No Way to Treat a Lady (1968)

Nice effects though.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

ROD STEIGER has an actor's field day assuming many different disguises when he decides to play a cat-and-mouse game with detective GEORGE SEGAL who is hot on his trail to capture a serial killer. That about sums up the plot contrivances of NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, which has Steiger donning various make-up disguises so that he can gain entry into unsuspecting female's apartments and promptly strangle them.The dark humor is always on the surface of this comic showcase for actor Steiger, who dons each disguise with relish and gives a performance you're not likely to forget.EILEEN HECKART is his overbearing (ultra so) Jewish mother who has unwittingly driven her son to the brink of madness. She's so good at "overbearing" that she almost drives the audience mad too, but LEE REMICK is rather wasted in a colorless role as a dame who's been around the block a few times and likes to spout smart talk. It's not a well developed role and Remick can do little with it but look good in plenty of make-up and mascara.For pure titillation and subject matter, this is way ahead of its time, a comic thriller that is largely forgotten and deserves some attention, if only for Rod Steiger's tour de force role, all played in tongue-in-cheek manner.

This movie wound up being a vehicle for Rod Steiger to show off is acting talents, which were at their peak at this time. Now, he's a cartoon of himself with mostly overacted roles.In this story, Steiger does his Boston Strangler imitation pretending he is different people to gain entrance into their homes and strangle them. Unlike the real-life strangler, Steiger's character disguises himself as different people (and kills half as many as the real life killer in Boston). He's interesting to watch through the entire story.The other main characters weren't as fascinating. This was the beginning of the big change in Hollywood where morals went out the window. I was disappointed to hear Lee Remick announce how she was kicking out her live-in boyfriend of three years. Remick, someone I've always liked watching, was a major disappointment in this. She looked bad and her character was classless and trashy with stupid dialog. I had always seen Remick play classier roles, but then again the restrictions were now lifted. Eileen Heckert also was annoying as the overly-doting Jewish mother. Her act grew tiresome in a hurry, but fortunately, she exited soon anyway.George Segal, meanwhile, plays a good guy cop and is a lot more enjoyable to watch than the two ladies.In all, an interesting film that really started showing how Hollywood was going to be changing in content.

This has got Rod Stieger playing a psycho mom obsessed killer in the big city and George Segal plays the young cop who is taken off the case and then put back on by request of the killer. He thinks Segal understands him. In one good part the killer rings an apartment dressed as a cop and you only hear his voice because he has his back to the camera but the voice is George Segal's not Rod Stieger's. When the camera comes around to him it's Rod Stieger. It would have been more interesting if the killer could actually mimic Segal's voice and have him do it while he's talking to Segal. But it was only thrown in to add to the suspense. The movie is pretty good, well written, well acted, but dated. Which to me is not a bad thing I would give it a 7.5 only because the ending was too quick and neatly packaged.

With an excellent set of actors, this movie is neither a good mystery nor a funny comedy. Maybe it was considered better for its time, it now appears old and out-of-date. Dirty Harry does it better.Steiger does a good job of showing us the various disguises of a serial killer; and Remick is lovely, beautiful, charming - as usual. Segal plays the good Jewish boy living with his henpecking Jewish mother. Why doesn't this play right?Too bad. This is a loser. The story is so predictable. The good guys are "good", the police chief is a "bad hysteric", the Jewish mother is loud and irritating. What a waste of good acting. I guess I would blame it on the script. Don't take the time to watch it.