MovieChat Forums > Carnal Knowledge (1971) Discussion > Ann-Margret, Nicholson Fight Scene

Ann-Margret, Nicholson Fight Scene

posted 20 years ago by blairmanning
31 replies | jump to latest

I have to admit, I've never seen this movie before, but lots of times on Howard Stern, they play a drop from their fight scene, with Ann-Margret whining about wanting a job and canvassing for Kennedy, and Nicholson ranting about her getting off her butt and maybe doing something during the day to earn some money instead of sleeping the day away.

Very chauvinistic, but fantastic and a great scene from its time. Every time I hear it I'd wonder what move it was from - I finally found out today after doing a search here.

I'm 43, which is "old" by today's standards, but when the movie came out, I never would have been able to watch it, and it was an "oldie" by the time I was.

Is it worth renting?

[–] deanowest 20 years ago

Heck yeah. It's worth owning. A great movie about sexual politics. Pretty darn funny and dark, all at the same time. my kinda flick.

[–] TxMike 19 years ago

Very chauvinistic, but fantastic and a great scene from its time.

I was old enough in 1971, married and in my mid 20s. My wife and I saw it in the theater, and didn't think too much of it back then. I recently saw it again, and it is a superb movie. It may be hard to appreciate the story if you haven't lived a while first, coping with the realities of relationships and divorce.

Interestingly, back in 1963 when I was a freshman in college, my assigned roommate (for one semester only, thank goodness) was a few years older, and thinking back now, had an outlook much like Nicholson's character in this movie. Every conversation he had about 'dating' involved how he was trying to get laid. I have no idea what happened to him, but I know from experience that the movie was not very far from reality.

TxMike

[–] roulin 19 years ago

Yeah, I've heard that clip a million times on Stern as well. It always cracks me up. From the "Tryyyyyy vacuuming" to the best lines of all:

Ann-Margret: I don't want a job, I want you!
Jack: I'm already taken! By me!!!

________________________________________________________

"I'm running this monkey farm now, Frankenstein!!!"

[–] kjustinski 19 years ago

Anyone know where I can get a wav file or clip of the fight scene?

[email protected]

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] chyskell 17 years ago

you can get it at youtube, just type in Cardinal knowledge and it will be one of the first clips there.

[–] duckncvr 15 years ago

lol.. i've heard it a million times on stern, too and just watched the movie now. That scene is so depressing but dammit that still cracks me up when he sasys he's taken .. by me! that poor woman.. i never understand why she doesn't don't ask herselfs "now, why again do i want him to marry me so badly??" but her sitting in bed all day just bums me out watching it.

Dainty things never shrink from Lux!

[–] canale61 18 years ago

one of my top 10. i would recommend it to everyone. wow what a movie

[–] Hoohawnaynay 18 years ago

The fight scene is on Youtube.com it's great, I hate Jack in that scene, he is sucha dick!

[–] SenoritaTorres 18 years ago

I agree. Yet oddly enough I was still extremely turned on...

'Wendy, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just gonna bash your brains in!'
-Jack Torrance, The Shining

[–] thecaptaineast 15 years ago

Who you tellin'? I wanted to reach in the TV and slap the *beep* out of him. I thought,"Damn,what an *beep*

[–] dim_sumus 17 years ago

It's better to see the movie now that you are in your 40s. I think you will appreciate it more as you have more "world experience."

[–] ddlewiss 17 years ago

I first saw it on HBO back in the late '70's/early '80's. It makes a lot more sense now. I see my father in some of those characters, girls I dated and sadly myself. Thank God I grew up. Rent it. You'll see what I mean.

[–] badponymedicine 16 years ago

Let's not forget that earlier in the film, HE asked her to quit working! Said he made enough to take care of them. Granted, she wasn't happy in her job, but how many are?

On a side note, as far a ball-busters go, the second woman Sandy was with...oh, man! And calling Ann Margret a 'fat tub of lard'? She may have gained weight for the role, but she was still far from fat!!!! She and Nicholson were the two I would have loved to have punched in the kisser. Nicholson saw women as ball-busters because he lacked total control over them, even though he seemed to choose weak women who would 'worship' him.

[–] Noir-It-All 14 years ago

/On a side note, as far a ball-busters go, the second woman Sandy was with...oh, man! And calling Ann Margret a 'fat tub of lard'?/

That character scared me!

