No Way to Treat a Lady (1968)

A crafty serial killer plays a game of cat-and-mouse with a harried police detective trying to track him down.

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

John Gay (screenplay), William Goldman (novel)

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Lee Remick, George Segal

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rod Steiger	...	Christopher Gill
Lee Remick	...	Kate Palmer
George Segal	...	Morris Brummel
Eileen Heckart	...	Mrs. Brummel
Murray Hamilton	...	Inspector Haines
Michael Dunn	...	Mr. Kupperman
Martine Bartlett	...	Alma Mulloy
Barbara Baxley	...	Belle Poppie
Irene Dailey	...	Mrs. Fitts
Doris Roberts	...	Sylvia Poppie
Ruth White	...	Mrs. Himmel
Val Bisoglio	...	Detective Monaghan
David Doyle	...	Lieutenant Dawson
Kim August	...	Sadie

Storyline

Christopher Gill is a psychotic killer who uses various disguises to trick and strangle his victims. Moe Brummel is a single and harassed New York City police detective who starts to get phone calls from the strangler and builds a strange alliance as a result. Kate Palmer is a swinging, hip tour guide who witnesses the strangler leaving her dead neighbor's apartment and sets her sights on the detective. Moe's live-in mother wishes her son would be a successful Jewish doctor like his big brother.

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Plot Keywords:

detective | serial killer | theater | woman strangled to death | strangulation | 

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Taglines:

...or is it?

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Genres:

Comedy | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Así no se trata a una dama

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sol C. Siegel Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the names of actors on poster outside theater is William Henry Pratt - real name of Boris Karloff.

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Goofs

When reading about his first crime, Gill picks up a copy of the New York Times. In subsequent shots, the paper has changed to the Daily News.

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Quotes

[Preparing to meet Morris' mother]
Kate Palmer: Do you love me?
Morris Brummel: Yes!
Kate Palmer: Desperately, madly?
Morris Brummel: Desperately, madly!
Kate Palmer: In that case, I can move mountains. Let's go.

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Connections

References Suburbia Confidential (1966)

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Soundtracks

"A QUIET PLACE"
Lyric by Andrew Belling
Music by Stanley Myers
Arranged by Bill Traut
Sung by The American Breed
Courtesy of ACTA Records

User Reviews

Comic thriller was way ahead of its time...

ROD STEIGER has an actor's field day assuming many different disguises when he decides to play a cat-and-mouse game with detective GEORGE SEGAL who is hot on his trail to capture a serial killer. That about sums up the plot contrivances of NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, which has Steiger donning various make-up disguises so that he can gain entry into unsuspecting female's apartments and promptly strangle them.

The dark humor is always on the surface of this comic showcase for actor Steiger, who dons each disguise with relish and gives a performance you're not likely to forget.

EILEEN HECKART is his overbearing (ultra so) Jewish mother who has unwittingly driven her son to the brink of madness. She's so good at "overbearing" that she almost drives the audience mad too, but LEE REMICK is rather wasted in a colorless role as a dame who's been around the block a few times and likes to spout smart talk. It's not a well developed role and Remick can do little with it but look good in plenty of make-up and mascara.

For pure titillation and subject matter, this is way ahead of its time, a comic thriller that is largely forgotten and deserves some attention, if only for Rod Steiger's tour de force role, all played in tongue-in-cheek manner.