Lovers and Other Strangers (1970)

Lovers and Other Strangers is a 1970 comedy film based on the play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna. The cast includes Richard Castellano, Gig Young, Cloris Leachman, Anne Jackson, Beatrice Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Brandon, Harry Guardino, Anne Meara, Bob Dishy, Marian Hailey, Joseph Hindy, and, in her film debut, Diane Keaton. Sylvester Stallone was an extra in this movie. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards (it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song), and was one of the top box office performers of 1970. It established Richard Castellano as a star (receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance) and he, along with Diane Keaton, was subsequently cast in The Godfather. The song For All We Know was composed by Fred Karlin with lyrics by Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin.

Lovers and Other Strangers was released by ABC Pictures. It was released on VHS in 1980 by Magnetic Video, but soon went out of print. The Magnetic Video release was a collector's item for many years, but the film was eventually re-released on VHS by CBS/Fox Video in the 1990s. It is now available on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment.

Upon seeing this film, Richard Carpenter set about recording the song played during the wedding scene, "For All We Know", with his sister Karen. "Karen and I were in Toronto to open the show for Engelbert Humperdinck. We had one night off before opening and our manager Sherwin Bash suggested we see the film Lovers and Other Strangers. We enjoyed the film and noticed the song For All We Know which we recorded upon our return home." (It subsequently won an Oscar for Best Song of 1970.)

Taylor and Bologna followed up with their second screenplay the following year, Made for Each Other in which they also starred.

Synopsis

Lovers and Other Strangers revolves around the wedding of Mike (Michael Brandon) and Susan (Bonnie Bedelia), intercutting their story with those of other couples among their families and friends. As the movie opens, Mike wants to call off the wedding, arguing that it would be hypocritical for them to get married when they've already been living together for a year and a half. He only relents when Susan's father Hal (Gig Young) tells him that Susan went to her first Halloween party dressed as a bride.

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