The opening is just perfect. The Welcome Wagon lady is greeting
Joanna Eberhart and telling her how much she's going love the
town of Stepford. Just as Rosemary Woodhouse was convinced she
would love living at the Bramford in Rosemary's Baby and Kay
Norris was thrilled to move into 1300 Madison Ave in Sliver, Joanna thinks that she
too has found the perfect little nest.
Joanna is married to Walter and they have two children, Kim and Pete. It was Walter's idea to leave the city and move to Stepford. He has also decided to join the Men's Association, supposedly to help change the 'men only' policy. He promises Joanna that if he cannot get them to change their outdated practices in six months he will quit the organization.
Its hard for Joanna to make friends in the new community. The women of Stepford all seem to be too busy waxing their kitchen floors and ironing to engage in any social activities. The Stepford women seem to have the same devotion for housework that Lassie displayed for Timmy.
The one exception is Bobbie Markowe. Bobbie is interested in the women's lib movement. Joanna and Bobbie set out to change the Stepford wives, to introduce them to women's lib, to bring them up- to-date. Unknown to them, there are plans afoot to change Joanna and Bobbie.
The clock is ticking for Joanna and Bobbie. If they can find out what's really happening in Stepford they might be alright. But if they don't pick up the clues fast enough, if they don't see what's closing in on them...then they lose the race and much more. You'll find yourself running with them - trying to figure out the ending before it traps you.
In this novel Levin touches upon subjects that rub nerves raw in the relationship between men and women. Many women today seem to see men as enemies. Many men today think American women have lost their femininity. Yet, somehow, in spite of these feelings, some men and some women do manage to get along with each other, to fall in love, to marry, have children and create new generations of Ira Levin fans.
Levin was not particularly thrilled with the 1975 movie version of The Stepford Wives. It was directed by Bryan Forbes and starred Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss, Tina Louise, and Patrick O'Neal.
In 1980 we were given the TV movie, Revenge of the Stepford Wives. It was directed by Robert Fuest and written by David Wiltse. Sharon Gless played a reporter who came to town to do a story about the place with the lowest divorce rate in America. Arthur Hill, Don Johnson, and Julie Kavner also appeared in it.
1987 brought us The Stepford Children. This one was directed by Alan J. Levi and written by William Bleich. Here we had Barbara Eden, Don Murray, Tammy Lauren, James Coco, and John Cameron Mitchell.
Wives - Children - What was missing? You guessed it. In 1996 The Stepford Husbands, directed by Fred Walton II, and written by the Wheat brothers, Ken and Jim, made its appearance. Donna Mills, Michael Ontkean, and Cindy Williams starred in it.
Can the little village of Stepford take much more? Well, perhaps it can. In 2004 a remake of The Stepford Wives was released. Nicole Kidman played Joanna and Bette Midler played Bobbie. The story was done as a dark comedy and failed miserably. Matthew Broderick, Christopher Walken, Faith Hill, Glenn Close, Roger Bart, and Jon Lovitz were also in it. Frank Oz directed it and Paul Rudnick did the screenplay.
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LEVIN DIRECTORY |
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