3/5 Decent movie but not a very good adaptation of the novel
  by NoWireHangers (Sweden)
Never Love a Stranger was produced by Harold Robbins and based on his debut novel (see Never Love a Stranger). I recently read and enjoyed the novel. Set in the 1920s-1940s, it follows the life of Francis Kane, an orphan who grows up in an orphanage and becomes a head of the organized illegal gambling in New York. The movie is 90 minutes long and adapting a 380 page novel into a 90 minute movie is no easy task and much of the story needs to be trimmed down, but in this case they did far too much. Important parts of the story, including the one where Kane is adopted by his aunt and uncle only to have to leave them again, are missing in the movie, and almost none of the character development is left. The screen story seems unoriginal and a bit clichéd, although the ending may come as a surprise.

As for the movie's qualities, the black and white photography is good and the actors do a great job. Seeing John Drew Barrymore's lead performance makes me wonder why he never became a bigger star. Steve McQueen is good as Francis childhood friend who later gets the job of trying to put him behind bars. Other good performances are those by Robert Bray and Salem Ludwig, and the female lead, Lita Milan, whom I didn't know of before.

To sum up the review, "Never Love a Stranger" is a bit of a disappointment as an adaptation of the novel. As a standalone work, it's not a bad movie, but also not a very good one. Recommended for fans of the actors or fans of gangster melodramas.

3/5 Crime drama features early McQueen supporting role
  by Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth)
Based on a multi-million copy Harold Robbins best seller, NEVER LOVE A STRANGER is the story of a good kid gone bad.

Frankie Kane (Barrymore) is raised in a Catholic orphanage until his Hebrew ancestry is discovered. Teenaged Frankie runs away rather than transferring to a Jewish home-- thus begins his life of crime. Despite an initial refusal to accept his heritage, Kane becomes good friends with Jewish law student Martin Cabell (McQueen) and even closer to Martin's sister, Julie (Milan). This picture's weak script and production negate what was potentially a significant study of the effects of religious bias on nascent criminality.

Music score for "...Stranger" is by Raymond Scott. His pioneering late-1930s sides of "Powerhouse," "The Toy Trumpet" and "The Penguin" may be heard on the "best of" CD, THE MUSIC OF RAYMOND SCOTT: RECKLESS NIGHTS & TURKISH TWILIGHTS.


Also recommended:
Steve McQueen is outstanding in the 1956 true crime film, THE GREAT ST. LOUIS BANK ROBBERY.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(5.2) Never Love a Stranger (1958) - John Drew Barrymore/Lita Milan/Robert Bray/Steve McQueen/Salem Ludwig/R.G. Armstrong/Douglas Rodgers/Milo O'Shea (narrator)