It was adapted by writer Neil Simon and directed by Gene Saks. The tag for this 1967 film when it debuted was: Wake up! Make love! Fall over laughing!!! So, there ya go. I took care of everything here, right? But, of course! Here's the plot: Newlyweds Paul Bratter and Corie Bratter just got married and are on "Cloud 9" after a high-spirited wedding reception at New York's Plaza Hotel. Reality begins to set in when they move into an apartment building populated by eccentrics. It has a hole in the skylight that leaks throughout the movie (to those of you, who like me, have had slum lords in the past: Welcome to the club!). Oh, I should mention that there is no heat, and the Fonda and Redford characters have to WALK up five flights to get to their door! Redford plays a stuffy conservative who takes a "the glass is half-empty" view of life. Fonda plays a sexy, fun-loving woman who regards everything as an adventure in life! The two realize they have some major differences. Before long, they go at arguing with each other, but this is comical! The brilliant Neil Simon adapted this story from the Broadway stage, and followed up a year later with Jack Lemon and Walter Matheau in THE ODD COUPLE. But wait! What about the pain in the neck Mother-In-Law? Mildred Natwick plays this role perfectly along with a middle-aged Charles Boyer who is...what else? A shameless flirt! Joy turns to anguish and the whole story becomes comic relief from the summer heat. Many call this film classic, "Neil Simon comedy at its best". However, Simon once said, "You can't go on making 'Barefoot in the Park' forever". Okay, here are the players: Robert Redford is up and coming lawyer Paul Bratter; Jane Fonda is his sexy wife Corie Bratter; Charles Boyer is (get this name--I love funny names) Victor Velasco; Mildred Natwick is Mother-In-Law Ethel Banks; Herb Edelman is Harry Pepper; Mabel Albertson is Harriet and an Uncredited Doris Roberts from the TV sit-com "Everybody Loves Raymond" is the hotel maid. At the 1968 Academy Awards, Mildred Natwick was Nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Film.

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The reason for the French movie poster? It looked better. Trust me and...

ENJOY!