Furs on Film – The Couch Trip (1988)

The late 80s: fur is on the way out, and mediocre comedy is on the way in. Thus we find ourselves at one of Dan Aykroyd's less beloved comedies: The Couch Trip. We're in luck, though, because this update has nothing at all to do with Aykroyd.

The Couch Trip – The Film

The overarching plot of The Couch Trip concerned an escaped mental patient who assumes the identity of a doctor bound for a guest hosting gig on an LA radio show. This has very little to do with the B-plot of the rocky marriage of said doctor and his neglected wife. 

The Couch Trip – The Furs

Mary Gross in a Silver Fox Fur Coat - Couch Trip, 1988

Meet Vera Maitlin (Mary Gross in the Mary Gross role) wealthy wife of Doctor George Maitlin, who is being impersonated in the A-plot. Vera's sense of style far outweighs her common sense, as this lovely full-length confirms.

Mary Gross in a Silver Fox Fur Coat - Couch Trip, 1988

They're in London, bickering. SNL alumn Mary Gross always played the nervous, fidgety role, and this is one of them. While she was never cast as a sex symbol, that silver fox coat goes a long way to bringing her around to that status.

Mary Gross in a Silver Fox Fur Coat and Black Fox Hat - Couch Trip, 1988

The film flips back and forth between the A-plot and this one. Fortunately, three times we check in, Vera is wearing fur. The second time, she adds a very well-chosen to round out the silver fox ensemble.

She is featured wearing only the hat after returning to their hotel room.

Mary Gross in a Black Fox Fur Hat, Cuffs, and Stole - Couch Trip, 1988

Vera sadly lost the silver fox the final time we swapped back, but the replacement is excellent. The black fox accessories overflow with a hat, stole, and oversized cuffs.

We get a final close-up before she literally flips her wig.

And the stole for good measure.

The Couch Trip won't make any top 10 lists, but I like the silver fox coat and black fox hat combo. The runtime is tragically brief for both, but you get two scenes with it, plus the “bonus” stole later. I had to rely on slow-motion to get the edit up to 1 minute since there were only about 3 to work with. 

  • Fur Runtime: approx 2:48
  • Film Runtime: 97 minutes
  • On-Screen Fur Ratio: 3%

Find-a-Fur: The Couch Trip, 1988

(all times are approximate and are affected by the cut of the film)

  • 35:10 – 36:15 – silver fox coat
  • 59:15 – 1:01:00 – ” + black fox hat
  • 1:10:20 – black fox hat + stole

Leave a Reply