Strangers When We Meet (1960)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Evan Hunter (screenplay)
Evan Hunter (novel)

Release Date:

6 October 1960 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

"I LOVE YOU BABY, BUT MY WIFE JUST REFUSES TO UNDERSTAND!"

Plot:

A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down the street.

Plot Keywords:

Architect | Affair | Marriage | Neighbor | Attempted Rape

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Larry Coe
Kim Novak	...	Margaret 'Maggie' Gault
Ernie Kovacs	...	Roger Altar
Barbara Rush	...	Eve Coe
Walter Matthau	...	Felix Anders
Virginia Bruce	...	Mrs. Wagner
Kent Smith	...	Stanley Baxter
Helen Gallagher	...	Betty Anders
John Bryant	...	Ken Gault
Roberta Shore	...	Linda Harder
Nancy Kovack	...	Marcia
Carol Douglas	...	Honey Blonde
Paul Picerni	...	Arthur Gerandi
Ernest Sarracino	...	Frank Di Labbia
Harry Jackson	...	Bud Ramsey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Anthony	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ruth Batchelor	...	Waitress (uncredited)
Mark Beckstrom	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ernie Chavez	...	Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
Jack Chefe	...	Waiter at Romanoff's (uncredited)
Lorraine Crawford	...	Redhead (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Sheryl Deauville	...	Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
Ray Ferrell	...	David Coe (uncredited)
Sharyn Gibbs	...	Girl at Beach (uncredited)
Douglas Holmes	...	Peter Coe (uncredited)
Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Mrs. Gerandi (uncredited)
Judy Lang	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Daphne (uncredited)
Cynthia Leighton	...	Mrs. Ramsey (uncredited)
Timmy Molina	...	Patrick Gault (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Diner in Booth (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Bart Patton	...	Hank (uncredited)
Michael Romanoff	...	Himself (uncredited)
Robert Sampson	...	Bucky - Truckdriver (uncredited)
Audrey Swanson	...	Mrs. Baxter (uncredited)
Charles Victor	...	Minor Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Quine

Writing credits
Evan Hunter		(screenplay)
Evan Hunter		(novel)

Produced by
Richard Quine	....	producer
Kirk Douglas	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
George Duning

Cinematography by
Charles Lang		(director of photography) (as Charles Lang Jr.)

Film Editing by
Charles Nelson

Art Direction by
Ross Bellah

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Helen Hunt	....	hair stylist
Ben Lane	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carter De Haven Jr.	....	assistant director

Art Department
Carl Anderson	....	house designer
Ross Bellah	....	house designer
K.B. Wamsley	....	contractor

Sound Department
Lambert E. Day	....	sound (as Lambert Day)
Charles J. Rice	....	recording supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Emil Oster	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Fuca	....	assistant set costumer (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Morris Stoloff	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Tom Quine	....	assistant to producer (as Thomas Quine)

Production Companies

• Bryna Productions
• Richard Quine Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Botany 500  clothes: Mr. Douglas
• Daroff  tailor: Mr. Douglas
• Panavision  photographic lenses

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #19591) | South Africa:13LS | UK:12

Filming Locations:

100 N. Kenter Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bryna Productions

Trivia:

Kim Novak reportedly enjoyed a lot of latitude on the set because she was involved with director Richard Quine and used that latitude to make unsolicited suggestions to various crew members. However, when Novak tried to make suggestions to Kirk Douglas on how he should be acting, he took offense and the result was a chilly relationship between them off-set.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Felix is advising Larry about the dangers of cheating on his wife, he warns him to watch out not to leave blonde hair pins laying around because Larry's wife Eve has black hair. In reality, actress Barbara Rush sported reddish auburn hair.

Quotes:

[to Maggie]
Larry Coe:You're not so pretty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in El crack dos (1983)

Soundtrack:

Strangers When We Meet

Eye Opener & Good Show!

I was totally shocked when I saw this film as a kid, home sick from school. Here was one of my movie heroes, Kirk Douglas and the lovely Kim Novak at her sexiest, and they were NOT doing good things in their neighborhood. Ahhhhhhhhh... so THIS is what was happening while I was at school.

This "adult" themed soaper showed that Hollywood was beginning to change its tune when it came to dealing with issues like infidelity. Douglas plays a successful architect who starts an affair with Novak because he's, well, bored. Douglas' macho performance is tempered a bit and we really feel that he is in love with Novak. This isn't a tawdry affair, we're supposed to believe, because Douglas' performance is so strong. It isn't until late in the film do we realize that these types of affairs are incredibly damaging to all involved and that there are no heroes here.

For establishing a subtle ground-breaking subject matter, for a strong Douglas performance, for the neat cars and a really cool barbecue on the patio (hello 60s... you can just see the neighborhood gang out there, firing up the steaks, sipping on gin and tonics and watching a space shot on one of those metal portable TVs) and most of all for the gorgeous Kim Novak, this soaper has a little more depth than you'd expect.

Watch it.