Just Me and You (1978)

Interesting facts

Just Me and You is a 1978 American made-for-television comedy film written by Louise Lasser and directed by John Erman.

Production

Lasser wrote the script in the period between shooting the Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman pilot and filming the series. "My biggest fear was that I would write like Woody but I came out sounding like me," she said.

Lasser said she "wasn't a writer" but wrote 300 pages of "dialogue scenes" between a boy and a girl. These were read by Deanne Barkley who was developing script for the Robert Stigwood Organization. She suggested Lasser write up her pages as a script and gave her the basic plot line. Lasser rewrote the script accordingly.

Mary Hartman became a big success. Lasser wanted to move into writing and directing. She quit the show and took five months to recover. She then signed a three-picture deal with NBC, to write and star in one film, star in another and direct in a third. The first film was Just Me and You.

Deanne Barkley had moved to NBC by this time. She got Lasser to rewrite the project under the guidance of Roger Gimbel of EMI TV. She worked on the male part to get the interest of Charles Grodin. "It was the part I wanted to play," she said later. "I love that part. The woman - I don't understand her."

The film was shot entirely in California, with various locations such as Joshua Tree doubling for the rest of the US.

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