''Fore Play'' is a 1975
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...
anthology film co-directed by
Bruce Malmuth
Bruce Malmuth (February 4, 1934 – June 29, 2005) was an American film director, best known for his work in the action and thriller genres and for his acting role in The Karate Kid (franchise), ''The Karate Kid'' film franchise.
Biography Ear ...
, Robert McCarty,
Ralph Rosenblum
Ralph Rosenblum (October 13, 1925 – September 6, 1995) was an American film editor who worked extensively with the directors Sidney Lumet and Woody Allen. He won the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Editing for his work on '' Annie Hall'', and publi ...
, and future
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
-winner
John G. Avildsen.
Plot
Within a
frame story
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
* Framing ( ...
in which a doctor talks about sex, the film is split into three segments: the first involves a man buying an animate
sex doll
A sex doll (also love doll, fuck doll or blowup doll) is a type of anthropomorphic sex toy in the size and shape of a sexual partner. The sex doll may consist of an entire body, or just a head, pelvis, or other body part (vagina, anus, mouth, pe ...
and his many failed attempts to bed it. In the second story, a man suffering from
writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...
finds his muse by undressing various women. Finally, the third story involves the President of the United States, whose daughter is kidnapped and will be killed unless the president and his wife have sex on national television.
Cast
*
Zero Mostel
Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in ''Fiddler on the Roof'', Pseudolus on stage and on ...
as President/Don Pasquale
*
Estelle Parsons
Estelle Margaret Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress, singer and stage director.
After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program '' Today'' and ...
as 1st Lady/Barmaid
*
Pat Paulsen as Norman
*
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a ...
as Jerry Lorsey
*
George S. Irving as Reverend/Muse
*
Carmen Álvarez as Anytime Annie
* Fred Baur as Secret Service/Mafia
*
Irwin Corey
"Professor" Irwin Corey (July 29, 1914 – February 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comic, film actor and activist, often billed as "The World's Foremost Authority". He introduced his unscripted, improvisational style of stand-up comedy at th ...
as Professor Irwin Corey
*
Thayer David
Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles ...
as General
*
Paul Dooley
Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''.
Early life
Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...
as Salesman
*
Andrew Duncan as Hurdlemeyer
*
Laurie Heineman as Trixie
*
Deborah Loomis as Waldo
* George King as Masseur
*
Tom McDermott as Chief Justice McDonald
*
Louisa Moritz
Louisa Moritz (born Luisa Cira Castro Netto; September 25, 1936 – January 4, 2019) was a Cuban-American actress and lawyer. After arriving in New York from Cuba, she became a film and television actress, then earned a law degree. She is best k ...
as Lt. Sylvia Arliss
*
Shelley Plimpton as First Girl
Production
The film was originally made up of four segments (hence the title of the film), but the last segment was ultimately cut from the final draft of the script. The
frame story
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
* Framing ( ...
, "Professor Corey on Sex", is a parody of a "white coater" sex education film and was written by Jack Richardson and directed by
Ralph Rosenblum
Ralph Rosenblum (October 13, 1925 – September 6, 1995) was an American film editor who worked extensively with the directors Sidney Lumet and Woody Allen. He won the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Editing for his work on '' Annie Hall'', and publi ...
. The first segment, "Norman and the Polish Doll", was written by
Dan Greenburg
Dan Greenburg (born June 19, 1936) is an American writer, humorist, and journalist. His 73 books have been published in 20 languages in 24 countries.
His best-selling books for adults include the non-fiction books '' How to Be a Jewish Mother: ...
and directed by Robert McCarty. The second segment, "Vortex", is written by Jack Richardson and
Bruce Jay Friedman and directed by
Bruce Malmuth
Bruce Malmuth (February 4, 1934 – June 29, 2005) was an American film director, best known for his work in the action and thriller genres and for his acting role in The Karate Kid (franchise), ''The Karate Kid'' film franchise.
Biography Ear ...
. The final segment, "Inaugural Ball", was written by
David Odell
David Odell (born July 8, 1943) is an American screenwriter and film director.
Odell was nominated in 1980 for an Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for '' The Muppet Show'' alongside Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, and Jerry J ...
and directed by
John G. Avildsen.
Release
The film is currently being distributed by
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them p ...
.
See also
*
List of American films of 1975
A list of American films released in 1975.
''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The highest-grossing film of 1975 was '' Jaws''.
__TOC__
A–B
C–G
H–M
N–S
T–Z
See also
* 1975 in the Uni ...
External links
*
*
1975 films
1975 comedy films
1970s sex comedy films
American anthology films
American comedy films
American independent films
American sex comedy films
1970s English-language films
Films directed by Bruce Malmuth
Films directed by John G. Avildsen
Films directed by Ralph Rosenblum
Films with screenplays by Bruce Jay Friedman
Troma Entertainment films
Films with screenplays by David Odell
1970s American films
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