Goodbye, Columbus (1969)

Director:

Larry Peerce

Writers:

Philip Roth (novel)
Arnold Schulman (writer)

Release Date:

21 May 1969 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Every father's daughter is a virgin.

Plot:

A Jewish man and a jewish woman meet and while attracted to each other find that their worlds are very different...

Plot Keywords:

Jewish | Skinny Dipping | Nose Job | Librarian | Library Card

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Richard Benjamin	...	Neil Klugman
Ali MacGraw	...	Brenda Patimkin
Jack Klugman	...	Ben Patimkin
Nan Martin	...	Mrs. Ben Patimkin
Michael Meyers	...	Ron Patimkin
Lori Shelle	...	Julie Patimkin
Monroe Arnold	...	Uncle Leo
Kay Cummings	...	Doris Klugman
Sylvie Strause	...	Aunt Gladys
Royce Wallace	...	Carlotta
Anthony McGowan	...	Boy in Library
Mari Gorman	...	Laura Simpson Sockaloe
Chris Schenkel	...	Voice on Columbus Record (voice)
Jay Jostyn	...	Voice on Columbus Record (voice)
Jan Peerce	...	Uncle Manny

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:18 | USA:PG (re-rating) (1972) | USA:R (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | Ireland:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Willow Tree

Trivia:

Future daytime diva Susan Lucci can be seen as one of the wedding guests.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At one point Chris Schenkel mentions the "red and white" in reference to Ohio State. Anyone who was ever near Columbus (or followed the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry) knows that the colors are "scarlet and gray". (The incorrect "red/white" reference to the Ohio State Buckeyes comes from Philip Roth's book itself; see in Chapter 7, page 104, line 7 from the top [Houghton Mifflin Co. edition, 1959].)

Quotes:

Neil Klugman: [discussing birth control] What do you take?
Brenda Patimkin: Nothing. Turn off the water.
Neil Klugman: Nothing?
Brenda Patimkin: Listen, I tried the pills, but they made me fat and made me sick, and besides every single day you read something new about them in the paper, so I decided I was better off with nothing.
Neil Klugman: [pause] Brenda, I'd like to talk to you about nothing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels' (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

It's Gotta Be Real

A Story A Shiksa Could Relate To

I remember enjoying this film in the theater. I saw some similarities between my life and that of the Potamkins, if not their religion, the suburban household complete with a father from the city. College-bound, I looked to Ali McGraw as a role model. She always conveyed the image of the east coast college girl portrayed in Seventeen magazine, Glamour and Mademoiselle, wearing the clothes shown in these magazines. I was also struck by Jack Klugman's performance as the provider operating a plumbing supply business in the Bronx. Like Jack Klugman, my Dad grew up in South Philadelphia. My uncle stayed there, commuting to a lumberyard in North Philly. Jack Klugman should have been nominated for and won an Oscar just for that scene with Neil in his office, leaving an impression on me long after leaving the theater. Neil himself? I worked in a library, too, and really liked it! Finally, the romance. I dated a Jewish guy from Northeast Philly. Whenever his parents came home from a wedding, they compared the reception to the one in this film.