The Love Machine (1971)

A local New York City TV news anchor (John Phillip Law) weasels his way to the top of a major television network until he's running things, bedding beautiful women along the way. Based on the sleazy Jacqueline Susann potboiler, this lacks the gloss and entertainment value that was the film version of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, truly a trash masterpiece. This one is just plain tawdry, crammed with cliches, bad acting and even worse dialogue. One cringes for poor Jodi Wexler (this was her one and only movie) whose inadequacies as an actress are so horribly exposed that her casting borders on cruelty. Two actors manage to hold on to their dignity (such as it is) and actually give performances: Dyan Cannon as the wife of a network head (Robert Ryan) and Jackie Cooper as a crafty TV executive. As for the others, they've proven their ability in other movies so I'll leave it at that. Only once does the film rise to genuine "camp" in a hair pulling, dish throwing catfight between Cannon and two gay men (David Hemmings, Clinton Greyn) where an Oscar is used as a weapon. Directed (badly) by Jack Haley Jr. With Shecky Greene, Maureen Arthur, Gayle Hunnicutt, Edith Atwater, Alexandra Hay, Eve Bruce and Sharon Farrell (whose part was cut so severely that her character no longer makes any sense).