Tagged: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice: Robert Culp’s Swingin’ Navy Suit and Jabot

Robert Culp as Bob Sanders in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Robert Culp as Bob Sanders in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Vitals

Robert Culp as Bob Sanders, swinging documentary filmmaker

Las Vegas, Summer 1969

Film: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Release Date: September 17, 1969
Director: Paul Mazursky
Costume Designer: Moss Mabry

Background

“Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice!” is the subject of the titular toast Alice (Dyan Cannon) delivers in a shared suite at the Riviera in Las Vegas, where the foursome—so to speak—has gathered for a weekend of gambling and a Tony Bennett concert.

A discussion of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” leads to a newly open-minded Alice questioning where Bob (Robert Culp) and Carol (Natalie Wood) have been leaving more than just their hearts. The swinging couple’s admissions lead to a peanut-munching Ted (Elliott Gould) confessing his own recent affair to Alice who, following her initial outrage, has the most unpredictable reaction of any of the spouses as she begins to undress and declares that the four need to have an orgy.

Although it was Bob’s breakthrough at Esalen that got the ball (or, uh, balls) rolling in exploring this degree of openness, it’s both men who require the most convincing, particularly Ted, who finally gives in after deciding: “We’ll have an orgy, and then we’ll go see Tony Bennett.” Continue reading

Elliott Gould’s Poolside Leisurewear in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Elliott Gould as Ted Henderson in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Elliott Gould as Ted Henderson in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Vitals

Elliott Gould as Ted Henderson, married attorney with a wandering eye

Los Angeles, Summer 1969

Film: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Release Date: September 17, 1969
Director: Paul Mazursky
Costume Designer: Moss Mabry

Background

Every month, particularly when passing the time under lockdown this spring, I look forward to the Criterion Channel announcing its new releases which also making it a priority to watch any films leaving the service. When I saw that Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice would be leaving at the end of May 2020, I knew this was my opportunity to watch this influential film considered to be emblematic of the late ’60s zeitgeist. Groundbreaking for its time, Paul Mazurky’s sex comedy enjoyed a recent resurgence in interest as one of ten films Quentin Tarantino cited as a direct influence on his latest hit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

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