The theme song fromLove Storyis one of cinema’s most iconic scores.
Thelush central ballad, which helped composer Francis Lai win an Oscar, is instantly recognizable.
And no matter where he goes in the world, starRyan O’Nealis greeted with it.
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But it could’ve been a lot worse for O’Neal.
The lyrics refer to the tragic fate of the other half of the titularLove Story,Ali MacGraw’sJenny.
The team behindLove Storythought so too.
“I remember [head of Paramount] Bob Evans pulled the phone out of the wall.
He was so angry,” O’Neal recalls.
So, they hunted him down.
He was in Paris [and] he spoke no English.
They said, ‘Do what you did inLove Is a Funny Thing, only slow it down.’
It won the Academy Award."
Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in December,Love Storyis getting a full restoration ona new Paramount Blu-raydropping Tuesday.
O’Neal’s star will also be next to the already existing star of his longtime love,Farrah Fawcett.
Did you perceive that it had that potential at the time?
RYAN O’NEAL:I tested with 12 other guys.
All good-looking, good actors.
But in the test scene where we kiss, [Ali] kissed me very deeply.
She kissed me with love in her heart.
I felt that in the test.
But then, nothing happened.
They didn’t hire me; they didn’t hire anybody.
They were still looking.
So I had a friend at Paramount and I said, “Did you see the test?”
He said, “Yeah.”
I said, “Did you see how she kissed me?”
He said, “Yeah but she kissed everybody like that.”
And that was my introduction to Hollywood.
What was it like working with Ali?
Did your chemistry come naturally?
Oh yeah, I adored her.
I didn’t want the film to end.
Of course, it ends in the hospital.
And then I didn’t see her again for a year.
I still held on to my feeling for her, even though I still had a wife.
Oh, it was so complex really.
I’d never been on the stage before.
She saved her best part for last.
I read that you learned to ice skate and play hockey for the movie.
[Laughs] There’s not much to tell.
[They would] push me around the ice, and I gradually started to get the idea.
But I wasn’t close to a hockey player until I got to New York.
Then, I went to La Petite Rink, which was around the corner from the Plaza Hotel.
I had a wonderful double, and he saved the day.
I was about halfway there when we had to shoot.
I needed more time.
Ali had to take harpsichord lessons every day.
So I’d go off to La Petite Rink, and she would go off to her harpsichord rehearsal.
When they looked at the movie, there wasn’t enough there.
And I said, “What’s an angel?”
Ali said, “You don’t know?”
So, she lay down on the ground and waved her arms.
And I said, “Ah, there’s an angel.”
I remember she did something wonderful during that scene.
I had snow all over my face ,and she licked it off.
This is in a day where there was no licking, separate beds.
So, I thought that was terrific.
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry” has become such an iconic line.
I even said that inWhat’sUp Doc?I mocked it.
I didn’t hurt it.
But I mocked it.
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” I say inWhat’s Up Doc?
When you first heard the line, did you think itwasthe stupidest thing you’d ever heard?
I couldn’t figure it out, and I stopped asking.
TheTown and Countryarticlethat we did, Ali talks about how it could be used effectively.
I see what she’s talking about, when love is so deep and the pain is so forceful.
Has your attitude toward the line changed at all?
I don’t think about it.
But I’ll tell you something interesting.
I haven’t even gotten to my table yet.
There’s no escaping it.
The film is pretty simple.
Why do you think it has endured for 50 years?
I can’t tell you that.
It’s the easiest work I ever had.
So easy to work with [Ali] and to become emotional.
She’s got a quirk about her that’s so interesting.
She’s not just a face or a body; she’s something.
What does it mean to you to receive your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside her?
With Ali and Farrah, they put us all together.
These are the greatest women in the world.
And I’m right next to them.
It’s an honor.
