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Love with the Proper Stranger (1963)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 1/26

1/26: Steve McQueen does theater?

Ha! War, military, action, policiers, and Westerns the Cooler King can do...but when it comes to plays, he sucks as evidenced in Love with the Proper Stranger. As a result, he brings Natalie Wood down to his level, causing her to give an uneven performance. An Academy Award nomination for her? Oh, please...it's another example of how absolutely weak the 60's was for cinema.

By now, you can catch abortion as theme of the week in an episode of any drama TV show. While at that, I'll save you the suspense: it will never be followed through. Rocky Papasano (too funny to think of Steve McQueen as Italian) had a one-night stand with an Italian named Angie (but she's Russian in real life!). Therefore, she got pregnant, forcing him to suggest the unthinkable, so they could move on from this bad episode and go their separate ways.

Wait a minute...is everybody telling me that this guy isn't interested in Natalie Wood??? Millions of guys would be happy to be with her and have babies, too. It's been the most unbelievable aspect of the entire film. If it was Shelley Winters or some plain-looking woman, then sure...I might buy that.

All in all, facial expressions and long silences over and over aren't enough for an actor to get through a theatrical play.

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