Cast: William Holden, Kay Lenz, Roger C. Carmel, Marj Dusay, Joan Hotchkis, Jamie Smith Jackson, Norman Bartold, Lynn Borden, Shelley Morrison, Dennis Olivieri, Eugene Peterson, Lew Brown, Richard Bull, Johnnie Collins III, Don Diamond, Scott Holden, Sandy Kenyon, Jack Kosslyn, Mary Munday, Frances Stevenson, Buck Young, Priscilla Morrill
Teenage Breezy (Lenz) wakes up in a strange bed in a run-down house, next to Bruno (Olivieri), a boy she met the night before. She leaves carrying her only possession, a guitar, and gets a ride to the valley from a man (Bartold) who wastes no time in propositioning her. The fellow becomes increasingly creepy, and when traffic makes him slow down Breezy jumps out of the car. At his home in the Los Angeles hills, Frank Harmon (Holden) says goodbye to his overnight date (Borden) and sends her off in a taxicab. Frank finishes dressing and as he leaves for work is approached by Breezy, who wants a ride. Frank tells her he does not give rides to hitchhikers, but she insists. Along the way Breezy chats continuously, telling Frank about her night at Bruno’s and asking questions about God. Breezy sees a dog lying on the side of the road and makes Frank stop. She wants to help the dog, but Frank says the dog looks to be dead and there’s nothing to be done. Upset, Breezy runs away. The dog then stirs, and Frank takes it to an animal hospital. At the office where he works as a realtor, Frank calls Betty Tobin (Dusay), and makes a lunch date with her. Frank and Betty have been dating for several months. Betty loves him, but he made it clear that he did not want a binding relationship. Over lunch, Betty tells Frank that she is marrying someone else. Frank is hurt, but is reluctant to open his heart to her. That night Breezy returns to Frank’s home, looking for the guitar she left behind. Her optimistic, positive outlook contrasts with Frank’s cynical, off-putting attitude, and although he is loath to admit it, she adds keenness to his existence. Frank’s failed marriage to his ex-wife Paula (Hotchkiss) fostered his wariness toward women, a wariness that has precluded truly close relationships. Following a tennis game between Frank and his similarly middle-aged friend Bob Henderson (Carmel), Bob says he is not fully satisfied with his marriage, but is afraid of change. Breezy (Edith Alice Breezerman) came to Los Angeles from a small town in the East searching for something new and different. She sees through Frank’s hard façade and loves him without asking for anything in return. Frank attends Betty’s prenuptial party and a short meeting with her brings out his sense of loss. When Frank returns home, Breezy offers herself to him and he gives in to his feelings. They confirm their love for each other. Going out to a movie, Frank and Breezy meet Bob and some other friends and Frank is made to sense the sort of prejudice that resents a couple’s age difference. The incident plants a doubt in Frank’s mind about his relationship with Breezy, and she senses and is hurt by his uncertainty. Then something happens that makes him rethink the situation. Frank Stanley’s cinematography glowingly captures the ambiance of 1970’s southern California. Script by Jo Heims.
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