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The Prisoner of Second Avenue
(1975)
Anne's Niche: Actress
Character: Edna
Cast and Crew
My Too Cents: This has to be one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. It was a play by Neil Simon and then he adapted it for the silver screen. I have also read the play but I definately think the movie is better. I just don't know how to put into words exactly how funny this movie is. But this story is not only hilarious, but it is also very endearing and poignant. I would normally say that if you have the oportunity to see this movie, then do; but I'd like to take it one step further by saying that I think everyone should see this and that it is worth it to go out of your way to see it.
Synopsis:
___The Prisoner of Second Avenue
was not one of Simon's best plays, nor was the film adaptation one of his better
screenplays. Lemmon, an ad man, is married to Bancroft, and they dwell in a
small, fashionable, expensive, and well-furnished cheese box on the East Side
of Manhattan. When he loses his job, Lemmon must suffer the humiliation of
having a breadwinning wife. That brings him to the edge of a nervous collapse.
This is not a very funny subject, and the picture wavers between comedy and drama.
The film has lots of one-liners and plenty of pathos. On the stage, the couple
was played by Peter Falk and Lee Grant, who may have been better suited to the
roles. Simon's favorite stage director, Gene Saks, makes an acting appearance
as Lemmon's brother, with Wilson and Stanley doing bits as the concerned
sisters. Costumer Schumacher soon gave up sewing and measuring to become a
writer-director. Sylvester Stallone does a tiny bit in Central Park.
(TV Guide)
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