The delightful presence of Pamela Ferdlyn in this black comedy based upon Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s play (which he adapted for the screen) really gives a sardonic, almost sketch comedy like theme to this delicious little surprise. The 12 year old Wanda didn't get her birthday cake simply because she was hit by an ice cream truck on her birthday and is now in heaven playing shuffleboard with various villains of history, so her bakery made cake has been purchased by Susannah York for her son Steven Paul's birthday, and it just so happens that he is 12 too. With her high pitched voice, Ferdlyn was perfect as an animated movie actress, still remembered as the young girl who adopts pig Wilbur in "Charlotte's Web". Her scene describing her death and the aftermath is so tongue in cheek that you expect an ice cream truck to come along and run her over once again.
The story focuses on Paul's birthday and his absent father Rod Steiger's return after years of absence, surprising his ex-wife York, who is busy dealing with two annoying suitors (George Grizzard and Don Murray) whom Paul can't stand. He keeps having them chasing him into the dangerous Central Park at night, so Paul seems thrilled by his father's return.
York, in dealing with her ex-husband's return, has to establish the fact that she has grown since he left them, and this leads to several violent outbursts by Steiger, playing a rather demented military man who is surprisingly charming in spite of his unpredictable ways. At times, I began to confuse him with Richard Burton. The direction of legendary Mark Robson keeps this hopping at a pace that will never have you bored.
Then there's Steiger's Peter Lorre like sidekick William Hickey, complete with Jerry Lewis like voice and his own wacky situations, and you've got the recipe for a souffle of bizarre proportions. Steiger and Hickey together seem like Raymond Massey and Lorre in "Arsenic and Old Lace". Pamela Saunders, as one of Steiger's ex-wives, now in heaven, seems dressed up to be emulating Agnes Moorehead in "Bewitched", and for those who believe that heaven has a bar, this is at least fictional evidence of that.
In addition to these wacky performances, there is the art direction of York's apartment, bizarre with its jungle like atmosphere, and aided by animal sounds in the background, even when Paul is running towards the Central Park Zoo. I made the mistake of assuming that this was a drama, but now that I've seen it, it has entered into my list of favorite comedies, and very close to the top 10 of my favorite 70's comedies. In editing my collection down to a manageable size, I've decided that this one is a keeper.
The story focuses on Paul's birthday and his absent father Rod Steiger's return after years of absence, surprising his ex-wife York, who is busy dealing with two annoying suitors (George Grizzard and Don Murray) whom Paul can't stand. He keeps having them chasing him into the dangerous Central Park at night, so Paul seems thrilled by his father's return.
York, in dealing with her ex-husband's return, has to establish the fact that she has grown since he left them, and this leads to several violent outbursts by Steiger, playing a rather demented military man who is surprisingly charming in spite of his unpredictable ways. At times, I began to confuse him with Richard Burton. The direction of legendary Mark Robson keeps this hopping at a pace that will never have you bored.
Then there's Steiger's Peter Lorre like sidekick William Hickey, complete with Jerry Lewis like voice and his own wacky situations, and you've got the recipe for a souffle of bizarre proportions. Steiger and Hickey together seem like Raymond Massey and Lorre in "Arsenic and Old Lace". Pamela Saunders, as one of Steiger's ex-wives, now in heaven, seems dressed up to be emulating Agnes Moorehead in "Bewitched", and for those who believe that heaven has a bar, this is at least fictional evidence of that.
In addition to these wacky performances, there is the art direction of York's apartment, bizarre with its jungle like atmosphere, and aided by animal sounds in the background, even when Paul is running towards the Central Park Zoo. I made the mistake of assuming that this was a drama, but now that I've seen it, it has entered into my list of favorite comedies, and very close to the top 10 of my favorite 70's comedies. In editing my collection down to a manageable size, I've decided that this one is a keeper.