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:

female stockinged feet | female stockinged legs | taupe pantyhose | pantyhose | neo screwball comedy | 

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Taglines:

Not since Gable battled with Colbert and Hepburn battled with Grant has comedy been such fun. Watch Segal take on Jackson.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

David De Keyser who plays the Spanish hotel Doctor also plays the voice of A DJ on the hotel radio.

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Goofs

At 1:00:06, a camera shadow is on Vickie as she crosses the room.

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Quotes

Patty Menkes: Maybe you and Mr. Allessio would have dinner with me and my husband some night.
Vickie Allessio: Well, that's very kind of you, but I'm afraid I'm right out of Mr. Allessios.

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Connections

Referenced in High Hopes: A Touch of Class (2005)

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Soundtracks

Amor mio
Written by George Barrie and Sammy Cahn

User Reviews

A realistic movie about a love affair

A Touch of Class starts off being about a married cad's misadventures in attempting to hook up with a divorced woman who's up for the no-strings-attached sex. It makes the movie's title somewhat ironic, doesn't it?

More than likely, "A Touch of Class" refers to double-Oscar winner Glenda Jackson (Women in Love and this movie), who's just about one of the classiest actresses I've seen. Beautiful, regal, and armed with acerbic British wit, she's the perfect foil to the brash and American George Segal, who incidentally looks just about the same 30 years ago as he does now in Just Shoot Me, except with a better body.

A Touch of Class demonstrates how opposites attract - something I've very familiar with. It's a romantic comedy but its comedic element peaks halfway through the movie with a scene in which the two leads engage in an all-out battle that culminates in a clothes fight and a sex fumble. After that, it's primarily about the two trying to make their love affair work despite Segal's marriage. A successful romantic movie draws us into its convolutions by making us care for its characters and what become of them, which A Touch of Class achieves by giving us the realistic trials and tribulations of an extramarital couple.

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

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1