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    Successful, Sentimental And Satirized, 'Love Story' Celebrates 50th Anniversary

    The "unabashedly sentimental" romantic tearjerker was the highest grossing movie of 1970. Since then it's inspired countless ugly cries — and plenty of parodies, too.
    by Elizabeth Blair Dec 22, 2020 5 minutes
    Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw starred in <em>Love Story</em> — a romantic tearjerker that became the highest grossing movie of 1970. Since then, it has inspired countless ugly cries — and plenty of parodies, too.

    Fifty years ago, a simple but tragic love story became a global sensation that stunned the entertainment industry. Love Story, the romantic tearjerker starring Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw, broke box office records and the book it was based on was a bestseller that was translated into more than 30 languages.

    "What can you say about a 25-year-old girl who dies?" So begins the novel and screenplay, both written by Erich Segal.

    In December, 1970, in the midst of the Vietnam War and the continuing fight for Civil Rights — along came an "unabashedly sentimental" story "about the power of love," says Segal's daughter, writer Francesca Segal. It was "genuine and earnest and I think it just struck a chord," she says. The 50th anniversary edition of the novel includes an introduction by Francesca.

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