The Stepmother (1972 film)

The Stepmother
Directed by	Howard L. Avedis
Screenplay by	Howard L. Avedis
Produced by	Howard L. Avedis
Starring	Alejandro Rey John Anderson Katherine Justice Larry Linville Marlene Schmidt
Cinematography	Jack Beckett
Edited by	Ralph J. Hall Tony De Zarraga
Music by	Audrey Granville
Production company	Crown International Pictures
Release date	March 1972 (1972-03)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Stepmother is a 1972 comedy-drama film ^[1] directed and produced by Howard L. Avedis and released theatrically in the U.S. by Crown International Pictures. It stars Alejandro Rey as an architect who murders a client he suspects is having an affair with his wife. ^[2]

Plot

Margo Delgado (Katherine Justice) seduces her stepson, Steve Delgado (Rudy Herrera Jr.), while murder and other complications arise. ^[3]

Cast

• Alejandro Rey as Frank Delgado ^[4]
• John Anderson as Inspector Darnezi ^[4]
• Katherine Justice as Margo Delgado ^[4]
• David Garfield as Goof (John D. Garfield) ^[4]
• Larry Linville as Dick Hill ^[4]
• Marlene Schmidt as Sonya Hill ^[4]
• David Renard as Pedro Lopez ^[4]
• Claudia Jennings as Rita ^[4]
• Rudy Herrera Jr. as Steve Delgado ^[4]
• Priscilla Garcia as Maria ^[4]

Production

Crown International Pictures changed the name of the film from Impulsion to The Stepmother. ^[5]

Music

Sheet music and lyrics for Strange Are the Ways of Love by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. ^[4]

Critical response

Reception

Leonard Maltin, writing in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide , gave the film one-and-a-half-stars, commenting that, "Rey is okay as anti-hero of this cheapie murder-suspenser in the Hitchcock mold." ^[6] Timothy Shary wrote in Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth that teen culture of the 1970s indulged on underage sex with taboo tales. ^[7] Noel Murray of The A.V. Club wrote, "The Stepmother turns into a middle-aged beach-party movie for a while". ^[8]

Awards

Composer Sammy Fain and lyricist Paul Francis Webster were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Strange Are the Ways of Love at the 47th Academy Awards. ^{[2] [9]}

See also

• List of American films of 1972

References

1. Laycock, John (January 31, 1974). "Film theatre program snares features". Windsor Star . Postmedia Network. p. 56. ISSN   0839-2277 . Retrieved August 28, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "The Stepmother (1972)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved January 13, 2018.
3. Waldman & Turim 2023, p. 61. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWaldmanTurim2023 (help)
4. Young 2000, p. 828.
5. Fisher & Walker 2016, p. 117. sfn error: no target: CITEREFFisherWalker2016 (help)
6. Maltin 2008, p. 1317.
7. Shary 2023, p. 973.
8. Murray, Noel (June 21, 2010). "The Stepmother (1972)". The A.V. Club . Paste Media Group. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
9. "The 47th Academy Awards – 1975". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. April 8, 1975. Retrieved September 1, 2025.

Sources

• Maltin, Leonard (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. New York City: Plume. ISBN   978-0452289789.
• Shary, Timothy (2023). Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth (eBook). New York City: Columbia University Press. p. 973. ISBN   978-0231556361.
• Diane Waldman; Maureen Turim, eds. (2023). Desire and Consent in Representations of Adolescent Sexuality with Adults (eBook). Milton Park: Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1000960709.
• Austin Fisher; Johnny Walker, eds. (2016). Grindhouse: Cultural Exchange on 42nd Street, and Beyond (eBook). London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1628927467.
• Young, R. G. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film: Ali Baba to the Zombies (Paperback). Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN   978-1557832696.

External links

• The Stepmother at IMDb