''Just Me and You'' is a 1978 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written by

Louise Lasser Louise Marie Lasser (born April 11, 1939) is an American actress, television writer, and performing arts teacher and director. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.'' She was ...

and directed by

John Erman John Erman (August 3, 1935 – June 25, 2021) was an American television director, producer, and actor. He was nominated for ten Primetime Emmy Awards, winning once for the film ''Who Will Love My Children?'' (1983). He also won two Directors Gu ...

Plot

The film is a gentle comedy about two strangers with personal family issues who drive across wintery America after Michael Lindsay (

Charles Grodin Charles Sidney Grodin (April 21, 1935 – May 18, 2021) was an American actor, comedian, author, and television talk show host. Grodin began his acting career in the 1960s appearing in TV serials including '' The Virginian''. After a small part ...

) offers a lift to Jane Alofsin (Lasser) and how they gradually get to know each other. Jane is a little neurotic and very indecisive while Charles is more focused.

Cast

as Jane Alofsin *

as Michael Lindsay *

Michael Alldredge Dennis Michael Alldredge (April 13, 1941 – December 19, 1997) was an American film and television actor. He played Frank Foley in the short-lived drama television series '' Almost Grown''. He also played Bill Graham in the miniseries '' V ...

as Max *

Miriam Byrd-Nethery Miriam Byrd-Nethery (May 17, 1929 – January 6, 2003) was an American actress. Her film roles included '' Bound for Glory'' (1976) and '' Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III'' and ''Across Five Aprils'' (both 1990). Personal life By ...

as Connie *

Noble Willingham Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. (August 31, 1931 – January 17, 2004) was an American television and film actor who appeared in more than thirty films and in many television shows, including a stint opposite Chuck Norris in ''Walker, Texas Ranger ...

as Gas Station Owner *

Julie Bovasso Julia Anne Bovasso (August 1, 1930 – September 14, 1991) was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. Life and career Bovasso was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of that borough, the daughter ...

as Waitress *

Paul Fix Peter Paul Fix (March 13, 1901 – October 14, 1983) was an American film and television character actor who was best known for his work in Westerns. Fix appeared in more than 100 movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career be ...

as The Old Man *

Dave Thomas Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * Dave (film), ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * Dave (musical), ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital ...

Production

Lasser wrote the script in the period between shooting the ''

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'' is an American satirical soap opera that aired in daily weeknight syndication from January 1976 to July 1977. The series follows the titular Mary Hartman, an Ohio housewife attempting to cope with various bizarre ...

'' pilot and filming the series. "My biggest fear was that I would write like Woody but I came out sounding like me," she said. Lasser said she "wasn't a writer" but wrote 300 pages of "dialogue scenes" between a boy and a girl. These were read by Deanne Barkley who was developing script for the

Robert Stigwood Organization RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several maj ...

. She suggested Lasser write up her pages as a script and gave her the basic plot line. Lasser rewrote the script accordingly. ''Mary Hartman'' became a big success. Lasser wanted to move into writing and directing. She quit the show and took five months to recover. She then signed a three-picture deal with NBC, to write and star in one film, star in another and direct in a third. The first film was ''Just Me and You''.New Episode in Lasser's TV Life: Incomplete Source Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 9 May 1978: h1. Deanne Barkley had moved to NBC by this time. She got Lasser to rewrite the project under the guidance of Roger Gimbel of EMI TV. She worked on the male part to get the interest of Charles Grodin. "It was the part I wanted to play," she said later. "I love that part. The woman - I don't understand her." The film was shot entirely in California, with various locations such as Joshua Tree doubling for the rest of the US.

Reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said the film contained "the funniest outpouring of dialogue this side of Woody Allen."Our TV Cup Runneth Over Los Angeles Times 22 May 1978: g14.

References

External links

* {{John Erman 1978 television films 1978 films 1978 comedy films American comedy television films NBC network original films Films directed by John Erman 1970s American films