Happy Anniversary and Goodbye is a 1974 American television film directed by Jack Donohue and starring Lucille Ball and Art Carney as Norma and Malcolm Michaels.
Contents
Plot
Norma and Malcolm Michaels are a middle-aged married couple who are in the midst of a midlife crisis. Both decide to separate and begin their lives anew, away from each other. However, problems ensue once they discover that they are no longer as young as they used to be. In the end, they realize that they still love each other.
Cast
Lucille Ball as Norma Michaels
Art Carney as Malcolm Michaels
Nanette Fabray as Fay
Peter Marshall as Greg Carter
Don Porter as Ed "Mad Dog" Murphy
Arnold Schwarzenegger as massage therapist Rico, the object of Norma's lascivious gawking.
Production
Ball cast Schwarzenegger after seeing him in an episode of The Merv Griffin Show. The film was shot before a live audience.
Reception
Critical response
The special was the fourth highest rated program for the week, and it won its time slot with a rating of 27.9 and 42% share of the viewing audience.