Steambath (1973)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I came across this play after hearing a reference to it in a conversation I had with one of my gay friends. I immediately went online and found a DVD version. I've since watched it half a dozen times or so.People keep going back to Valerie Perrine's "nude" appearance in the play but really it's a distraction from the actual content. The dialogue written by Bruce Jay Friedman is sharp, poignant but badly needs revising to meet today's world as opposed to 1973. The two gay characters are not how you would portray the gay community today. Yes, queens exist in the gay community but I do believe they would be portrayed differently, with different songs, different attitudes and slightly different behaviors.Valerie's character is a bit of an "airhead." And I think in today's feminist culture, that character would badly need to be updated with a kind of woman who offers more than just good looks. Bixby's character should also be revised because he's blatantly sexist and admits as much in some of his references and in his monologues. The power of this play really comes down to Bixby's character and how he realizes that he's now come full circle and is atoning before God all of this "sins" and now wants to lead a good and just life and just when he's ready to do so, he dies of a heart attack in a Chinese restaurant. It's a question we all mull from time to time. We wrestle with our own personal and spiritual demons. Have we lived a good life? Could we have done better? What would you say to "god" if h/she actually presented him/herself to you? And is there any need for atonement? Should you even care? And what if you're stuck in purgatory. Is a steambath the opportune place for you to redeem yourself before god? And what if you have no faith to begin with? How will god convince you that h/she is god? These are the questions that Tandy's character faces and they are brilliant questions.And the ending is powerful. We all leave this life, ultimately, ALONE, and we must prepare ourselves and hopefully, we have enough time to have done so before our lives end. It's just that Tandy's character needs to be updated and revised to reflect today's world and not 1973.Some of Bruce Jay Friedman's dialogue is just dated, pure and simple. People today wouldn't understand or get references to the 1930's at all and I would update some of the other characters as well.God as a Puerto Rico janitor is brilliant and I wouldn't change much other than having him work with an Apple computer instead of the piece of junk that's used in the '70's version.This play at its core is fantastic. It just needs an rewrite to reflect the times we live in TODAY. Matter of fact, I'd love to rewrite this play and see it get produced!

I saw this on PBS in the 70s. I have talked about it and tried to find it over the years. For all you fans, I found it on Discount DVD. It was one of Bixby's best and it was spellbinding. It is truly wonderful to see that classics like this are getting a chance to be viewed by new generations.

A very metaphysical, light-hearted play I saw on PBS 28 years ago and have not seen since. I really, really would like to view it again and give it as a stocking-stuffer to all my friends this Christmas. It is a must on how not to take life or yourself too seriously. Anybody know where I can get a copy?

I watched this 3 times in one month on public TV nearly 28 years ago. Then it vanished. It remains one of the best shows I have ever seen. It was funny and touching and totally unexpected. Support public TV and ask for it!