''Fore Play'' is a 1975

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

anthology film co-directed by Bruce Malmuth, Robert McCarty,

Ralph Rosenblum Ralph Rosenblum (October 13, 1925 – September 6, 1995) was an American film editor who worked extensively with the directors Sidney Lumet and Woody Allen. He won the 1977 BAFTA Award for Best Editing for his work on ''Annie Hall'', and publish ...

, and future

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winner

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

Plot

Within a frame story in which a doctor talks about sex, the film is split into three segments: the first involves a man buying an animate

sex doll A sex doll (also love doll, fuck doll or blowup doll) is a type of anthropomorphic sex toy in the size and shape of a sexual partner. The sex doll may consist of an entire body, or just a head, pelvis, or other body part (vagina, anus, mouth ...

and his many failed attempts to bed it. In the second story, a man suffering from

writer's block Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Mike Rose found that this creative stall is not a result of commitment problems or th ...

finds his muse by undressing various women. Finally, the third story involves the President of the United States, whose daughter is kidnapped and will be killed unless the president and his wife have sex on national television.

Cast

* Zero Mostel as President/Don Pasquale * Estelle Parsons as 1st Lady/Barmaid *

Pat Paulsen Patrick Layton Paulsen (July 6, 1927 – April 25, 1997) was an American comedian and satirist notable for his roles on several of the Smothers Brothers television shows, and for his satirical campaigns for President of the United States between ...

as Norman *

Jerry Orbach Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...

as Jerry Lorsey * George S. Irving as Reverend/Muse * Carmen Álvarez as Anytime Annie * Fred Baur as Secret Service/Mafia *

Irwin Corey "Professor" Irwin Corey (July 29, 1914 – February 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comic, film actor and activist, often billed as "The World's Foremost Authority". He introduced his unscripted, improvisational style of stand-up comedy at th ...

as Professor Irwin Corey *

Thayer David Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles ...

as General *

Paul Dooley Paul Dooley (born Paul Brown; February 22, 1928) is an American character actor, writer and comedian. He is known for his roles in '' Breaking Away'', '' Sixteen Candles'', and ''Popeye''. Early life Dooley was born Paul Brown on February 22, ...

as Salesman * Andrew Duncan as Hurdlemeyer *

Laurie Heineman Laurie Heineman (born August 4, 1948 in Chicago) is an American actress and teacher, probably best known for the role of Myra in the John G. Avildsen film '' Save the Tiger'' and for originating the role of Sharlene Frame on '' Another World''. L ...

as Trixie *

Deborah Loomis According to the Book of Judges, Deborah ( he, דְּבוֹרָה, ''Dəḇōrā'', "bee") was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel and the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Many scholars ...

as Waldo * George King as Masseur * Tom McDermott as Chief Justice McDonald *

Louisa Moritz Louisa Moritz (born Luisa Cira Castro Netto; September 25, 1936 – January 4, 2019) was a Cuban-American actress and lawyer. After arriving in New York from Cuba, she became a film and television actress, then earned a law degree. She is best k ...

as Lt. Sylvia Arliss *

Shelley Plimpton Shelley Plimpton (born February 27, 1947) is an American former actress and Broadway performer. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Crissy in the off-Broadway production of ''Hair'', a role she resumed when the production moved ...

as First Girl

Production

The film was originally made up of four segments (hence the title of the film), but the last segment was ultimately cut from the final draft of the script. The frame story, "Professor Corey on Sex", is a parody of a "white coater" sex education film and was written by Jack Richardson and directed by

. The first segment, "Norman and the Polish Doll", was written by

Dan Greenburg Dan Greenburg (born June 19, 1936) is an American writer, humorist, and journalist. His 73 books have been published in 20 languages in 24 countries. His best-selling books for adults include the non-fiction books '' How to Be a Jewish Mother: ...

and directed by Robert McCarty. The second segment, "Vortex", is written by Jack Richardson and

Bruce Jay Friedman The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

and directed by Bruce Malmuth. The final segment, "Inaugural Ball", was written by David Odell and directed by

Release

The film is currently being distributed by

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...

External links

* * 1975 films 1975 comedy films 1970s sex comedy films American anthology films American comedy films American independent films American sex comedy films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Bruce Malmuth Films directed by John G. Avildsen Films directed by Ralph Rosenblum Films with screenplays by Bruce Jay Friedman Troma Entertainment films Films with screenplays by David Odell 1970s American films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Production

Release

See also

External links