Never Love a Stranger (1958)

Director:

Robert Stevens

Writers:

Richard Day (screenplay)
Harold Robbins (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

22 June 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

RAW and VIOLENT as the book that sold 3,000,000 SIZZLING copies!

Plot:

Following the life of an orphan and the events that change his life and lead him into a life of crime.

Plot Keywords:

Orphanage | Attorney | Orphan | 1920s | Bum

Cast

John Drew Barrymore	...	Francis 'Frankie' Kane
Lita Milan	...	Julie Cabell
Robert Bray	...	'Silk' Fennelli
Steve McQueen	...	Martin Cabell
Salem Ludwig	...	Moishe Moscowitz
R.G. Armstrong	...	Flix
Douglas Rodgers	...	Brother Bernard
Felice Orlandi	...	Bert
Augusta Merighi	...	Mrs. Cozzolina
Vincent Barbi		(as Vince Barbi)
Abe Simon	...	'Fats' Crown
Vitina Marcus	...	Frances Kane (as Dolores Vitina)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gino Ardito	...	Willy (uncredited)
Richard Bright	...	Street Gang Tough Lookout (uncredited)
Walter Burke	...	Jimmy Keough (uncredited)
Dort Clark	...	Madigan (uncredited)
Joe Costa	...	Joe (uncredited)
John Dalz	...	Father Quinn (uncredited)
Michael Enserro	...	Tony the Bartender (uncredited)
Anthony Franke	...	(uncredited)
Joseph Leberman	...	Price (uncredited)
Robert O'Connell	...	Kelly (uncredited)
Mike O'Dowd	...	Piggy (uncredited)
Milo O'Shea	...	Off-Screen Narrator (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Stevens

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard Day		screenplay
Harold Robbins		novel
Harold Robbins		screenplay

Produced by
Richard Day	....	producer
Richard Day	....	producer
Peter Gettinger	....	associate producer
Harold Robbins	....	producer

Original Music by
Raymond Scott

Cinematography by
Lee Garmes

Film Editing by
Sidney Katz

Production Design by
Leo Kerz

Costume Design by
Ruth Morley

Music Department
Lawrence Elow	....	assistant music supervisor
Jack Shaindlin	....	musical director
Van Cleave	....	orchestrator (as Nathan Van Cleave)

Production Companies

• Caryn

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• AA (1958) (Japan) (theatrical)
• BMG Victor (1996) (Japan) (VHS)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1989) | Iceland:L | Finland:(Banned) (1960) | Sweden:15

Company:

Caryn

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Steve McQueen: The King of Cool (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Never Love a Stranger

A weak and silly movie with a few points of interest.

"Never Love A Stranger" is a badly directed movie with very poor dialogue, and an off-screen narrator pompously intoning meaningless platitudes.. The basic story is borrowed from several better films, and consequently has few surprises for the audience. However the film is of interest for other reasons.

The first major turning point in the story is based on an extraordinarily racist idea. A mother had died giving birth to a baby who is brought up in a Catholic orphanage. When the child is in his teens, it is discovered that his mother was Jewish. Although the boy has been raised from birth as a Christian, it is decided that he should be removed from the orphanage because it is felt that his parentage prevents him from being a Christian! Can any student of the Catholic Church in America confirm or deny that this kind of racist nonsense ever occurred?

Steve McQueen gives an early career performance, and already it is strikingly obvious that he has a rapport with the movie camera. Interestingly, so too has John Drew Barrymore, which raises the question of why did his movie career not prosper. Lita Milan has a strong and interesting face that is not conventionally beautiful. Thanks to Lee Garmes' lighting and to her heavy eye shadow, she seems better looking than she really is. R. G. Armstong comes in late in the movie, playing a hired assassin. Wearing glasses and city clothes, he is almost unrecognisable from the westerners he played in Sam Peckinpah's movies. Only his eyes remind the audience that they have seen him somewhere before.

The IMDb states incorrectly that Dorothy Collins is not given a screen credit, Yes she is, and so too is lyricist Lawrence Elow.

It is regrettable that "Never Love A Stranger" is such a weak movie. Buried beneath the shoddy dialogue and implausible characterisation is a workable story, struggling to emerge.