Oh, my God, girls, let me ask you--do you remember that time, way back when, in the Seventies, I think, when we (baby boomers of a Certain Age now) were thought to be so "with it?" That we could not be more "with it" than how we were "with it" then??? And that this being "with it" would never end, because our "with it" youth would last forever, as being 40 or 50 was something we thought of as so far in the future we figured by then we would be old or dead?????
Well, guess again, darlings!!!!! That future is NOW!!!!! And we may be a bit older, but we are not DEAD!!!! At least, not yet!!!! And certainly not Yours Truly!!!!!
What prompted all this???? While reading Rue McClanahan's marvelous autobiography (a MUST for all my girls, loves, as I just finished it yesterday) I came across a photo, on one of its pages, of she and Eli Wallach in a scene from the 1970 film, "The People Next Door." When I saw that photo, memories of seeing it came back, but i thought, "Was Rue in that???? I had forgotten." Because all I could really recall about the film was--oh, my God--Deborah Winters as Maxie!!!!!! And more on her, later.
So, I did some investigating. "The People Next Door" was written by J.P.Miller, famed for penning that definitive alcoholic drama, "Days Of Wine And Roses." Like that earlier work, 'People' began as a TV offering on CBS Playhouse (I guess they were trying to revive the Golden Age of TV Drama, and for a moment, succeeded). It was the story of two suburban families, the Masons and Hoffmans, living next door to each other in a typical suburban enclave of the time. But just as 'Days' changed cast members when transferred to the large screen, so did "The People Next Door." On TV, the Masons were played by Lloyd Bridges and Kim Hunter, while Fritz Weaver and Phyllis Newman played the Hoffmans. In both versions, Deborah Winters played Maxie. Oh, my God, Deborah Winters as Maxie!!!! But more on her later.
This was written at a time when baby boomers like ourselves were starting to question the suburban values of our parents, while still being content to live off them. We never thought of that, then, did we???? So writers were looking to explore this theme, and Miller came up with this story of two contrasting families, all with flaws, which none can seem to deal with, and how these flaws coalesce to chip away at the social fabric that was familial suburbia, at the time.
The Masons are solidly Middle Class. Father Arthur runs a construction business, is a control bigot one step short of Archie Bunker, while his wife, Gerrie, is a chain smoking social neurotic, who cannot seem to get it together. They are played by Eli Wallach and Julie Harris. The Hoffmans are a bit more upscale; more educated; he is a high school principal, and she a trendy social housewife with a bit of a drinking problem, whom you would think could not keep it together. But in this story, appearances are deceiving all the time!!!!! The Masons have two children, Artie, who is a twenty something long haired type who plays in a band, and Maxie (Deborah Winters--oh, my God!!!) the pretty, blonde, All-American type every parent then wanted their daughter to be, and which all us unpopular sorts wanted to be. Except we all should have checked with the Gonnellas before making this kind of wish!!!!! The Hoffmans have one child, Sandy (and the young Don Scardino's performance is memorable here) on whom they have pinned all their hopes, and he seems hell bent on fulfilling them.
Well, darlings, just like the Gonnellas and Dykemans, things are not at all right in these households. At the Masons, Daddy Arthur is a "tail chaser," lusting after his secretary, played brilliantly by Rue McClanahan, while he thinks no one knows, but everyone does. The scene girls, where Rue, as Della, tells him off, is priceless; it is pure Rue at her acting best, and just what Arthur deserves. Now, Daddy cannot stand son Artie's hair and lifestyle, and when the trouble really starts, blames his son, and kicks him out!!!! Nice!!!! Passive Mommy Gerrie just stands by and wrings her hands. Not unlike Mrs. Stamper in Inge's "Splendor In The Grass." See how this genre perpetuates itself????? Meanwhile, over at the high school that Mr. Hoffman is in charge of, the kids are rioting and pillaging, as he looks bewildered, and his wife just adds an extra ice cube to her drink. But their troubles have yet to begin.
