Forgotten Gems - Love with the Proper Stranger

I think you may have gathered by now that I love old movies, so I can often be found trawling TCM or other classic movie channels for films I may not have seen. one such find was this little known gem Love with the Proper Stranger,  an early sixties romantic drama starring the annoyingly attractive Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen.  

This film caught my interest straight away because it has many of the variables I look for in a movie, set in the sixties, filmed in black and white, featuring a controversial story line and starring two actors I hugely admire. the film is not really an abiding classic and it was not a huge success at the time but it is an interesting and enjoyable way to pass a rainy afternoon.

The film is the story of a young Italian american girl, Angie played by the gorgeous Natalie Wood who finds herself in the family way, after what we are to understand, is a one night stand with Rocky Papasano, a charismatic musician played by the devastatingly cool and beautiful McQueen.  The film begins when Angie turns up and shocks Rocky by telling him she's pregnant and needs him to find a doctor to preform an abortion.  Angie, a sales girl at Macy's, lives at home with her mother and overbearing brothers. the film, for me, is sort of a coming of age story as Angie escapes the oppression of her home life where she is treated like a child and through her experiences with Rocky becomes a woman in her own right. 

It was, and to some extent still is, a controversial subject matter. The film touches on the horrifically unsafe nature of back street abortions that took place before the practice was legalized in the US.  In the end (spoiler alert) Rocky convinces Angie not to go through with the operation because he realized the danger and how completely shady the 'doctor' was, which Angie was too desperate to see.

Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen were both extremely competent actors and play the roles of terrified young people thrown together and struggling to deal with a crisis very well.  McQueen's character is in the beginning, as all his characters were,  a cool suave ladies man but is quickly ruffled by this situation.  Wood's Angie, is believable as the troubled shop girl trying to find her own space in a changing world.

The very last scene is one of my favourite movie moments. earlier in the film Angie and Rocky listen to the title song for the film, sung by Jack Jones, that talks about hearing bells and banjos when you fall in love.  Angie is cynical about this at the time and later in the film she tells Rocky she going to settle down with a clumsy local boy Antony (played by Tom Bosley in his first screen role. He went on to play the dad in Happy Days) having turned down rocky's proposal feeling that it was only out of obligation. she says its okay if she doesn't hear the bells and banjos every time she looks at Antony. The next day as she leaves work, there's rocky holding a sign saying better wed then dead and playing the bells and banjo.  Adorable right? of course after some resistance she falls in to his arms as the credits role.  In my mind they go on to live a long happy fulfilling life together but who knows. 

You didn't hear it from me but if you look on YouTube, you may find that some clever person has posted the entire film there. give it a watch and let me how you think they end up.

Are these not two of the most gorgeous people ever?