Coffee, Tea or Me?

Has there ever been a cuter bigamist than Karen Valentine? Or a ditzier best friend than Louise Lasser? And, dig the service level and the size of the planes offered on Global Airlines? How come I never fly on planes like that. Michael Anderson, Jr. is quite remarkable as Valentine's British husband. Lou Jacobi had fun as a beleaguered waiter who cannot believe his eyes. And John Davidson is very pretty and square.

The funny thing is the story is both utterly absurd and almost plausible at the same time given the psychological make-up of Valentine's character. Valentine, by-the-way. is a surprisingly adept farceur. It's a shame she got typecast as a sweet young thing, because her talent and range exhibited are revelations to me in this sexy romp made during a wonderful time before anybody knew about AIDS.

My only complaint about this treasure of a time capsule from a bygone era is that I envy Karen Valentine's character her ability to enjoy bigamy so much. For the longest time, she gets to live my dream life, and be a wife to two hunks 6000 miles apart. Louise Lasser is a standout as her co-working stewardess and best friend. Lou Jacobi has a nice bit as a befuddled waiter. This movie reminds me of my early adulthood in the 70's, a pre-AIDS, pre-Reagan time when it was okay to enjoy life and enjoy sex. This is a superior vehicle for escape.

I'd like to fly in a plane anywhere near as roomy as the planes pictured in this movie. But, that's part of this one's incredible charm. Everyone is having a blast -- and in the most eccentric ways. Louise Lasser is nothing short of brilliant as Karen Valentine's co-worker. The characters are perfectly natural even while their situations get more-and-more absurd. This is a 70's TV-movie that captures perfectly the essence of the screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's, and I think, compares favorably to Nothing Sacred. Watch and enjoy!

Karen Valentine is the sweetest, most bubbly, most delightful bigamist you'd ever want to meet in this TV-movie which is an utterly perfect product of its era. She has such a good heart, she marries would-be suicide Michael Anderson Jr. to stop him from jumping even though she's already married to a medical student in LA. And, she has the most incredible point of view that only Karen Valentine could pull off -- making bigamy into a good deed. And, she discovers it is possible to be happily married to two men at the same time. Of course, since it's a TV-movie, she inevitably gets caught, and then it loses just a touch of its devil-may-care magic as it winds down in somewhat predictable fashion. Still, it's a fun romp while it lasts. 8/10.

Louise Lasser shines fellow as Karen Valentine's fellow flight attendant and best friend. Karen's character, you see, is enjoying the ideal marriages with two men she loves and who love her devotedly --- one in Los Angeles (John Davidson) and one in London. Everything is going surprisingly well and she's feeling great until she gets pregnant. Then she needs the help and support of Louise's character. Louis's timing and reinvention of the scatterbrained stewardess takes over the film from Valentine. This says a lot because Valentine is also brilliant.