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There's Always Vanilla
Title Screen
Directed by	George A. Romero
Produced by	John A. Russo Russell Streiner
Written by	Rudy Ricci
Starring	Raymond Laine Judith Ridley Johanna Lawrence
Music by	Jim Drake Steve Gorn Mike Marracino
Cinematography	George A. Romero
Editing by	George A. Romero
Distributed by	Anchor Bay Entertainment (DVD Release)
Release date(s)	December 1971
Running time	93 min.
Language	English
Budget	$70,000 USD estimated

There's Always Vanilla (1971) was George A. Romero's second motion picture and, as of 2009, his only romantic comedy. It is currently available in full only in the Region 1 Anchor Bay Entertainment release of Season of the Witch. The film has also been circulated under the alternate title, The Affair.

Romero himself has stated that he considers this film to be his worst, and has referred to this film as "a total mess".

Plot

There's Always Vanilla follows the life of Chris Bradley (Raymond Laine) a former U.S. Army serviceman who has become a drifter and makes money by various means, from pimping to guitar playing. Chris returns to his home city of Pittsburgh and visits his father who runs a baby food factory. After an evening out of drinking at a local bar, and visiting an old girlfriend of Chris' named Terri Terrific (Johanna Lawrence), Mr. Bradley wants Chris to abandon his new lifestyle and return to the family business of making baby food, but Chris refuses.

On the street at a local train station, Chris meets Lynn (Judith Ridley billed as Judith Streiner) a beautiful young woman who works as a model and actress in local TV commercials. Chris charms his way into Lynn's life and moves in with her. At first their relationship is a pleasant escape from daily life. But when Lynn starts to resent supporting the loafing Chris, she motivates him into getting a steady job. But then, Lynn finds out that she's pregnant and decides on getting an abortion without telling Chris knowing how irresponsible he is.

Chris does get a job at a small advertising firm. But when he's given an account to advertise enlistments for the U.S. Army, he quits, clearly displaying his resentment of his past lifestyle. Lynn in the meantime goes back on getting an abortion, abandons Chris, and moves in with a high school boyfriend who agrees to marry her and raise her baby as his own. His romance with Lynn ruined and his lifestyle destroyed, Chris swallows his pride and moves back in with his father, still unable to decide what to do with his life. But Chris has more encouragement after a talk with Mr. Bradley who explains to Chris that life is like an ice cream parlor, and that of all of life's most exotic flavors to chose from, there is always vanilla that one can fall back on.

External links

• There's Always Vanilla at the Internet Movie Database