A Touch of Class (film)
| A Touch of Class | |
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original movie poster
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| Directed by | Melvin Frank |
| Produced by | Melvin Frank |
| Written by | Melvin Frank Jack Rose |
| Starring |
George Segal Glenda Jackson Paul Sorvino Hildegarde Neil Mary Barclay |
| Music by | John Cameron |
| Cinematography | Austin Dempster |
| Edited by | Bill Butler |
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Production
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| Distributed by | AVCO |
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Release date
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Running time
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106 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Box office | $16,800,000 |
A Touch of Class is a 1973 British romantic comedy film which tells the story of a couple having an affair, who find themselves falling in love. It stars George Segal, Glenda Jackson, Hildegarde Neil, Paul Sorvino and K Callan.
It was adapted by Melvin Frank and Jack Rose from the story "She Loves Me, She Told Me So Last Night" by Frank, who also directed. However, it bears more than a passing resemblance to an earlier Frank film, The Facts of Life (1960), which likewise dealt with a middle-aged couple trying to have an affair, centering on a disaster-laden trip to a place where they wouldn't be recognized.
The lead role of Steve was originally offered to Cary Grant, with a promise by Frank to rewrite the script to play up the age difference between Steve and Vickie. However, Grant opted to remain in retirement from filmmaking, and he turned the role down. He did remain connected to the film, however, as it was produced by Fabergé's Brut Productions, and Grant was on the board of directors for Fabergé.
Glenda Jackson revealed that after appearing on the comedy sketch and variety program "The Morecambe and Wise Show" on the BBC in the United Kingdom in 1971, in the "Anthony and Cleopatra" sketch, she was approached by the director Melvin Frank who had seen her appearance with Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise and realized she could do comedy and offered her the role in this film which won her an Academy Award. Morecambe, after hearing that Jackson had won the Oscar, sent her a telegram reading, "Stick with us and we will get you another one".
Vickie Allessio (Glenda Jackson) is a divorced British mother of two. Steve Blackburn (George Segal) is an American married man who "has never cheated on his wife... in the same town. After sharing a London taxi, Steve invites Vickie to tea, then lunch, then takes Vickie to a hotel room, hoping to have sex. Vickie admits she would like to have uncomplicated sex, but isn't impressed by the setting, wanting somewhere sunny. Steve arranges a trip to Málaga.
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Wikipedia