I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Hy Averback

Writers:

Paul Mazursky (written by) &
Larry Tucker (written by)

Release Date:

18 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A thirty-something square falls in love with a hippie and decides to "drop out" himself.

Plot Keywords:

Hippie | Love | Lawyer | Wedding | Satire

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Peter Sellers	...	Harold
Jo Van Fleet	...	Mother
Leigh Taylor-Young	...	Nancy
Joyce Van Patten	...	Joyce
David Arkin	...	Herbie
Herb Edelman	...	Murray
Salem Ludwig	...	Father
Louis Gottlieb	...	Guru
Grady Sutton	...	Funeral Director
Janet E. Clark	...	Mrs. Foley (as Janet Clark)
Jorge Moreno	...	Mr. Rodriguez
Ed Peck	...	Man in Dress Shop
Jack Margolis	...	Big Bear
Eddra Gale	...	Love Lady
Carol O'Leary	...	Anita
Gary Brown	...	El Greco
Sidney Clute	...	Mechanic (as Sid Clute)
Roy Glenn	...	Gas Station Attendant
Joe Dominguez	...	Grandfather Rodriguez
William Bramley	...	1st Patrolman
Vince Howard	...	2nd Patrolman (as Vincent Howard)
Robert Miller Driscoll	...	Crying Hippie
Karen Mickievic	...	Crying Hippie's Wife
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hy Averback	...	Rabbi conducting wedding ceremony (uncredited)
Ron Burke	...	Surfer (uncredited)
Paul Mazursky	...	Hippie on sidewalk (uncredited)
Larry Tucker	...	Hitch-hiker (uncredited)

Directed by
Hy Averback

Writing credits
Paul Mazursky		(written by) &
Larry Tucker		(written by)

Produced by
Charles H. Maguire	....	producer (as Charles Maguire)
Paul Mazursky	....	executive producer
Larry Tucker	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
Philip H. Lathrop		(as Philip Lathrop)

Film Editing by
Robert C. Jones

Production Design by
Pato Guzman

Set Decoration by
Audrey A. Blasdel		(as Audrey Blasdel)

Costume Design by
Theadora Van Runkle

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Cunningham	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Everett A. Hughes	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Harpers Bizarre	....	vocals
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator
Bob Thompson	....	vocal arranger
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Bert Steinberger	....	dialogue supervisor

Production Companies

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print Technicolor)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• California Department of Parks and Recreation  special scenes filmed at Leo Carrillo State Beach courtesy of (as State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Beaches and Parks)

Also Known As:

Kiss My Butterfly

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | UK:15 (2006) | UK:X (1968) | Canada:14A (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Leo Carrillo State Beach - 35000 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Trivia:

Director Hy Averback said in an interview that one day, Peter Sellers refused to shoot a scene until a crew member standing off camera changed clothes. The superstitious Sellers claimed the outfit was the "wrong color". Shooting had to stop while they went to wardrobe and got a different color outfit for the crewmember.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The closeup of Harold's hand moving over Nancy's butterfly tattoo shows the top corner to be plainly reflective, with a clear irregular line visible outside the wing.

Quotes:

Mrs. Fine: Lose some weight!
Crying hippie: But all I eat is grass and acid.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Couple of Trouble (1969)

Soundtrack:

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!

Seller's Life Story

Peter Seller's (modern) comedy is set in early 70's California. In many ways, this coming of age comedy is the story of Peter Sellers. Leaving his wife for the single life and "swinging" with several women until marrying his 5th or 6th wife, Sellers kept moving, searching for something else. Much like the final scene, Sellers is seen alone running after the unknown as he continues to find himself. While this is a comedy, the movie has many (hidden) dramas among the mix of laughter and jokes. Also, the movie uses many stereotypes to get laughs. Not that PC for today's audience, it is still funny. Having 10 Mexicans in 1 car, having the Jewish family ask how much the bumper cost at the garage, the hippies preaching peace and the yuppies talking about sex all get laughs in this Peter Sellers comedy.