Lovers and Other Strangers
| Lovers and Other Strangers | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Cy Howard |
| Produced by | David Susskind |
| Written by |
Joseph Bologna David Zelag Goodman Renée Taylor |
| Starring |
Beatrice Arthur Richard S. Castellano Bonnie Bedelia |
| Music by | Fred Karlin |
| Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
| Edited by |
David Bretherton Sidney Katz |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date | August 12, 1970 |
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,550,000[1] |
| Box office | $7,700,000[1] |
Lovers and Other Strangers is a 1970 American comedy film based on the play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna. The cast includes Richard S. Castellano, Gig Young, Cloris Leachman, Anne Jackson, Beatrice Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Brandon, Harry Guardino, Anne Meara, Bob Dishy, Marian Hailey, Joseph Hindy, and, in her film debut, Diane Keaton. Sylvester Stallone was an extra in this movie.[2] The film was nominated for three Academy Awards (it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song), and was one of the top box office performers of 1970. It established Richard S. Castellano as a star (receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance) and he, along with Diane Keaton, was subsequently cast in The Godfather. The song For All We Know was composed by Fred Karlin with lyrics by Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin.
Lovers and Other Strangers was released by ABC Pictures. It was released on VHS in 1980 by Magnetic Video, but soon went out of print. The Magnetic Video release was a collector's item for many years, but the film was eventually re-released on VHS by CBS/Fox Video in the 1990s. It is now available on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment.
Taylor and Bologna followed up with their second screenplay the following year, Made for Each Other in which they also starred.
Plot
Mike Vecchio and Susan Henderson are engaged to be married. Mike wants to call off the wedding, arguing that it would be hypocritical for them to get married when they've already been living together for a year and a half.
Susan's WASP-ish parents, Hal and Bernice are experiencing their own issues, as Hal has been having an extramarital affair with Bernice's sister, Kathy, who is afraid of ending up a spinster and is using the wedding to get some commitment from Hal. Mike relents on calling off the wedding when Hal tells him that Susan went to her first Halloween party dressed as a bride. Susan's sister Wilma and her husband Johnny are parents of two children. Wilma is feeling her age and misses the passion they had at the beginning of their marriage, while Johnny is more interested in watching Spellbound on TV than giving his wife attention. Mike's brother Richie and his wife Joan, have grown "incompatible" and are considering divorce. Bridesmaid Brenda and usher Jerry who Mike and Susan "fix up" for the wedding. Nebbishy self-imagined playboy Jerry spends most of the weekend trying to "score" with Brenda. Mike's Italian-American parents, Frank and Bea, are relentlessly trying to dissuade Richie and Joan from divorcing.
These stories all play out through the rehearsal, wedding, and reception.
Cast
- Bea Arthur as Bea Vecchio (as Beatrice Arthur)
- Bonnie Bedelia as Susan Henderson
- Michael Brandon] as Mike Vecchio
- Richard S. Castellano as Frank Vecchio (as Richard Castellano)
- Bob Dishy as Jerry (as Robert Dishy)
- Harry Guardino] as Johnny
- Sylvester Stallone as Groomsman (uncredited)
Awards
- Nominee Best Supporting Actor – Academy Awards (Richard S. Castellano)
- Nominee Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy Awards (Joseph Bologna, David Zelag Goodman, Renee Taylor)
- Winner Best Original Song (For All We Know) – Academy Awards (Fred Karlin, Robb Royer, Jimmy Griffin)
Reception
The film received positive reviews and was popular at the box office, earning $7.7 million in gross rentals in North America. It recorded an overall profit of $790,000.[1]