Never Love a Stranger

1958

Crime / Drama / Romance

7
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 36%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 36% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 5.4/10 10 468 468

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Plot summary

Orphan turns bad, finds redemption with some help from boyhood pal. This movie is of interest because of the presence of a young Steve McQueen, the leading man being John Drew Barrymore, father of the more famous Drew, and for being based on a novel by Harold Robbins, famous for steamy writing in his day.

Director

Robert Stevens Photo
Robert Stevens

Top cast

Walter Burke Photo
Walter Burke as Jimmy Keough
Milo O'Shea Photo
Milo O'Shea as Off-Screen Narrator
R.G. Armstrong Photo
R.G. Armstrong as Flix
Robert Bray Photo
Robert Bray as 'Silk' Fennelli
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
838.82 MB
1280*768
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds 2
1.52 GB
1800*1080
English 2.0
NR
23.976 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds 6

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by secondtake 5 / 10

A great title that has nothing to do with this middling movie not about being a Jew in New York

Never Love a Stranger (1958)You might be most impressed by the early appearance of Steve McQueen, who shows a spark and intensity that makes him rise above the rest of the cast, who are really rather good in all. It says something about star power, which isn't all smoke and mirrors. You might also get a kick that the leading male (McQueen is secondary) is played by John Drew Barrymore, son of the famous John and father of the famous Drew. Sadly, this man of the generation in the middle was troubled and had a mixture of leading roles, never achieving greatness or fame.If the plot is a familiar one about two slum kids in New York growing up into opposite roles, one a thug, the other the area's district attorney (there are several of these films), there is another theme that makes the movie singular. That is the issue of being Jewish, and at times downright anti-Semitism, though handled with kid gloves. The fighting between Catholic boys and the one Jewish kid (McQueen) is standard clan rivalry, with a religious twist. But when the other character, raised in a Catholic orphanage, discovers he is actually Jewish, his first reaction is rebellion. And the movie carries this theme throughout, adding a good if forced second level to work with.I'm not sure it matters, but it's interesting, at least, that McQueen and Barrymore are both not Jewish as far as I know (McQueen in particular doesn't fit the stereotypes, but that's probably okay by itself), nor was the director, Robert Stevens the American (as opposed to the more famous Robert Stevens the Brit). Even more interesting, the book the movie draws from was written by Harold Robbins, whose parents were Jewish immigrants, but when he was a child he claimed (falsely) to have been raised in a Roman Catholic orphanage. For whatever reason, then, the theme is handled with a kind of detachment that makes it odd, and not nearly as affecting as, say, some of the European films that really attack the issue of "passing" for Goy when the Nazi rampage was on (Louis Malle's "Au revoir les enfants" possibly the best). The Barrymore character never does quite accept of address his heritage.Now to be clear, the movie lacks a directorial touch to keep it alive and pertinent. It's a decent if uninspired effort, but the exceptions will make it worth a close look for some.
Reviewed by blanche-2 5 / 10

an abomination

I watched this to see John Drew Barrymore, whom I had never seen as an actor. The film also stars Steve McQueen, Lita Milan, and Robert Bray.The premise is somewhat iffy. An orphan, Frankie Kane, raised in a Catholic orphanage, is found to be Jewish, so he has to be sent somewhere else. Someone asked on IMDb if this was true about the Catholic church. I have no idea. It seems to me if they could make someone a Christian, they would.Okay, that aside, Frankie has Jewish friends, Martin Cabell (McQueen) and his sister Julie. Frankie protected Martin from some antiSemite teens, and Martin wants Frankie to teach him how to fight. Frankie also falls for Julie.With the threat of being sent away, Frankie leaves town. He has had some contact with a gangster, Silk Fennell (Bray) before leaving. When he returns to town a hopeless bum seven years later, Bray brings him into the business. Bray is also by then involved with Julie, and she's singing in a nightclub.Martin by now is a special prosecutor who is supposed to bring down the mob, and he wants Frankie to turn himself in. Problems ensue.I think Frankie could have run away for another reason besides being Jewish - and I don't understand making the Cabells Jewish. It just made no sense to have that part of the story.John Drew Barrymore, Drew's dad, John's son, was a good-looking man who reminded me of the actor Mark Goddard. He's pretty good in this. Unfortunately, he came to a bad end, and, thanks to him, his father came to a worse one.Barrymore Sr. Had wanted to be cremated but at that time, Catholics couldn't be cremated. That law changed in 1963. Long story short, John Drew and a relative dug up Barrymore's body - after 38 years - and the leakage of body fluids nearly killed both of them. The fluids had formed a glue and attached it to the floor of the crypt, making it difficult to move, and the fluids continued leaking. John insisted on looking inside before his father was cremated and was completely freaked out.Steve McQueen give an authoritative performance. R. G. Armstrong, a familiar face, is also in the film.Not good - but it was written by Harold Robbins, and had I known that, I would have skipped it.
Reviewed by BILLYBOY-10 5 / 10

Oy Vey

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