Me, Natalie

Me, Natalie
Original poster
Directed by	Fred Coe
Screenplay by	A. Martin Zweiback
Story by	Stanley Shapiro
Produced by	Stanley Shapiro
Starring	Patty Duke James Farentino Salome Jens Elsa Lanchester Martin Balsam Nancy Marchand Philip Sterling
Cinematography	Arthur J. Ornitz
Edited by	John McSweeney Jr.
Music by	Henry Mancini
Production company	Cinema Center Films
Distributed by	National General Pictures
Release date	July 13, 1969 (1969-07-13)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.9 million (US/Canada rentals)[1]

Me, Natalie is a 1969 American

A year later, Natalie encounters Shirley, who has turned to drugs in her grief over Harold. Natalie sees that Shirley and Harold really did love each other, and that Shirley's physical attractiveness has not brought her happiness. Natalie's parents worry because she has been expelled from college, has not found a job, and has no boyfriends or marital prospects. They try to arrange dates for her, and her father attempts to bribe Morris, an unattractive aspiring optometrist, to marry her. After learning of the bribery scheme, an incensed Natalie moves out of her parents' apartment, planning to move in with Shirley in Manhattan.

Upon arriving at Shirley's bohemian apartment building in Greenwich Village, Natalie finds that Shirley has committed suicide. Natalie rents and fixes up Shirley's vacant apartment, and gets a cocktail waitress job at the "Topless Bottomless Club". Natalie is attracted to her downstairs neighbor, David Harris, an architect, who has left his job for three months to pursue his dream of becoming a painter. Having dismissed David as a "sex pervert" because he is usually painting beautiful nude female models, she is taken aback when David finds her face "interesting" and asks her to model for him. Their friendship gradually grows into a romance, with Natalie encouraging his painting aspirations and David building her self-confidence. However, just after Natalie sees her old friend, Betty, make an unhappy marriage due to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, Natalie discovers David is actually married to a wealthy, beautiful woman and has two young sons.

After a confrontation, David reassures Natalie that he really loves her and he will go back to his family home, end his marriage, and return to her. At first Natalie waits eagerly in his apartment for his return, but as time goes by she feels guilty about separating him from his family. Finally she writes David a farewell letter, saying she will always love him but expressing the wish to take responsibility for her own happiness, and leaves.

Cast

Production

Works by Nathan Wasserberger were used in the film as the paintings produced by the character David Harris.^[4]

Critical reception

In his review in The New York Times, Vincent Canby called the film "an artificial mess of wisecracks and sentimentality" and added, "Locales and a gummy musical score by Henry Mancini and Rod McKuen are among the things constantly impinging on Me, Natalie. Another is Coe's apparent indecision as to whether the movie is a character study or a gag comedy. Mostly it's just gags, delivered abrasively by Miss Duke, who is even less effective when registering pathos."^[5]

TV Guide considers the film "somewhat bland" but calls Duke "a wonder" and adds, "Handled by a lesser actress, the results might have seemed more stereotypical, but Duke is convincing."^[7]

Awards and nominations

• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Patty Duke, winner)^[2]
• Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show
  (nominee)
• Writers Guild of America Award
  for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen (nominee)

• List of American films of 1969

References