''Never Love A Stranger'' is a 1958

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

and gangster film that is based on

Harold Robbins Harold Robbins (May 21, 1916 – October 14, 1997) was an American author of popular novels. One of the best-selling writers of all time, he wrote over 25 best-sellers, selling over 750 million copies in 32 languages. Early life Robbins was b ...

' 1948 debut novel with the same title. The film was shot in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

starring

John Drew Barrymore John Drew Barrymore (born John Blyth Barrymore Jr.; June 4, 1932 – November 29, 2004) was an American film actor and member of the Barrymore family of actors, which included his father, John Barrymore, and his father's siblings, Lionel and E ...

and

Robert Bray Robert E. Bray (October 23, 1917 – March 7, 1983) was an American film and television actor known for playing the forest ranger Corey Stuart in the CBS series '' Lassie'', He also starred in ''Stagecoach West'' and as Mike Hammer in the mo ...

, and featuring a young

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

Plot

Frankie Kane (Barrymore) is brought up in a Catholic

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

. He befriends a Jewish law student named Martin Cabell (McQueen) and becomes romantically involved with Cabell's maid, Julie (Lita Milan). Kane learns later that he is also Jewish, and when told he will be removed from the orphanage and moved to a Jewish home he runs away and turns to a life of crime. Later, after joining a major

crime syndicate Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

, he reconnects with Julie, finally deciding to join Martin, now a

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

, in shutting down the syndicate.

Main cast

as Frankie Kane *

Lita Milan Lita Milan also known as Lita Trujillo (born 1933) is an American actress. Her film credits include ''The Violent Men'' (1955), ''Desert Sands'' (1955), ''Gun Brothers'' (1956), '' The Ride Back'' (1957), ''Bayou'' (1957), ''The Left Handed Gun'' ...

as Julie, maid to the Cabell Family *

as Martin Cabell *

as "Silk" Fennelli *

Salem Ludwig Salem Ludwig (July 31, 1915 – April 1, 2007) was an American character actor and highly esteemed acting instructor. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ludwig was blacklisted in 1957 and could only find minimal stage work. He had many film and te ...

as Moishe Moscowitz *

R. G. Armstrong Robert Golden Armstrong Jr. (April 7, 1917 – July 27, 2012) was an American character actor and playwright. A veteran performer who appeared in dozens of Westerns during his 40-year career, he may be best remembered for his work with director ...

as Flix * Douglas Rodgers as Brother Bernard * Felice Orlandi as Bert *

Augusta Merighi Augusta may refer to: Places Australia * Augusta, Western Australia Brasil * Rua Augusta (São Paulo) Canada * Augusta, Ontario * North Augusta, Ontario * Augusta Street (Hamilton, Ontario) France * Augusta Suessionum ("Augusta of the Suessi ...

as Mrs. Cozzolina * Abe Simon as "Fats" Crown *

Vitina Marcus Vitina Marcus (born March 1, 1937) is a retired American actress of Sicilian and Hungarian descent. Her parents were Rose and Frank Marcus, and her Sicilian grandmother was named Vitina. She now works in real estate. Career Born in New York Ci ...

as Frances Kane

Original novel

Robbins' novel was published in 1948. It became a best seller. The book was one of a number banned in Philadelphia as indecent. The ban was overturned the following year.

Production

In August 1957 it was announced that Barrymore would star and Robbins would write and produce. The ''Los Angeles Times'' called the part "the usual Barrymore role". At the time, Barrymore was under a year's suspension from Actors Equity, but this seemed to apply only to stage work. The film was made through Caryn Productions, Robbins' own production company. Richard Day became co-producer and Allied Artists agreed to release. Filming started in the Bronx on 9 September. Robert Stevens agreed to direct and Steve McQueen was given an early role.Of Local Origin. New York Times 3 Oct 1957: 33.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Never Love A Stranger 1958 films Film noir American gangster films Allied Artists films Films directed by Robert Stevens 1958 crime drama films American crime drama films Films based on American novels 1950s English-language films 1950s American films