A Guide for the Married Woman

You always wondered what those actors that guest starred on the Love Boat did with their time well now you know. They hung out with Doc and made a movie. I watched this with sheer guilty delight, the costumes the way people felt about marriage - the effects of the sexual revolution on said marriage it was all pure 70's (yet no one goes to a disco). I should have changed the channel - but in between watching Cybil flip her really long blonde hair and watching Chuck Woolery play tennis I was hooked until the very end. It was a joy to see Barbara Feldon - although confusing at times one day she seems to have the energy of 99 at the gym and a few days later jogging is not her thing (watch for the amount of workouts in this movie - at least everyone is fit) Not the best movie in the world but the love in the beginning is cute and funny and the love at the end...well you'll have to watch -

and now dated, this film really is "Desperate Housewives" but in vanilla, sugar-coated and 1978 be happy seaminess.

Cybill Shepherd is way too nubile to believe, her perfect husband, perfect house and perfect tennis instructor. Just silly. John Hillerman adds the usual chauvinistic platitudes, and the embarrassing soap actors/game show personalities Elaine Joyce and Bernie Kopell round out the vanilla casting. Awful. 2 stars for Shepherd. Sorry she was in this.

The writer has not written very extensive material after this. I don't wonder why. Don't waste your time on this, watch "An Unmarried Woman" with Jill Clayburgh instead. It was produced the same year and was interesting, with capable, real actors in it. 2/10

A bizarre time capsule of the late 70's, with material that would be completely dated if filmed today. It's a sunshiny look at a mindset that could have been handled more seriously, but probably done even more poorly if the producers had tried. Kopell and Hillerman give amusing supporting performances. Cybill looks gorgeous and wears her (2 dozen or so) outfits with great style. Almost worth watching simply for the guest appearances and fun final scenes, but if you don't see it, you're not missing out.

Special note: This is not a Made For TV sequel to the 1967 film "A Guide for the Married Man." This is a stand-alone TV movie, with the only connection being the "A Guide for the..." in the title.

This 1978 TV movie stars a "Pre-Moonlighting" Cybill Shepherd in the title role as the married woman here, who is yearning for more in her married life than what she has at the moment. She portrays a frustrated housewife who is tired of being simply just a housewife and wants to break free from the mold that she is in. Her unfulfilled goals and pursuits only lead her to have even more frustration than she already has. However, along with her close friends, she continues with the hope of finding fulfillment in her life, although she still has the same frustrations within her life as she continues to try to break free from the stereotypical housewife that she is so tired of being.

Along the way, there are many cameos by many of TV's established elite stars who simply portray those who speak their viewpoints about what is going on here within the movie itself and of the changing times, which, IMHO, simply tries to mix political incorrectness, or political correctness depending on your point of view, within the movie, even before the terms of "politically correct" or "politically incorrect" were created or even thought of.

While Ms. Shepherd gives her all in her performance as the title housewife in this TV movie, her supporting cast does little to make this film an interesting experience or watch. She at least tries to make this film watchable, but she fails mainly because her supporting cast, and even the viewpoints expressed in the TV film, don't really add anything interesting. Her supporting cast's performances are wooden and are simply either average, or below average, depending on your point of view, and never give this movie any substance nor anything believable. It is simply a revolving of the same old stuff each and every minute and all it does is nothing. Not only that, this is also supposed to be a "comedy-drama" sort of TV movie, but rather than inducing laughs, it only induces yawns and head shaking. I remember watching this a long time as a mid-afternoon matinee on one of my local syndicated TV stations and I was yawning as I felt extremely bored as I watched this train-wreck of a TV movie that has no substance nor any plain to stand on. I was relieved when the movie ended as this movie really bored me. Fortunately, after the movie, one of my all time favorite classic TV shows came on and it relieved the boredom I felt when I watched this movie. It also took my mind off of it.

Before I saw this movie on TV, I had heard that Ms. Shepherd later disowned this TV movie and refused to acknowledge this on her resume. After I saw this, and if this is true what I heard, I don't blame her for doing so. Luckily for her, this train-wreck of a Made For TV movie didn't ruin her acting career as she continued to be a successful actress in the coming years, but IMHO, she could have helped her career by simply passing on this movie and trying something else.

I advise all of you that if you manage to see this film coming on your syndicated TV or Cable TV station, to simply change the channel and watch something else. IMHO, you'll be doing yourself a favor.

My mom is a huge fan of Cybill Shepard and I bought this movie as a gift for her! We both enjoyed it! This is not a drama with incredible writing and high emotion, but rather a light and funny take on a 1970's house wife getting the 7 year itch. If you like retro movies that are genuinely delightful, and the beauty and zest of Cybill then you will love this flick. On a side note: I do think Cybill was too lovely and talented for the script, but I just adore her energy and charm. Shes so talented and charasmatic that she can make any movie entertaining.