Young married couple expecting a baby suddenly discover they are half-brother and sister.
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Title: Bittersweet Love (1976)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Lana Turner | ... | Claire Peterson | |
| Robert Lansing | ... | Howard Lewis | |
| Celeste Holm | ... | Marian Lewis | |
| Robert Alda | ... | Ben Peterson | |
| Scott Hylands | ... | Michael Lewis | |
| Meredith Baxter | ... | Patricia Peterson (as Meredith Baxter Birney) | |
| Gail Strickland | ... | Roz | |
| Richard Masur | ... | Alex | |
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Denise DeMirjian | ... | Nurse Morrison |
| John Friedrich | ... | Josh Lewis | |
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Amanda Gavin | ... | Judy |
| Jerome Guardino | ... | Psychiatrist | |
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Jack Jozefson | ... | Mr. Schoste (as Jac Jozefson Jr.) |
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Vincent Milana | ... | Dr. Green (as Vince Milana) |
| Erik L. Nelson | ... | Minister (as Erik Nelson) | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Los Angeles based architect Michael Lewis and Russian language instructor Patricia Peterson - "Pete" to her friends - meet and quickly fall in love. Although Michael asked her before the news, they decide to get married after Pete announces that she's pregnant with his child. All these events happen before each has had a chance to meet the other's family. As Pete's La Jolla based parents, Ben and Claire Peterson, are traveling the world and will not be back in time for the wedding, Michael and Pete decide to hold the ceremony in Vancouver, where Michael grew up and where his parents, Howard and Marian Lewis, still live. Of the four parents, the one person who is seemingly not happy with what is transpiring in their children's lives is Claire, her uneasiness strengthened when she finally meets Michael for the first time far along into Pete's pregnancy, and views the wedding photographs. Her uneasiness is due to a long held secret she's been keeping, that secret which is now tearing her... Written by Huggo
Plot Keywords:
half brother half sister incest | incest | bare chested male | homosexual subtext | pregnancy |Taglines:
It was the only kind of love between a man and a woman that is still forbidden. See more »Parents Guide:
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Trivia
Gig Young was replaced by Robert Lansing after only a few days of shooting, reportedly because he could not remember his lines. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
October 1976 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Birthmark See more »Filming Locations:
Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA See more »Company Credits
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Though an interesting premise, Bittersweet Love is kind of a mess. Lana Turner was a very beautiful woman, and certainly in her younger years had an undeniable charm and lightness, as in "Slightly Dangerous." By 1976, that girl is gone. Lana's name is used strictly as a gimmick to get people to watch - she doesn't do much except overact and wear that babushka she often wore with a fur coat. I can't remember if she wore sunglasses, but she usually did in that getup.
The story is intriguing if the stuff that soaps are made of. Without realizing it, a half-brother and sister fall in love, get married, and the woman (Meredith Baxter-Birney) becomes pregnant. It turns out that Birney was the product of a fling that Turner had with Scott Hylands' father. Once this is revealed, some tough choices need to be made. Incest is very repulsive to females, so sayeth one of the pundits in the story; Hylands, however, wants to have the baby and continue the relationship.
Celeste Holm and Robert Lansing are also in the cast, playing husband and wife. Bad mismatch. And, alas, not the only thing bad about "Bittersweet Love."