Any Wednesday (Full Frame)

VHS, 120 minutes, WARNER

"Any Wednesday" you'll find slick business tycoon John Cleves (Jason Robards) cuddling up with Ellen Gordon (Jane Fonda) in what she calls her apartment and what tax-conscious John calls his company's executive suite. It's a cozy arrangement until one Wednesday is followed by "that" Thursday, the day a handsome young businessman and Mrs. Cleves show up. Originally a long-running Broadway hit, "Any Wednesday" manages to ask a lot of questions, even though its tongue is firmly in its cheek. Can the straight arrow from Akron (Dean Jones) who's accidentally assigned to the "executive suite" convince Ellen that life should be enjoyed seven days a week? Can John convince her that the status quo is the way to go? And can he convince his sophisticated wife (Rosemary Murphy) that, honest to gosh, he's been out of town on business every Wednesday for two years? Before she became a two-time Academy Award-winning superstar boasting a string of powerful dramatic film successes, Fonda was one of Hollywood's most acclaimed ingenues. "Any Wednesday" gives ample evidence why. Effervescent and adorably coltish, Fonda zips through this bouncy bedroom farce with accomplished comedic flair. And Robards (who 11 years later would win hi second Oscar for his role opposite Fonda in "Julia") is her perfect foil: as grouchy as she is radiant, as manipulative as she is giving, as jaded as she is innocent. Filmed largely on location in moneyed midtown Manhattan, "Any Wednesday" sparkles like a Tiffany window display. It's a romantic-comedy gem just too tempting to pass up!.