The Woman in Red
In San Francisco, CA, Theodore "Teddy" Pierce (Gene Wilder), director of information at an advertising agency, stands outside a high window ledge and thinks back to four weeks ago when his boring, but comfortable life suddenly changed: As Teddy parks his car in the underground garage at work, Teddy sees a beautiful woman in a red dress (Kelly Le Brock) and instantly becomes infatuated when she deliberately stands over an air vent, letting her dress billow up. A happily married man, Teddy was never interested in staring at pretty women, until now. At his office, he sees the "woman in red" again, waiting at the desk of his colleague, Ms. Milner (Gilda Radner), and telephones the extension to try and speak with her. The woman stands up as if she is reaching for the phone, but Milner returns and answers the call. However, Teddy, whose view of the desk is now blocked, mistakenly believes he is speaking to the woman in red and asks her to meet him that night at an Italian restaurant in North Beach. Milner, a plain-looking woman, recognizes Teddy's voice and is surprised by the invitation, but accepts. In need of an excuse to leave the house without arousing his wife Didi's (Judith Ivey) suspicions, Teddy asks his friend Michael (Michael Huddleston) to call him at home at exactly 8:15 p.m. and pretend to be his assistant, requiring immediate help at the office. Meanwhile, Teddy's philandering friend, Joe (Joseph Bologna), has been caught cheating by his wife Theresa, who moves out of their house with all the furniture. Didi calls Joe a "rat" and tells Teddy she would go crazy if Teddy ever had an affair. She also mentions that Joe tried an old trick by asking his secretary to call home one night to summon him for last-minute work at the office. When Michael telephones at 8:15 p.m., Teddy is now too nervous and abandons the scheme. Meanwhile, Ms. Milner waits for Teddy at the Italian restaurant in North Beach, until the place closes. When she sees Teddy arrive at work the next day, she vandalizes his car and gives him a hard, angry stare throughout the day. Later, Milner telephones Teddy and says she will give him another chance, but he is under the impression that the woman in red is calling. She asks him to meet her at a bar later that day, but when he arrives and sees Milner, he hastily leaves. Milner takes revenge for the rejection by continuing to vandalize Teddy's car. At a staff meeting, Teddy learns that the woman in red is the fashion model for the new cable car campaign and was discovered by the head of the advertising agency horseback riding in Golden Gate Park. After repeated visits to the park where he struggles to ride a horse, Teddy finally encounters the woman. Although she appears confused by his apology for leaving her at the restaurant, she is impressed by his gallantry and charm. A few days later, the woman in red arrives at the advertising agency to give Teddy an earring he dropped on the horse trail. He pretends that he does not recognize the jewelry, which belongs to his wife, and convinces the woman in red (who finally introduces herself as Charlotte) to meet him for dinner the following night. After Teddy anxiously prepares for the date, Charlotte telephones at the last minute to say that she has to travel to Los Angeles for work and asks him to meet her there. Teddy arranges for a fake telegram to be sent to his home, requesting him to immediately fly to San Diego for a conference. In Didi's presence, he yells and pretends he does want to leave his wife and family, as she urges him to quit acting childish and go. Teddy is stunned when his Los Angeles flight is rerouted to San Diego due to bad weather. Although he spends the night in the airport, he appreciates that his life now has "adventure." Returning to San Francisco, Teddy is relieved when Charlotte telephones and meets him for a walk. Meanwhile, Theresa has forgiven Joe for his infidelity, and Ms. Milner had received a makeover and flirts with Teddy's assistant, Richard. On their first date, Teddy asks Charlotte if they can briefly drop by to see his grandmother, "Mama Dell," and wish her a happy birthday. Buddy (Charles Grodin), another one of Teddy's friends, offers to chauffeur the couple for the evening since Teddy's car remains a wreck. When they arrive at the apartment, Teddy is shocked to see his entire family there as a surprise for his birthday, which is the following day. As Didi looks at Charlotte with curiosity, Buddy quickly rescues the situation and introduces Charlotte as his "sweetheart." Buddy and Charlotte leave the surprise party, while Teddy remains with his family. Later that evening, Joe, Michael, and Buddy, sneak Teddy away and take him to a rendezvous with Charlotte. After watching Charlotte pose for an all-night fashion shoot, Teddy returns with her to her apartment building. She tells him that despite his wife, two daughters, and poor horseback riding, she wants to be with him. After they undress, climb into bed and prepare to have sex for the first time, Charlotte's husband unexpectedly rings the intercom. Shocked that Charlotte is married, Teddy asks why she never told him that she was married when he told Charlotte that he was married, and Charlotte replies that he "never asked". Teddy puts on a robe and prepares to face the jealous husband, but a panicking Charlotte tells Teddy to hide outside on the window ledge while she deals with the husband. While siting on the ledge, waiting, a crowed of onlookers gather around the building after seeing Teddy on the ledge. Concerned that Teddy will jump, the fire department and media soon arrive in front of the apartment building. At home, Didi and her daughters see Teddy on television, sitting on the ledge and smoking a cigarette. As the fire department sets up a safety net trampoline to catch Teddy and yells for him to jump, he overhears Charlotte having sex with her husband. Suddenly, he realizes the ridiculousness of his near infidelity and thinks about his wonderful wife and family. Teddy jumps, believing that he has learned his lesson, but a cute, blonde reporter on the ground catches his eye while he falls....
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