One evening, the Masons find Maxie hiding in her closet, transfixed, talking about hearing mountains and being electric. Honey, she is tripping on LSD, and before Artie gets kicked out of the house by Daddy, who thinks Maxie got the stuff from him, he talks Maxie down. Let me tell you, darlings, this was the scene where Deborah Winters showed she was brilliant. Back then, we all wanted to look and be like Maxie, with her long hair, and the luxury (or so we thought then) of spending our adolescence institutionalized, rather than in suburban high schools, with homophobic bitches, like Mrs. Santamarina!!!!! Oh, my God, darlings!!!! Deborah Winters as Maxie!!!!! You have to see it for yourselves!!!!!
Clearly, Maxie has problems. One of these is being named Maxie!!! What for??? Sta-Free Maxi(e) pads?????? But their parents have more, as they cannot see the forest for the trees. Daddy is screwing Rue, Mommy can't cope, so she appeals to the Hoffmans, who seem able to, and whom, one would think, as Gerrie does, has it all together. Except they do not, either, because, when son Sandy denies Mommy Tina the use of his car, this cuts through her alcoholic haze, and, boy, does she get it together!!! I am telling you, you have to see Cloris Leachman--yes, Cloris Leachman!!!-- do a nude scene, where she rises from a bed, shows her ass, and puts on a robe. Be glad this was forty years ago, and not today on "Raising Hope"!!!! Eeeeeeeeewwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tina sneaks into Sandy's room, finds the keys, goes in the trunk and discovers.....cases upon cases of drugs!!!!! Seems fair haired Sandy is not so fair after all, just like Janice Gonnella with her diaphragm, and just like Linda Buck in my class, whom everyone knew was selling. When Daddy David hits the smug capitalist kid in the chops with the suitcase, I applauded (he probably turned out to be the worst of our generation, a Wall Streeter), and did so again when he has his own son arrested and hauled away. Mommy Tina realizes where Maxie, now hopelessly institutionalized (after a nude drug escapade on the front lawn) got the drugs from, and profusely apologizes to her neighbors. But things come to an explosive climax. Because, with David Hoffman being a longstanding community member, and a principal, the police drop the charges on Sandy, whereupon Arthur loses it, and tries to kill him, which he should have. After all, Sandy is the scum who destroyed Maxie, just like Ravi and Wei are the scum who destroyed Tyler Clementi. Nope, I will not get over this, or forget!!!!! What saves the moment is Sandy maintaing his arrogance, and Daddy about to hit him calling him "you pollution of my life!" Now, that is Tough Love!!!!! Suddenly, the comatose Gerrie suddenly pulls it together and drives to the institution, where she lashes into Maxie, telling her just what her life will be like in one of these places, and asking her to try. "The People Next Door" ends on a relatively hopeful note--just as Daddy and Artie, burst into the room, Maxie appears, looking at them through the doorway, and is seen mouthing the words, "I'll try." She has a long way to go, but there is a note of hope here.
But I am telling you, it is Deborah Winters as Maxie, who holds it all together. I want to do the closet scene where she hears mountains. Honey, I could nail that!!!!!
I keep hearing this was released as a theatrical film, and the names on the credits--Joseph E. Levine, Avoco Embassy Films, would seem to indicate such. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall it. It must have played New York for a week, and then gone straight to television, where it seemed like it was dug out every week during the Seventies, or when the network had nothing else to show. It is SO of its time, darlings, but we thought it was SO cutting edge!!!!!!!
But what survives is Deborah Winters as Maxie. You will not forget her. She is emblematic of the pains that plagued our age, and we still here are proof that those pains were beat. We hope that the real life Maxies beat them, without much harm to their families.
Like Tolstoy said "every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The point of "The People Next Door" is simple and still valid today--the ones whom you think have it all really don't. They are as fucked up as anyone!!!!!!!
I LOVE it!!!! Now, it is time for me to call my Winged Monkeys!!!!!!!!!!
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