That Lucky Touch ** (1975, Roger Moore, Susannah York, Shelley Winters, Lee J Cobb, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Raf Vallone, Sydne Rome, Donald Sinden) – Classic Movie Review 8566

Director Christopher Miles’s modestly engaging, lightweight 1975 romantic comedy That Lucky Touch stars Roger Moore as European arms dealer Michael Scott, who is courted by liberated lefty journalist Julia Richardson (Susannah York), who wants a scoop about armaments on the forthcoming NATO war games.

The love story script is a fun-filled confection, if slim and straightforward, but the acting is attractive. Moore gives his usual cool, ironic performance, acting with practised polish, and York supports loyally in a rather ungrateful part. It also helps that there is a good support cast, particularly Lee J Cobb in one of his last films as a flustered general, Lieutenant General Henry Steedman, and Shelley Winters as his problematic wife, Diana Steedman.

John Briley’s original screenplay is based on Moss Hart’s idea.

It was filmed on location in Belgium and at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England.

Also in the cast are Jean-Pierre Cassel, Raf Vallone as General Peruzzi, Sydne Rome, Donald Sinden as British General Armstrong, Michael J Shannon, Aubrey Woods, Alfred Hoffman, Vincent Hall, Fabian Cevallos, Timothy Carlton, Takis Emmanuel, Michael Greene, Julie Dawn Cole, Merelina Kendall, Marianne Stone, Franco De Rosa, Leonard Kavanagh as party guest (uncredited), Soltan Lalani, Mercia Mansfield, Jamila Massey and Donna Todd.

That Lucky Touch is directed by Christopher Miles, runs 93 minutes, is made by De Grunwald Productions and Gloria-Film, is released by Rank and Allied Artists, is written by John Briley, is shot in Technicolor by Douglas Slocombe, is produced by Dimitri de Grunwald and Timothy Burrill, is scored by John Scott and is designed by Anthony Masters.

Moore and York also appeared together in Gold (1974).

It is Cobb’s final English language theatrical movie before his death from a heart attack on 11 February 1976, aged 64.

In the 1950s Cobb was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee on charges that he was or had been a Communist. Appearing before the committee in 1953, he named names of fellow former communists and leftists from his Group Theater days in New York in the 1930s and thus saved his career.

The part of Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman was written for Cobb by Arthur Miller, who said he was his favourite Willy Loman.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8566

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com