Barefoot in the Park (1967)
A delightful, quirky, and lovable film...
I love this film! Barefoot in the Park, is a 1967 charming romantic comedy. The humorous situations and lively moments surrounding newlyweds Paul and Corie Bratter (Robert Redford and Jane Fonda) as they adjust to living in their new teeny tiny sixth-floor apartment are sure to delight and amuse you. Every apartment building has its own cast of characters. There's the quirky neighbor who no one has ever seen but keeps a bizarre collection of empty tuna fish cans stacked in the hallway by the front door. The building's lack of an elevator means every visitor reaches the sixth-floor apartment in complete exhaustion, adding to the hilarity of the situation. And then there is the delightfully zany neighbor, Victor Velasco (Charles Boyer), who lives in the attic, reaching his quirky abode by traipsing through the newlyweds' apartment. The movie includes some unforgettable lines penned by Neil Simon, like when Corie's mother (Mildred Natwick) remarks upon entering the apartment, "the coldest thing in the room is the radiator." It's the kind of quirky comedy that makes you feel like you've just moved into that wacky building, where every moment is an adventure and every neighbor is a character straight out of a cartoon!
So, briefly, here’s the delightful chaos of Barefoot in the Park in a nutshell...
After spending their entire 6-day honeymoon living like royalty in a suite at the New York Plaza Hotel, Corie and Paul Bratter return to the reality check of their new Greenwich Village apartment. For Corie, ever the optimist, setting up home is an enchanting adventure; for Paul, the practical lawyer, it's more like diving headfirst into a circus of chaos. Between the broken radiator and the hole in the skylight, Paul begins to wonder if he's accidentally signed up to live in a funhouse instead of a cozy apartment
Their upstairs neighbor, Victor Velasco, is a charmingly eccentric rascal who prefers to use their bedroom window as his personal entrance—a quirk of convenience born from his ongoing feud with the landlord. To Corie's utter delight, Victor's European flair includes culinary experiments that could make even the bravest of food critics shudder. Inspired by Victor's antics, Corie hatches a plan to pair him with her widowed mother, believing that that Victor's quirky charisma is just the remedy for her mother's mundane existence.
When they all venture to a bizarre Albanian restaurant on Staten Island, hilarity reaches new heights. With belly dancers surrounding the table, Mrs. Banks, throwing caution and her ulcer to the wind, decides to sample every forbidden delight—from dubious cocktails to dishes that would make a seasoned food critic weep. Inevitably, she tumbles down a flight of stairs, leading to an impromptu overnight stay at Victor's place. Meanwhile, Corie and Paul's evening turns into a comedy of errors—an argument erupts, and Corie dramatically demands a divorce, declaring it with the theatrical flair of a soap opera star. Paul, in a fit of rebellious despair, embarks on a drunken binge, donates his overcoat to a bewildered tramp in Washington Square, and strides through the frigid streets barefoot, embracing the 30-degree chaos with the enthusiasm of a daredevil on a bet.
After a heart-to-heart with her mother, who confesses that her evening with Victor was about as thrilling as watching paint dry, Corie realizes that marriage is not just a whimsical adventure. Filled with remorse, she sets out to retrieve Paul and drag him back to their circus of a life.
Meanwhile, Paul, determined to embody Corie's zest for life, drunkenly decides to perform an impromptu rooftop trapeze act. He climbs out on the roof and teeters on the ledge like a tipsy tightrope walker. Corie follows him onto the roof and convinces him that she loves him just the way he is—clumsy, chaotic, and charmingly impractical. A crowd of amused onlookers, including Mrs. Banks and Victor, erupts into spontaneous applause as the newlyweds seal their reconciliation with a daring rooftop embrace, which ends with them nearly falling off but catching themselves just in time, adding an extra dose of drama to their comedic love story.
Directed by: Gene Saks
Cast
Robert Redford as Paul Bratter
Jane Fonda as Corie Bratter
Charles Boyer as Victor Velasco
Mildred Natwick as Ethel Banks
Herbert Edelman as Harry Pepper
Mabel Albertson as Harriet
Fritz Feld as restaurant proprietor
James F. Stone as delivery man
Ted Hartley as Frank
Notes of Interest:
Location scenes filmed in New York City.
One of the running jokes is the lack of an elevator, leaving new arrivals to the 6th floor apartment gasping for air like fish out of water. For its French release, the dubbed dialogue humorously placed the apartment on the 9th floor because in France, buildings with six stories and no elevator are a dime a dozen, and the audience would have wondered why everyone was acting like they'd just climbed Mount Everest.
Adapted from Neil Simon's play Barefoot in the Park, first performed in New York on October 23, 1963.
In 1967, the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress was awarded to Mildred Natwick for her portrayal of Ethel Banks.
Enjoy!
...Jill
The Forks Part…
Cheesy Stuffed Rice Balls
Albanian Qifqi, scrumptious fried rice balls, would be the perfect snack companion for this film. Though my mom's culinary arsenal mostly boasts German and American dishes, and lacked a recipe for Qifqi, I stumbled upon an amazing Cheesy Stuffed Rice Balls recipe from Mrs. Danford, the delightful elderly neighbor who always had the best treats. Trust me, you’ll love munching on these gems while enjoying Barefoot in the Park!
What You Need:
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
shredded mozzarella cheese (retro recipe uses shredded cheese but using 3 or 4 mozzarella string cheese cut into 1 inch pieces makes stuffing the rice balls much easier)
1½ cups panko bread crumbs (I changed this from regular bread crumbs to panko crumbs)
1 cup light coloured oil (canola oil is best)
Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves for garnish
What To Do:
Cook the rice
Place the chicken stock in a medium saucepan along with the salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
Add the rice and stir well. Cover and simmer an additional 20-25 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Spread the cooked rice on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow to cool completely. Put the cooled rice in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to assemble the rice balls.
Assemble the Rice Balls
Heat the canola oil in a medium, high sided skillet until the oil begins to look shiny.
Place the panko crumbs in a medium bowl.
Keep hands wet with water as you take approximately 1½ tablespoons of cooled rice in the palm of hand and flatten it.
Add a cheese cube to the center of the rice and then form the rice over the cheese to form a ball. Roll around in your hand to be sure it all sticks together.
Roll each rice ball around in the panko crumbs pressing until the ball is covered in the crumbs.
Add the panko coated balls to the hot oil and pan fry on all sides until golden (approximately 2-3 minutes).
Remove the fried rice balls to paper towels to drain and immediately sprinkle with a little bit of salt. (salt can be omitted if desired)
Serve warm sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil. Can use marinara or spaghetti sauce for dipping or create your own sauce.
Enjoy!
If it’s Neil Simon, I’m in. Also great look at Redford before he became a big star. I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 was his breakout film.
Big Neil Simon fan but I never saw this one. I’ll look for it.
The rice balls sound good too.