THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS—“And you’re not getting away with anything! I got all your names and your addresses! ” Most of us can relate to a situation—trip, event, meeting, date, whatever—that went awry. In retrospect, unless they were actually tragic those episodes are fodder for wry asides, laugh aloud top-this stories or at least the handy palms-up & head-shake-with-hissed exhale. One of 1970’s most popular comedies puts us in the trenches—make that, on the streets—with an average couple caught in a vortex of anxiety with no way to go but down.

‘George Kellerman’ (Jack Lemmon) and wife ‘Gwen’ (Sandy Dennis) excitedly head from their Iowa town to New York City, where George will be interviewed for a promotion to a big job in The Big Apple. A ‘hot time in the old town tonight’ with reservations for dinner at The Four Seasons and bed at the Waldorf Astoria becomes an existential fight for safety, sanity and survival. From their delayed flight on, plans and hopes jet out the window seat, along with their luggage, lodging, money and Gwen’s shoes. Sopped, mugged, kidnapped, kicked out of a church, caught in a riot, landmined by a manhole cover, reduced to fighting a Great Dane over a bag of Cracker Jacks in Central Park: pretty much an “Oh, my God!” situation.

“I was going to take you to dinner at one of the best restaurants in the world. Here you are eating peanut butter on white bread with nothing to drink. If you ever get your mouth open again, I wouldn’t blame you if you never talk to me.”

Location-shot in New York City and Boston by director Arthur Hiller (also nicking non-comic bad luck in the year’s biggest hit, Love Story), it was originally intended by Neil Simon to be part of his play “Plaza Suite”, later a 1971 movie directed by Hiller. He dropped the segment and transmuted it into the screenplay for this, by which time his script for The Odd Couple scored a big hit for all involved, not least Jack Lemmon, who eagerly signed on for this one. Simon, Hiller & Co. had ample 1970 cohorts in crime as New York City was put onto couches in one manner or another thru The Owl And The Pussycat, Lovers And Other Strangers, Where’s Poppa?, Diary Of A Mad Housewife, Quackser Fortune Has A Cousin In The Bronx, The Landlord and Hi, Mom!    1970 pix set in Iowa? We’ll get back to you…

GWEN: “George, what are we doing wrong? We can’t ride, we can’t walk, we can’t eat, we can’t pray.”  GEORGE: “Well, we can think. As long as we got our brains, we can think.”  GWEN: “Oh, they’ll get that too, George. You’ll see.”

Though audiences liked it to the jingle of $21,900,000, spot #16 for the year, critics were not much more receptive than the city, nagging on Hiller for pacing and sniping at Simon for not developing character in favor of gags. True, the Kellerman’s plight draws more sympathy than the constantly complaining George and Gwen themselves, with Lemmon starting in 3rd gear and hardly ever letting up; each individual scene works but the repetition wears thin. We’re not usually enamored of Dennis, but she’s good here, dialing back her tendency to tic, blink & stammer she bests blustering Jack; plus she gets more of the better throwaway lines. The 101 minutes would have been less jangly at 90, but there are plenty of chuckles and helping move things along to the just-right payoff are a packet of supporting nuggets from Ron Carey, Anne Meara, Ann Prentiss (Paula’s lookalike sister), Dolph Sweet, Sandy Baron, Robert Nichols, Billy Dee Williams, Philip Bruns, Graham Jarvis, Anthony Holland, Johnny Brown and Paul Dooley. Remade in 1999 with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn.

* Laugh till it hurts—though he pulled a few duds (Promise Her Anything, Penelope), Arthur Hiller fielded an enviable track record with comedies, often carrying a black humor edge: The Americanization Of Emily, The Tiger Makes Out, The Hospital, Silver Streak, The In-Laws, Author! Author!, The Lonely Guy, Teachers, Outrageous Fortune.