This is another film I had missed out on a number of times on Cable TV in the past. It's considered something of a censorship milestone with the treatment of taboo subjects such as prostitution, homosexuality and pornography – not to mention the proliferation of bad language throughout (unfortunately, the DVD is said to contain the slightly edited PG-rated version, which cuts some brief nudity involving female lead Barbra Streisand and her use of the f-word in one scene)!

With this in mind, one has to consider the development which the comedy genre underwent during this time: from the mildly risqué sophisticated antics of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films of the early 1960s to the cynical anxiety-ridden variety that started emanating towards the tail-end of the decade – with which the likes of Jack Lemmon, George Segal (the male lead of this film) and, in particular, Woody Allen (since he was his own writer and mostly directed himself as well) are forever associated.

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT is also notable for giving the current female singing sensation – Barbra Streisand – her first non-musical role; in fact, it led to other wacky comedy vehicles: foremost among them WHAT'S UP, DOC? (1972; Peter Bogdanovich's updating of the Howard Hawks classic BRINGING UP BABY [1938]) and FOR PETE'S SAKE (1974; whose trailer, included on the Columbia R2 DVD of the film under review, makes it seem like a good deal of fun). Thanks largely to his role in the film, Segal went on to do his fair share of sex comedies up till the early 1980s – with the most successful among them being A TOUCH OF CLASS (1973),which I should be acquiring shortly.

Anyway, to get to the main item: the film can be seen as a modern variation on the perennial "Pygmalion" theme – with Segal as intellectual but, at the same time, neurotic and Streisand the uncouth yet liberated woman. There's no plot to speak of – instead, we follow the two stars on a logical pattern of location-hopping around New York throughout which their relationship blossoms: from his apartment when she's evicted because of his snitching (which leads to both of them being given the gate by the landlord),to them shacking up at the flat of Segal's pal (who drives them out because of their constant bickering),then going their separate ways till they meet again (after he has learned about her movie experience – a hilarious scene – and a 'colleague' of hers has gone to see him at his workplace) and go out together (where they're harassed by a band of thrill-seekers),after which they find themselves at the house of Segal's fiancée (a scene with an unexpectedly ironic punchline),to finally deciding to be completely honest with one another (beginning with their real names).

In this respect, the film emerges to be overly talky (betraying its stage origins) but there is a reasonable amount of invention and wit in the undeniable comedy highlights: Segal dressing up as Death to scare the hiccupping Streisand; Segal using an aquarium as a TV set – with him delivering an impromptu news flash – to humor the insomniac Streisand (her addiction to TV is illustrated by a surprising reference to the Lionel Atwill/Lon Chaney Jr. horror pic MAN MADE MONSTER [1941]); the couple's argument over "the sun spat morning" line in the opening paragraph of a book by aspiring novelist Segal; Streisand's account of the sordid activities her clients invariably came up with (prompting Segal to describe her as "a sexual Disneyland"),etc. The film's soundtrack is highlighted by several songs from jazz/rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Louis B. Mayer once said after seeing Greta Garbo leading a conga line that it was as shocking as seeing your grandmother drunk. He may have had a fatal heart attack had he been around to watch Barbra Streisand go from leading lady in three big screen movie musicals to playing an obvious hooker in a foul mouthed romantic comedy he would have burnt before offering to Joan Crawford. Of course, Streisand, affectionately known as Babs, had seen the writing on the box office receipts of other recent musicals, preferring to save her singing voice for the recording studio rather than the movies. Instead of breaking into song on some moving vehicle in every film, she won box office approval by playing wacky independent women with more intelligence than the leading male character believed her to have.

The grand dame of modern gay icons. Babs is a bit shocking as she makes the assumption that her nebbish neighbor (George Segal) is gay, something she throws in his face with great relish and venom. Of course, it's only a matter of time before she learns the truth, parading around in lacy and racy pajamas, certainly not meant to sleep in. It seems out of character for her very flamboyant character to be so verbally hateful towards gay men, especially one she has no proof to back her claim. For most of the movie, Streisand is a bit of a harpy, but manages to instill a level of humor that makes her at least somewhat tolerable. She's particularly funny in a scene where you only hear her voice acting out a porno.

The lack of major supporting players makes it a bit tough on Streisand and Segal to hold all the attention. Their chemistry is iffy at best, although the final confrontation between the two on Central Park locations brings out a lot more vulnerability in each of the characters. Still, the obvious stage origins of the set up detract from the wide screen and makes it truly feel dated.

Between George Segal's midnight typing and Barbra Streisand's at all hours gentleman callers the two of them succeed in both getting thrown out of their apartments the same night. With nowhere to go they crash in on Segal's friend Robert Klein who is also entertaining. Segal and Streisand spend the next 24 hours together and these mismatched people lower their pretensions and find maybe they have more in common than they realize.

There's no real plot to The Owl And The Pussycat. In fact the additional characters are a creation strictly for the film version. It was a two character play when it ran on Broadway and starred Alan Alda and Diana Sands in the Segal and Streisand parts.

Segal is busy trying to write the great American novel. Streisand says she's just hooking to pay the rent when she's short, she's really a model and an actress. Until that faithful night all they knew about each other was his typewriter clacking all night and the various sounds of lust being fulfilled.

The two leads seem to work well together, their comic timing and reactions to each other are perfect. I'm not sure how the future will work for these two, but it would be interesting to speculate.

A must for fans of both these players.