''Jenny'' is a 1970 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

starring

Marlo Thomas Margaret Julia "Marlo" Thomas (born November 21, 1937) is an American actress, producer, author, and social activist. She is best known for starring on the sitcom ''That Girl'' (1966–1971) and her children's franchise '' Free to Be... You and ...

, in her film debut, and

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war co ...

, produced by ABC Pictures and released by Cinerama Releasing Corp. Singer-songwriter

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

provided ''Jenny'' 's theme song, "Waiting".

Plot

Jenny, a young small-town woman, moves away to the city when she becomes pregnant through a one-night stand. She meets film director Delano, who has received a

draft notice In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, an ...

and does not want to be inducted into the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. Jenny and Delano take a liking to each other. Learning that an acquaintance got out of having to serve by having a baby on the way, Delano offers to marry Jenny, claim paternity and support her baby, if she in turn will play along, and he can avoid being drafted. In the months until Jenny's baby is born, the couple experiences the ups and downs of their in-name-only marriage, including a visit back to her family and hometown, and his ongoing relationship with another woman, as Delano and Jenny await the outcome of his draft case. At the end of the film, Jenny goes into labor. Delano brings Jenny a little music box; as it plays a nurse brings in Jenny's new baby. Jenny lovingly holds the newborn and begins to breastfeed as Delano looks on. The film ends with the two of them staring at the newborn, sleeping soundly in its mother's arms.

Selected cast

as Jenny Marsh *

as Delano * Marian Hailey as Kay *

Phil Bruns Philip Bruns (May 2, 1931 – February 8, 2012) was an American television and movie actor and writer. He portrayed George Shumway, the father of Mary Hartman on the 1970s comedic series '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,'' and Morty Seinfeld, the f ...

as Fred Callahan *

Charlotte Rae Charlotte Rae Lubotsky (April 22, 1926 – August 5, 2018) was an American character actress and singer whose career spanned six decades. Rae was known for her portrayal of Edna Garrett in the sitcoms ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and its spin-off, '' ...

as Bella Star *

Vincent Gardenia Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for ''Bang the Drum Slow ...

as Mr. Marsh *

Elizabeth Wilson Elizabeth Welter Wilson (April 4, 1921 – May 9, 2015) was an American actress whose career spanned nearly 70 years, including memorable roles in film and television. In 1972 she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for ...

as Mrs. Marsh * Stephen Strimpell as Peter

Box office

By 1973, the film had earned rentals of $2,010,000 in North America and $815,000 in other countries. After all costs were deducted, it recorded an overall loss of $1,170,000.

Reception

Roger Greenspun Roger Greenspun (December 16, 1929 – June 18, 2017) was an American journalist and film critic, best known for his work with ''The New York Times'' in which he reviewed near 400 films, particularly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and for '' ...

wrote in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

"Jenny" is a very old‐fashioned film, gently accumulating the paraphernalia of a certain opportune modernism. All the movie memories are intellectual properties of a sort that you may discard if you wish to 'sigh' over the sad‐happy story of a girl and her guy and her baby.
But it isn't so easy to make old‐fashioned movies now, and the values and life‐styles the film plays with, keep playing with it in return—so that ''Jenny'' often stumbles into (and alas, out of) a better kind of movie than it has any right to be.

Nominations

The film was nominated for the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

award for Most Promising Newcomer – Female (Marlo Thomas) in 1971.

References

External links

* * * {{Amg movie, 26032, Jenny 1970 films 1970 romantic drama films ABC Motion Pictures films American romantic drama films 1970s English-language films Films about film directors and producers Films about marriage Films scored by Michael Small Films set in New York City Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in New York City American pregnancy films Cinerama Releasing Corporation films 1970s pregnancy films Films directed by George Bloomfield 1970 directorial debut films 1970s American films