"Two more swords and I'll be Queen of the Monkey People." Roseanne

[–] Pzachlen 9 years ago

Do you not realize that woman in the 70's were not thought as fashionable with huge jugs and hips. So any woman that strives to be skin and bones is ahead of the game.Women even wore bras to flatten them out.

[–] mwromano-793-127406 11 years ago

She was fat for that time period. Everyone smoked 2 or 3 packs a day back then, and most were very thin as a result. Now of course, everyone has stopped smoking, and were all 20 or 30 lbs. overweight. So now we get heart disease instead of lung cancer...And yes most guys in their 20's are still about getting laid..Boys start talking the way they did at about 16 or 17..And it really never ends. Even after marriage and kids-and even if they are faithful to their wives..That is how much women continue to invade mens minds..I even remember my dad talking about how I needed to work harder at getting certain girls he found attractive when I was 14 or 15...He wasn't explicit about it like they are in this movie, but the idea was just the same!! What women/girls don't seem to understand is that men/boys think about sex every 14 seconds on average; while they are only like that a few days a month-UNless of course you can get them to loosen up by alcohol or some other stimulant that gets rid of their inhibitions...What I found int. is that when I was that age, if I did get to that point of 2nd or 3rd base-that is where I had to draw the line-Did I want to be friends. Because if I did, then I needed to stop. In fact, that happened several times-I chose friendship over sex...I am still amazed to this day, because I know I would have "gotten away with it"..And I never stole a friends girl..unlike many of my friends..I always found that really wrong!!

[–] Studman_Productions 16 years ago

excellent scene

[–] gnolti 16 years ago

"YOU SPEND MORE TIME IN BED THAN ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF SIX MONTHS!"

There, daddy, do I get a gold star?

[–] Trippetta10 15 years ago

No wonder Howard Stern used this clip; it's pure camp.

[–] bsg_tns 15 years ago

"I sleep so much because I hate my life!"

"Why do you hate you life?"

"Because I sleep so much!"

HAHAHAHA!!!! Gotta love the female gender.

Free Speech

[–] lastpictureshow 15 years ago

I would love to spend all day in bed with Ann-Margret. The way she looks in this movie. Oh mommy.

[–] gschwertley 12 years ago

Yes, without meaning to be condescending, I think this film cannot be fully appreciated until a bit later in one's life. By that time, most people have had the life experience of the frustrations and disappointments of relationships.

The fight scene mentioned is almost too realistic.

[–] joshua_carpino 12 years ago

it's chauvanistic to tell a woman to get a job?!

[–] liscarkat-2 12 years ago

"it's chauvanistic to tell a woman to get a job?!"

Not at all. He's frustrated because all she does is lie around all day and won't even make the bed. Nothing sexist about that. He's just sick of the BS and wants her to get her act together.

[–] shadycady 12 years ago

Jonathan told her to quit her job, and he said that he had enough money to support the two of them. Bobbie quit her job, and she became bored with life staying at home to wait on him. She was older than him, and she stuck around in hope of him marrying her. She thought that she didn't have that many options available, and by getting married she would have found her brass ring. She found her identity through him, and by having a relationship it validated her self-worth through him. Therefore, she stayed in the relationship no matter how demeaning it became. She probably would have settled for anyone by then. His character was never satisfied with any woman no matter how beautiful, and he always found the flaws and not the positive side to them. Susan was too sharp, and Bobbie was too dumb and a doormat. Cindy was a "ballbuster". What the hell did he want anyway? His standards were too high, but yet he didn't even see his flaws.

The Divine Genealogy Goddess

[–] joshua_carpino 12 years ago

liscarkat-2,somebody else said it was chauvanistic to tell a woman to get a job and i was reacting to that(note the "?!" in my post). shadycady,jonathon himself admitted his problem:the only person who could make him happy was himself.

[–] shadycady 12 years ago

He ended up alone, and his only self-gratification was hiring a prostitute who told him how great he was because he couldn't get it up anymore. I don't think he was happy. He didn't know how to make himself happy.

The Divine Genealogy Goddess

[–] joshua_carpino 12 years ago

you're taking what i said too literally. he wasn't actually "happy",(he was miserable)but you have to remember that for him happiness was being able to get it up. he was a terminal narcissist.

[–] shadycady 12 years ago

Thanks.
The Divine Genealogy Goddess