Diary of a Mad Housewife **** (1970, Richard Benjamin, Frank Langella, Carrie Snodgress) – Classic Movie Review 8728

Director Frank Perry’s 1970 Diary of a Mad Housewife stars Richard Benjamin as the greedy, egotistical, abusive lawyer Jonathan Balser, who repels his put-upon housewife Tina (Carrie Snodgress), who has a fling with big-headed writer George Prager (Frank Langella), so she looks for succour in group therapy.

Eleanor Perry’s sour and observant script from Sue Kaufman’s novel, Frank Perry’s probing direction and the special playing of a nifty young cast in their prime make this intriguing look at relationships a smart, unusual and enjoyable film.

Snodgress was Oscar nominated as Best Actress, and won the Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Most Promising Newcomer – Female. But Snodgress left it all behind to live with rock musician Neil Young, the father of her son, Zeke. It was nearly eight of her best years before she returned to film as a supporting actress in Brian De Palma’s The Fury (1978).

Snodgress died on 1 April 2004, aged 58. She said: ‘I was never really a career woman. My life always came first. My dream had always just been to do my work well, fall in love and build a life for myself. When I came back, the industry didn’t trust me. Rock ‘n’ roll carries a heavy stigma. They didn’t want to fool around with a dropout.’

Alice Cooper appears, with his band, as himself. Also in the cast are Lorraine Cullen, Frannie Michel, Lee Addoms, Peter Dohanos, Katherine Meskill, Leonard Elliott, Valma, Hilda Haynes, Donald Symington, Allison Mills, Beverly Ballard, Peter Boyle, Jeanette Du Bois and William Kiehl.

It runs 103 minutes but the TV version runs at 95 minutes.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8728

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