Luv (1967)

Harry is a barely functional human. He meets an old friend who is having marital problems as Harry is about to leap off of a bridge. His friend decides that Harry is the man to take his ... See full summary »

Director:

Clive Donner

Writers:

Elliott Baker, Murray Schisgal (play)

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May

Cast

Cast overview:
Jack Lemmon	...	Harry Berlin
Peter Falk	...	Milt Manville
Elaine May	...	Ellen Manville
Nina Wayne	...	Linda
Eddie Mayehoff	...	D.A. Goodhart
Paul Hartman	...	Doyle
Severn Darden	...	Vandergist
Alan DeWitt	...	Dalrymple

Storyline

Harry is a barely functional human. He meets an old friend who is having marital problems as Harry is about to leap off of a bridge. His friend decides that Harry is the man to take his wife away from him so that Milt can be with his girlfriend. Ellen and Harry have an instant attraction and in a short while Harry is wearing Milt's suits and Milt is free. But, Ellen soon discovers that Harry is the world's worst roommate.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | bridge | new york city | waterfall | tie | 

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Taglines:

LUV is fun ... try and make it!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Eli Wallach was first offered Harry Berlin.

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Quotes

Ellen Manville: I've always been lonely, Harry. You see, on the one had I possess a cold, calculating mind, sharp as a razor, incisive, penetrating, and men are afraid of that. It's a threat to their feelings of masculine superiority; my power of analysis, my photographic memory. They resent all that.
Harry Berlin: Yeah. Well some men are like that.
Ellen Manville: Ask me a question, Harry.
Harry Berlin: Eh?
Ellen Manville: Ask me a question.
Harry Berlin: Um, how many states did Al Smith win in the election in 1928?
Ellen Manville: In 1928, the presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith won eight states: ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Peter Falk versus Columbo (2019)

User Reviews

Mismatched mates

Back in 1967 when Luv came out in theaters I went to see it and it is one of the very few times I just could not get into the film and walked out before it was over. 45 years later I watched it and did sit through it finally seeing how it ended and my opinion was raised slightly, but not enough to raise it to make it a classic. It's not one of Jack Lemmon's better films.

But it certainly is one of the weirdest I've seen, not funny but just plain weird. Lemmon plays an ultimate neurotic in this one who we meet as he is trying to jump off the Manhattan Bridge. Back in 1967 the walkway was still open for foot traffic. Just as he's about to take a swan dive into the East River along comes an old college friend Peter Falk who is a junk dealer and prowls the streets at night looking for items that thoughtless people might have thrown away.

Falk is unhappily married himself to a neurotic played by Elaine May who won't divorce him. What to do, but put these two neurotics together and see what happens. He saves Lemmon and takes him home and let's nature take its course. In the meantime Falk can pursue the fitness instructor of his dreams Nina Wayne.

Luv was a big hit on Broadway running 901 performances for three years and starred Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson in the Lemmon, Falk, and May roles. On stage it is only a three character play and maybe they should have paid author Murray Schisgal to expand the play for the screen which Columbia Pictures didn't. It must have got a lot of laughs on stage to have had a three year run. But my laughs were few and far between.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Luv

Filming Locations:

Manhattan Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jalem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1