Steambath

TV Movie
1973
Not Rated
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Random people find themselves in a steam room, quickly realize that it's a gateway to the afterlife and that the eccentric Puerto Rican janitor is actually God.Random people find themselves in a steam room, quickly realize that it's a gateway to the afterlife and that the eccentric Puerto Rican janitor is actually God.Random people find themselves in a steam room, quickly realize that it's a gateway to the afterlife and that the eccentric Puerto Rican janitor is actually God.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

496

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
- 3 nominations total

Photos50

+ 43

Top cast12

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Stephen Elliott

Oldtimer

Bill Bixby

Tandy

Herb Edelman

Bieberman

Neil J. Schwartz

Young Man
(as Neil Schwartz)

Patrick Spohn

Young Man

Peter Kastner

Gottlieb

Valerie Perrine

Meredith

Kenneth Mars

Broker

José Pérez

Attendant
(as Jose Perez)

Art Metrano

Longshoreman

Shirley Kirkes Mar

Young Girl
(as Shirley Kirkes)

Biff Elliot

Flanders

Director
- Burt Brinckerhoff
Writer
- Bruce Jay Friedman
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews23

7.8496

Featured reviews

jsteved

this is a terrific play! where can i get a copy [video, etc.]?

A very metaphysical, light-hearted play I saw on PBS 28 years ago and have not seen since. I really, really would like to view it again and give it as a stocking-stuffer to all my friends this Christmas. It is a must on how not to take life or yourself too seriously. Anybody know where I can get a copy?

10Eekamaus

Are you listening PBS?

I was fifteen when this movie originally aired. I watched it because I was a Bill Bixby fan, of all things (I was a big My Favorite Martian fan, and "The Courtship of Eddie's father was THE antidote to my real father). OK, I was fifteen, and the sight of Valerie Perrine in a towel made a big impression on me, but so did the themes and thought of this play. A lifelong agnostic, sometimes the sense of humor is the only sense that makes sense. PBS, if you won't re-air this, please make it available on video.

EyeAskance

surprising oddity for TV

People inside a public steambath realize that they have passed on...and God is their Latino mop-boy! A genuine oddity in the world of TV, this shot-on-video production is certainly not going to appeal to everyone...but for anyone with an interest in strange teleplays, this comes highly recommended. 7/10

10flamingo-3

Why has this wonderful movie disappeared?

I watched this 3 times in one month on public TV nearly 28 years ago. Then it vanished. It remains one of the best shows I have ever seen. It was funny and touching and totally unexpected. Support public TV and ask for it!

Copret

At long last

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.

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Valerie Perrine became the first woman to display (on purpose) her nipples on American network television during the 4 May 1973 broadcast of this movie on Hollywood Television Theater (PBS). Valerie Perrine was seen taking a shower from the side and her butt was in full view. Only a few PBS stations were adventurous enough to carry the program.

Quotes
Meredith: How do you think I feel? I just had my first orgasm.
Tandy: Just now?
Meredith: No, while I was watching the Dick Cavett Show. I was all alone eating some peach yogurt and I got this funny feeling.

Alternate versions
On the Broadway Theatre Archive's DVD, a black bar is imposed over Valerie Perrine's nipples in the head-on showering shot, but the rest of her nude scene is uncensored.