Steambath

I saw this on PBS in the 70s. I have talked about it and tried to find it over the years. For all you fans, I found it on Discount DVD. It was one of Bixby's best and it was spellbinding. It is truly wonderful to see that classics like this are getting a chance to be viewed by new generations.

When I happened to tune into KQED in San Francisco in 1972, I was blown away by this truly outstanding program. I've never seen such a successful combination of mystery, comedy and tragedy presented in any medium or in any production. That show alone made me a life-long supporter of PBS television. I was fortunate to have seen it a couple times in the mid 1770's as it was occasionally shown during subscriber drives while I was living in Milwaukee. I have never seen any trace of it since. Believe me, I've tried.

I saw this a long time ago and never forgot it. I think it was some sort of take off of Jean Paul Satrtes "No Exit"....

But won't spoil it for you, watch the play, folks. The acting, the script, the characterizations, all were excellent. My personal favorite was "Jesus". Very funny, not for the religiously rigid, I must say!!!

Bruce Jay Friedman was the author, this was his second play, and very intelligently written. Wish all comedies were so. Great thinking on a touchy subject, it is not to be missed by the mystically flexible. And really fun to watch.

I am going to make it a part of my collection, been telling people about it for years.

I agree wholeheartedly with those who like this movie. I too watched it on PBS in the early seventies with a group of my friends and we all thought it was hilarious--even profound. Bruce Jay Friedman is one of the cleverest and most imaginative writers around. Check out his stories in the volume Black Angels if you want to see more of his work. Steambath is an unacknowledged gem. It ranks right alongside the black humor of Vonnegut, John Irving and T.C. Boyle. It should be resurrected.

This is an incredible movie. PBS needs to pull this one out of the archives and release this on DVD/VHS just as they have done with "The Lathe of Heaven", another wonderful picture. If anyone knows where this film can be purchased, please let me know.