Pete 'n' Tillie (1972)

A confirmed bachelor (Walter Matthau) is set up by a matchmaking friend (Geraldine Page) with a 33 year old woman (Carol Burnett) who is still a virgin. They eventually marry but the marriage is not without its difficulties. Based on the book WITCH'S MILK by Peter De Vries and directed by Martin Ritt (HUD). The film was a piece of tedious twaddle in 1972 and time hasn't been any kinder to it. Who wants to see Carol Burnett, one of the great comediennes, suffering a la Irene Dunne (the film seems like the spawn of PENNY SERENADE). She's dour through out most of the movie and only gets to break out once when she and Geraldine Page fight each other tooth and claw in an amusing cat fight. Other than that, she's pretty much a pill. What a waste! Matthau does his usual grumpy bit and we never see what draws these two together. And when their child (Lee H. Montgomery) gets seriously ill, it just creaks! Inexplicably, Julius J. Epstein's retread screenplay got an Oscar nomination and somewhat less inexplicably, Geraldine Page got a supporting actress nomination. Even John Williams' underscore can't rise to the occasion. With Barry Nelson, Henry Jones, Kent Smith and Rene Auberjonois.