Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969)

Paul Mazursky made his directing debut with this old-fashioned romantic comedy loaded with all sorts of “happening” 60s situations: wife-swapping, psychotherapy, pot smoking, and so on.

A so-called “modern” couple envy what seems to be their friends’ ideal marriage, and they almost end up swapping partners.

Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon are exceptional as Ted and Alice Henderson, the nervous experimenters. Natalie Wood and Robert Culp are the chic Carol and Bob Sanders.

The wacky screenplay and smart dialogue keep the situations moving along, but the ending is somewhat absurd – documentary film director Bob and his wife Carol appear to have converted Ted and Alice to their point of view and arrange a wife-swapping foursome, but the action suddenly stops with the four of them in bed, leaving it unclear as to whether they actually go through with making love.

A short-lived US TV series followed in 1973 with Robert Urich, Anne Archer, David Spielberg and Anita Gillette in the title roles. 12 episodes screened between September and December 1973 on ABC.

Bob Sanders
Robert Culp
Carol Sanders 
Natalie Wood
Ted Henderson 
Elliott Gould
Alice Henderson 
Dyan Cannon

Director
Paul Mazursky