Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

David Reuben (book)
Woody Allen (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 August 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

If you want to know how this man made a movie out of this book... "Everything you always wanted to know about sex* - *But Were Afraid to Ask" you'll have to see the movie!

Plot:

Seven segments related to one another only in that they all purport to be based on sections of the book by David Reuben...

Plot Keywords:

Aphrodisiac | Queen | Jester | Court Jester | Purity

Cast

Woody Allen	...	The Fool / Fabrizio / Victor Shakapopulis / Sperm #1
John Carradine	...	Dr. Bernardo
Lou Jacobi	...	Sam Musgrave
Louise Lasser	...	Gina
Anthony Quayle	...	The King
Tony Randall	...	The Operator
Lynn Redgrave	...	The Queen
Burt Reynolds	...	Switchboard
Gene Wilder	...	Dr. Doug Ross
Jack Barry	...	Himself
Erin Fleming	...	The Girl
Elaine Giftos	...	Anne Ross
Toni Holt	...	Herself
Robert Q. Lewis	...	Himself
Heather MacRae	...	Helen Lacey
Pamela Mason	...	Herself
Sidney Miller	...	George
Regis Philbin	...	Himself
Titos Vandis	...	Milos Stavros
Stanley Adams	...	Stomach Operator
Oscar Beregi Jr.	...	Brain Control (as Oscar Beregi)
Alan Caillou	...	The Fool's Father
Dort Clark	...	The Sheriff
Geoffrey Holder	...	The Sorcerer
Jay Robinson	...	The Priest
Ref Sanchez	...	Igor
Don Chuy	...	Football Player
Baruch Lumet	...	Rabbi Chaim Baumel
Tom Mack	...	Football Player
Robert Walden	...	Sperm
H.E. West	...	Bernard Jaffe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Beckley	...	King's Herald (uncredited)

Directed by
Woody Allen

Writing credits
David Reuben		(book)
Woody Allen		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jack Brodsky	....	executive producer
Jack Grossberg	....	associate producer
Charles H. Joffe	....	producer
Jack Rollins	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Mundell Lowe

Cinematography by
David M. Walsh		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Eric Albertson

Casting by
Marvin Paige

Production Design by
Dale Hennesy

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Makeup Department
Paul Stanhope Jr.	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terry Carr	....	second assistant director (as Terry M. Carr)
Fred T. Gallo	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Barry Bedig	....	property master
Wallace Graham	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Al Gramaglia	....	sound re-recordist
Jack Solomon	....	sound mixer
John Strauss	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects coordinator (uncredited)
Bob Overbeck	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Harvey Plastrik	....	opticals

Stunts
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	stunts
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Brutsche	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Wilbur Gossman	....	camera operator
Richard Moran	....	key grip
Joe Smith	....	gaffer (as Joseph Smith)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Arnie Lipin	....	wardrobe supervisor: male (as Arnold M. Lipin)
G. Fern Weber	....	wardrobe supervisor: female
Jack Faustino	....	wardrobe manager: Western Costume Co. (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Jonathan Bernstein	....	assistant editor
James T. Heckert	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Mundell Lowe	....	conductor
Phil Ramone	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Joe Sawyers	....	transportation captain (as Joe R. Sawyers)

Other crew
Antonio Encarnacion	....	assistant to producers (as Tony Encarnacion)
Brian E. Frankish	....	location coordinator (as Brian Frankish)
Norman Gorbaty	....	title designer
Karen Hale Wookey	....	script supervisor (as Karen Wookey)
Joel Marrow	....	assistant to producers
Harvey Plastrik	....	opticals
Henry Polonsky	....	assistant to producers
Carol Shapiro	....	unit publicist
Teresa Stokovic	....	production secretary
Howard Storm	....	assistant to producers
Conrad E. Palmisano	....	photo double: Anthony Quayle (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Rollins-Joffe Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• New Star (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• United Artists Films (1973) (Finland) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic)
• CBS/Fox (video)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Pioneer Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• A&R Recording Studios  music recorded at
• Cinemobile System  locations
• Magno Recording Studios  sound recording
• Western Costume Company  costumes supplied by

Also Known As:

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:14 | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Iceland:Unrated | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #23359) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Rollins-Joffe Productions

Trivia:

The seven segments are: - (1) Do Aphrodisiacs Work? in which a court jester is foiled by the Queen's chastity belt - (2) What is Sodomy? in which a doctor falls in love with one of his patients, who just happens to be a sheep - (3) Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm? Allen's homage to Italian film-making in general and Michelangelo Antonioni in particular - (4) Are Transvestites Homosexuals? in which a middle-aged man experiments with women's clothes - (5) What Are Sex Perverts? a send-up of game shows - (6) Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research Accurate? in which the countryside is terrorized by a giant runaway breast and - (7) What Happens During Ejaculation? which is set in the brain (and other parts of the body) as a man gets involved in a sexual clinch.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: Possibly deliberate error by filmmaker. At the very end of the "What's My Perversion" segment.

Quotes:

Woods County Sheriff: [on radio] Be on the look out for a large female breast.
Victor Shakapopulis: It's about a 4000 with an X-cup.
Woods County Sheriff: About a 4000 with an X-cup.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "What's My Line?" (1950)

Soundtrack:

LET'S MISBEHAVE

Silly Allen is good Allen

'Everything You Always To Know About Sex' is probably the last time Woody Allen really fooled about and made an ass of himself with minimal artistic pretenses, and given the mediocre quality of recent disposable duds like 'Melinda & Melinda' and 'Anything Else', it's quite refreshing. True, this 1972 collection of extremely lewd skits isn't quite as impressive and thought-provoking as some of Allen's best works, like 'Annie Hall', 'Manhattan' or for that matter even the follow-up 'Sleeper'; yet there's an energy to 'Everything You Always Wanted To Know' that Allen has not shown for at least a decade, and in that light it's still entirely classic.

If anything, the film is closest in its spirit to early Allen films like 'Bananas' and 'Sleeper', but it actually feels more like a British comedy, and is clearly influenced by shows like 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' and 'The Benny Hill Show', in it's chaotic and rude humor. Still, Allen's mark is all over the skits, even when he isn't in them. One of the best of the bunch, in fact, is the skit titled 'What Is Sodomy', which stars Gene Wilder. Influences of both Monty Python and Mel Brooks can be felt in it, but it's entirely Allen; and still, it's Wilder that makes it perfect. Even more Pythonish is the fabricated game-show 'What's Your Perversion'.

The best and most memorable is the last skit, entitled 'What Happens During Ejaculation', in which Allen does a wonderful portrayal of a sperm, and we catch a glimpse of the action in the control room of a man's body during sexual intercourse. The skit is brilliantly satirical and ranks with Allen's best moments, nearly overshadowing the rest of the film. Still, it's not without it's unforgettable moments; other than Wilder, also worthy of special praise is John Carradine who is wonderful as the ultimate parody of a mad scientist, and let's not forget Woody Allen as a fool in the Middle Ages misquoting Hamlet and getting his hand stuck up the Queen's chastity belt, and his wonderful performance as an Italian Casanova.

So no, it's not quite one of Allen's best films, but it's close. The humor is dirty, yes, but not childish; Allen's intelligence is there, but it's much lighter than 'Annie Hall' or other classics, and like a Monty Python or a Mel Brooks it bears multiple viewings. A movie that's funny as hell, essential for Allen fans, and recommended for all.