This seems like it was made such a long time ago – in that period when filmmakers were coming out of New York theatre and live TV, keen to make some social realism, but with enough savvy to cast stars. Let’s face it, the film wouldn’t have been as much fun with genuinely ordinary people in it. Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen are both enchanting as a Macey’s shop girl and musician who fall in love via an abortion – they’ve had a one-night stand which he doesn’t remember, she’s pregnant and needs to find a doctor. Tom Bosley is the guy who her brothers want her to date (who's going to win that battle, do you think?).
Wood and McQueen are both superb. Wood looks lovely, is very winning and believable – this is probably her best performance. McQueen is very engaging too. There’s a bit of overplaying from some of the support characters eg the scenes with Wood’s Italian family (who include Harvey Lembeck) and Tom Bosley’s sister who goes on about love (they go too much for satire rather than emotional truth here). Bosley’s mother looks like Marie Dressler.
For all the black and white photography, location shooting, methody acting, treatment of abortion and pre-marital sex, it’s still Hollywood – the Macey’s shop girl looks like Natalie Wood, McQueen offers to marry her pretty quickly and takes a job to support her, they fall in love, he respects her even when she won’t sleep with him. I guess it is kind of clear that he will cheat on her down the track.
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