That Lucky Touch

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That Lucky Touch
That Lucky Touch.jpg
Directed by Christopher Miles
Written by Moss Hart
John Briley
Monja Danischewsky
Produced by Dimitri de Grunwald
Timothy Burrill
Starring Roger Moore
Susannah York
Lee J. Cobb
Cinematography Douglas Slocombe
Edited by Tom Priestley
Music by John Scott
Production
companies
De Grunwald Productions
Gloria Film
Distributed by Fox-Rank
Allied Artists (US)
Release date
  • 7 August 1975 (1975-08-07)
Running time
89 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
West Germany
LanguageEnglish
Budget£960,858 [1]

That Lucky Touch is a 1975 British-West German comedy film directed by Christopher Miles and starring Roger Moore, Susannah York and Shelley Winters. [2] [3]

Contents

The film was shot at Pinewood Studios, with location shooting around Brussels. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jack Maxsted. It was originally entitled Heaven Save Us from Our Friends. [4]

Plot

An international arms dealer, at a NATO meeting to sell weaponry, becomes entangled with a female journalist from the Washington Post whose world-view is very different from his.

Cast

Production

Roger Moore made the film after The Man with the Golden Gun. He wrote in his memoirs that it was "a very amusing story" and he was excited about the prospect of starring opposite Sophia Loren, who was to be the female lead. However Loren pulled out and Moore recommended Susannah York, who had just made Gold with Moore. [5]

The film was shot at Pinewood Studios and in Brussells. [6]

Critical response

In his 2015 publication of movie ratings, Leonard Maltin gave That Lucky Touch one and a half stars and described the film as a 'tepid romantic farce'. [7]

Moore wrote "I don’t think That Lucky Touch came off as a comedy. Looking at the finished film, I felt that the pacing wasn’t there. It had funny moments, but it wasn’t the success I’d hoped it might be." [8]

In 1985, Moore's biographer called it "a singularly dreadful picture... which is a very strong contender for being the worst film that Roger has ever made." [9]

References

  1. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 263.
  2. "That Lucky Touch (1975)". ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  3. "That-Lucky-Touch - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  4. Review 1—No Title The Guardian (1959–2003) [London (UK)] 5 February 1975: 10.
  5. Moore, Roger (2008). My word is my bond : a memoir. Collins. p. 194.
  6. Radford, Tim (2 August 1975). "Mountain excitement". The Guardian. p. 8.
  7. Leonard Maltin's movie guide 2015 edition
  8. Moore p 195-196
  9. Moseley, Roy (1985). Roger Moore, a biography. p. 186.