A Touch of Class (1973)

Romantic comedy about a pair of clandestine lovers in a London-Spain tryst.

Director:

Melvin Frank

Writers:

Melvin Frank, Jack Rose

Stars:

George Segal, Glenda Jackson, Paul Sorvino

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Steve Blackburn
Glenda Jackson	...	Vickie Allessio
Paul Sorvino	...	Walter Menkes
K Callan	...	Patty Menkes
Cec Linder	...	Wendell Thompson
Michael Elwyn	...	Cecil
Mary Barclay	...	Martha Thompson
Nadim Sawalha	...	Night Hotel Manager
Ian Thompson	...	Derek
Ève Karpf	...	Miss Ramos (as Eve Karpf)
David de Keyser	...	Doctor Alvarez (as David De Keyser)
Gaye Brown	...	Dora French
Carl Oatley	...	Bell Boy
Rebecca De Los Reyes	...	Rent-A-Car Clerk
Felipe Solano	...	Airline Clerk Malaga

Storyline

American Steve Blackburn, in the insurance business, is married with two kids. Vickie Allessio, a self described design "stealer" for a knockoff fashion house, is a recent divorcée with two kids. Steve and Vickie are running into each other more and more in their day to day lives in London before even knowing who the other is, which suits them both fine, as when they do finally officially meet, Steve is up front that he wants to have an affair with her, Steve who has had affairs in the past whenever his wife Gloria, who is from old money, isn't around which is currently the case as she is in the States visiting her parents. Vickie, in turn, is up front that she is amenable to a no-strings affair with him under specific circumstances, namely that it be at least a classy short term affair, meaning no cheap motels, and preferably a weekend away somewhere warm. Able to arrange a business trip to Málaga, Spain, for a week, Steve convinces Vickie to change their agreed weekend to a week and...

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Plot Keywords:

neo screwball comedy | affair | resort | bikini | bus | 

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Taglines:

They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 May 1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Een slippertje met allure

Filming Locations:

London Heathrow Airport, London Borough of Hillingdon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$18,312,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brut Productions, Gordon Film Productions, Joseph E. Levine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Glenda Jackson's Oscar win for this movie was so shocking to viewers of the ceremony that a recount was considered for the votes The Oscar was rumored to be going to Marsha Mason for Cinderella Liberty or Ellen Burstyn for The Exorcist as they were the front runners

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Goofs

At 13:24, position of the items on the desk change.

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Quotes

Vickie Allessio: I'm beginning to sound like a wife.

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Connections

Referenced in Fawlty Towers: A Touch of Class (1975)

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Soundtracks

All That Love Went to Waste
Written by George Barrie and Sammy Cahn
Performed by Madeline Bell

User Reviews

Two Top Comedic Performances in Half a Hysterical Film

At times screamingly funny, at least during the first hour, "A Touch of Class" boasts two fine comedic actors in top form and a script that manages to hit more highs than lows. After a catchy title tune, George Segal and Glenda Jackson meet a few times by chance before on-the-prowl Segal, who boasts of never cheating on his wife in the same city, moves in for the pounce. However, the divorced Jackson, who needs some good uninvolved sex, agrees to a tryst if they can manage something better than a "quickie" in a one-star hotel with dirty sheets. From this point the screwball comedy antics pile on. A returning wife and in-laws complicate the arrangements for a week in Spain, and an unwelcome friend shows up for the same flight to Malaga. The laugh meter rises with a faulty clutch, a spastic back, and a sexual performance rating that is on par with a Christmas card from the butcher.

The comedy is in high form as the couple spar and parry towards consummating their relationship. Unfortunately, love enters the equation, and the unwelcome friend slows the merriment further with a serious turn about guilt. Although the pace picks up again when the couple returns to London, the damage has been done, and "A Touch of Class" fails to return to the hilarity of the first hour. Segal and Jackson are certainly not to blame for the sluggish mid section, and both performers deliver fine comedic performances that never go over the top for a laugh and retain a depth of character when the mood turns serious. The film belongs to the two stars, and they play well together. However, the supporting players in general fail to register with the exception of Eve Karpf as the slyly knowing Miss Ramos at Iberia Airlines.

Symptomatic of the movie's slowdown is a scene where Jackson and Segal watch "Brief Encounter" on the television in their love nest. The Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard classic is a heavy "weepie" drama, and both characters wring the handkerchiefs while they watch the film. Although the temptation to insert shots from another film about marital infidelity was obviously too strong to resist, the scene further dampens the film and pushes the characters into a soul-searching phase that leads to the inevitable fadeout. Perhaps if the lovers had watched "A Night at the Opera" or "Bringing Up Baby," viewers would have left the theater laughing instead of sullen like the weather in the final scene.