Steambath (1973) (TV)

Director:

Burt Brinckerhoff

Writer:

Bruce Jay Friedman (writer)

Release Date:

4 May 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

They Found God In A Steambath

Plot:

TV adaptation of Bruce Jay Friedman's off-Broadway play. Tandy, Merideth and assorted others unexpectedly wake up in a steambath with no easy exit...

Plot Keywords:

Towel | God | Afterlife | Investor | Gay Character

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Stephen Elliott	...	Oldtimer
Bill Bixby	...	Tandy
Herb Edelman	...	Bieberman
Neil J. Schwartz	...	Young Man (as Neil Schwartz)
Patrick Spohn	...	Young Man
Peter Kastner	...	Gottlieb
Valerie Perrine	...	Meredith
Kenneth Mars	...	Broker
José Pérez	...	Attendant (as Jose Perez)
Art Metrano	...	Longshoreman
Shirley Kirkes	...	Young Girl
Biff Elliot	...	Flanders

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hollywood Television Theatre

Trivia:

Bill Bixby was given the lead role of Tandy because Bruce Jay Friedman's young son liked him on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" (1969) TV series. Until that time, Bixby was mainly known for playing comedy, not drama. When approached by producers about who he had in mind for the lead, Friedman named Bixby.

Movie Connections:

References "The Dick Cavett Show" (1968)

God is actually a slightly-built Puerto Rican janitor, making life and death decisions via an old-fashioned "computer"

I saw this movie over 25 years ago on TV. Several times as a matter of fact...the late, late, very late show! It really got under my skin. I've been looking for it forever, because the film really made an impact on me. I was beginning to doubt I had actually seen it. The film opens in a steam bath. Bill Bixby, confused in a towel, is told that he has died and the steam bath is the holding pen before moving into the netherworld (there's actually a door leading to eternity (heaven or hell??). He eventually determines that the skinny little Puerto Rican janitor on the other end of the room is God. "God" stands at a computer terminal making fateful decisions for those on earth (ie, Mary drives down Rt 1 in San Francisco, makes a fatal driving error and goes off the cliff). This film was highly thought-provoking and eerie. The entire film took place in the steam bath. Creepy. Makes you think.