The Love Machine

The Love Machine

Year: 1971

Runtime: 108 mins

Language: English

Director: Jack Haley Jr.

Drama

The Waiting is Over…The Love Machine now on the Screen ! An ambitious TV newscaster has an affair with the wife of a network executive to get a promotion.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen The Love Machine yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – The Love Machine (1971)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Love Machine (1971). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960s

Set in the contemporary 1960s, the era of primetime expansion and sensationalized TV, the plot hinges on ratings wars and corporate maneuvering. The network's pursuit of audience share reflects the decade's shift toward bigger, flashier entertainment. Personal lives are often sacrificed on the altar of spectacle and success.

Location

New York City, Los Angeles

The narrative is anchored in New York City's bustling television scene, centering on the IBC network's newsroom and studios. It follows the power struggles of executives, producers, and on‑air talent as ratings drive decisions. A key social circle expands to Los Angeles, where a high‑profile party at Alfie Knight's home highlights the glamorous, cutthroat world behind the screen.

🗽 New York City 📺 Television industry 🏢 Corporate media

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:02

Main Characters – The Love Machine (1971)

Meet the key characters of The Love Machine (1971), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Robin Stone (John Phillip Law)

A handsome, ambitious newsman who aims to take his newscast to prime-time. He navigates a web of professional power, romantic entanglements, and escalating temptations, facing reputational risk as scandal erupts around his choices.

🎯 Ambition 🗞️ Newsroom 💔 Romance

Judith Austin (Dyan Cannon)

Greg's wife and a power broker within the network who engineers Robin's rise while pursuing her husband’s interests. Her actions reveal a readiness to shape outcomes through manipulation and high-stakes decisions.

🧩 Manipulation 👔 Power 💋 Affairs

Gregory 'Greg' Austin (Robert Ryan)

Head of the IBC network, focused on ratings and control. His heart attack mid‑story shifts the balance of power, and his drive to maintain influence frames the institutional stakes behind the drama.

🏢 Power 📈 Ratings 👔 Authority

Christie Lane (Shecky Greene)

A second‑rate comedian installed to prove the audience prefers cheap entertainment over cerebral programming. His on‑screen success masks the opportunistic nature of the network's programming decisions.

🎤 Showbiz 🎬 Entertainment 💰 Ratings

Amanda (Jodi Wexler)

A fashion model and Robin's on‑air girlfriend, whose loyalty and desires are tested by his infidelity and the party scene. Her life becomes a casualty of the network's cutthroat dynamics.

👗 Fashion 💔 Relationships 💡 Vulnerability

Jerry Nelson (David Hemmings)

Robin's close, but morally flexible friend who arranges an alibi after a drunken misstep. His involvement reflects the era's social dynamics and the reliance on personal favors within the industry.

🤝 Friendship 🕵️ Secrets 🗣️ Gossip

Alfie Knight (Clinton Greyn)

An actor whose home becomes the backdrop for a pivotal party. He becomes part of the social web surrounding Robin, Judith, and the network's power plays.

🎭 Party 🏠 Social Scene 🕴️ Celebrity

Maggie Stewart (Sharon Farrell)

An aspiring actress encountered at the party, representing the next generation drawn into the network's glamorous but perilous orbit.

🌟 Aspiration 🎬 Fame 📈 Ambition

Danton Miller (Jackie Cooper)

Head of programming who battles the cerebral programming push while navigating the network’s crass strategy to win ratings and control.

🗂️ Strategy 📺 TV 🧭 Navigation

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:02

Major Themes – The Love Machine (1971)

Explore the central themes of The Love Machine (1971), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

📺 Media Power

The story centers on how networks manipulate programming to chase ratings, often valuing sensationalism over cerebral content. Robin's push to move his news to prime-time and Greg's preference for crass entertainment reveal the commercial calculus driving decisions. The tension between creative intent and corporate profit drives the drama, risking reputations when ethics are bent for the numbers.

💔 Scandal & Morality

Relationships crumble under the weight of ambition and public scrutiny. Robin's affair with Judith, Amanda's heartbreak and subsequent suicide, and the web of alibis expose a culture where private lives become tools for ratings. The film portrays moral compromise as a byproduct of fame, with consequences that echo through careers and lives.

🎭 Celebrity & Image

Public personas are manufactured and amplified to entertain, often at the expense of authenticity. The party circuit, the engineered romance, and the spotlight on Christie Lane illustrate how celebrity culture thrives on spectacle. As reputations fray and alliances shift, the boundary between performance and reality becomes dangerously blurred.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:02

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Unlock the Full Story of The Love Machine

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Love Machine in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Love Machine is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Love Machine Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Love Machine, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Love Machine Summary

The Love Machine Timeline

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The Love Machine Timeline

More About The Love Machine

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More About The Love Machine

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