The Love Machine (1971)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Jack Haley Jr.

Writers:

Jacqueline Susann (novel)
Samuel A. Taylor (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 August 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Love Machine now on the Screen !

Plot:

An ambitious TV newscaster has an affair with the wife of a network executive to get a promotion.

Plot Keywords:

News Anchor | Promotion | Arson | Television Network | Fashion Model

Cast

John Phillip Law	...	Robin Stone
Dyan Cannon	...	Judith Austin
Robert Ryan	...	Gregory 'Greg' Austin
Jackie Cooper	...	Danton Miller
David Hemmings	...	Jerry Nelson
Jodi Wexler	...	Amanda
William Roerick	...	Cliff Dorne
Maureen Arthur	...	Ethel Evans
Shecky Greene	...	Christie Lane
Clinton Greyn	...	Alfie Knight
Sharon Farrell	...	Maggie Stewart
Alexandra Hay	...	Tina St. Claire
Eve Bruce	...	Amazon Woman
Greg Mullavey	...	Bob Summers
Gene Baylos	...	Eddie Flynn

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sujac Productions

Trivia:

Cameo: ['Jaqueline Suzanne']TV reporter, covering the death of one of the characters.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: 'Manos' the Hands of Fate (#5.24)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

He's Moving On

This Love Machine is a little low on fuel.

The second in Jacqueline Susann's triad of saucy, salacious, showbiz-based novels adapted into movies, this one will delight fans of tacky, trashy film, but may disappoint those who enjoyed the book. Law (in at the 11th hour for a severely injured Brian Kelly) plays an ambitious, sexually-manipulative TV news anchor who catches the eye of a network executive's wife. The wife (Cannon) encourages her husband (Ryan) to hire him on in a higher capacity and before long, he is running the network while the exec is recovering from a massive coronary! He dumps his model girlfriend (Wexler) and takes Cannon to bed. Though Law and Cannon share a couple of blissful unions, Law also canoodles with an endless parade of models, groupies, hookers and anything else in a skirt. It has something to do with an unexplored subplot (fleshed out in the book) of his fear of being alone at night. Apart from the sexual shenanigans (which are suggestive, but not really very explicit), the film also focuses on Law's battles at the network. He tangles with long-term VP Cooper, sets up schlocky comedian Greene with his own series and somehow manages to evade sleeping with office tramp Arthur. It all comes to a head when Ryan begins to recover and wants to take back his reign, but gets considerable resistance from Law. So Ryan considers a smear campaign involving a gay actor (Greyn) and a gay photographer (Hemmings) that Law has been associated with in the past, as friends. The film ends on an ambiguous (to say the least!) note as if the company ran out of film stock. Law is attractive, but uncharismatic and stiff. It's easy to see the physical attraction for him, but impossible to figure out the emotional one. Wexler is extremely weak in her role, though she has several eye-opening appearances in various "high-fashion" get-ups. Ryan adds a tinge of credibility to the film with his firm presence and Cooper is excellent as the threatened second banana. Cannon is severely miscast in her role, but overcomes it rather well. Her ample physical charms are often put to good use (though a few of her ensembles are downright monstrosities that either swallow her up or make her look exceedingly uncomfortable - Check out the green corseted number with the black turtleneck top!) Greene is appropriately low-brow as a sort of in-the-flesh Fred Flintstone who has no class and knows it. Arthur takes her sexpot secretary from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and ratchets it up even further, sensually. Hemmings gets in a few catty licks tempered with some down-to-earth moments with a character that is almost completely stereotypical. For a film that was produced by Susann's own husband, the product certainly is a let-down from the book. It seems to remove nearly all of the juiciest aspects of the novel and has an overriding sterile quality (the one exception being a raucous, laughably-overwrought fight scene at the end.) The storyline has been hacked down, but it doesn't feel as if it was completely thought out. Attempts to tie in the "ankh" from the book go nowhere at all and when it's finished it all seems so pointless unless its existence as a snapshot of horrendously bad 70's fashion has historical value. That doesn't mean it isn't fun on a campy level, but it's nowhere near the deliriousness of "Valley of the Dolls".