by David C. Terr

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Title: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice

Director: Paul Mazursky

Starring: Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, Dyan Cannon

Release Date: Sept. 17, 1969

Running Time: 101 min

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Commentary
The title says it all! Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is an amusing story of two very open married couples who end up all sleeping together as a four-some.

Plot Summary
Bob and Carol Sanders (Robert Culp and Natalie Wood) and Ted and Alice Henderson (Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon) are two young married couples who are friends with one-another. After spending a weekend retreat together at a therapy group stressing openness, Bob confesses to his wife Carol about an affair he'd had with a woman he'd met in Berkeley. At first she becomes very upset, but after awhile she comes to appreciate his candor. Bob and Carol then try to enlighten their friends Ted and Alice about their openness. At first Ted and Alice are put off, but eventually they come to think the same way. In the end, the two couples enjoy a four-some in the same bed.

Social Relevance
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice was made at the height of the sexual revolution, when many people were experimenting with sex and less traditional forms of mating. This type of behavior continued throughout the '70s to some degree, but by the '80s it had by-in-large disappeared, due in part to the emergence of sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS and herpes as well as a return to more traditional social values. Nevertheless, I find this to be a very enlightening and entertaining film.

Cultural Significance
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice spawned a short-lived TV series in 1973-4. with only 13 episodes. It was canceled in part due to the risque nature of the show and in part because it needed to be toned down, making it much less interesting. At age 10, Jodie Foster made one of her first TV appearances on this show as Ted and Alice's daughter.