It was no wonder that by the 70s, she basically became a TV actress. At least that medium offered her meatier and,yes, starring roles. For years, she seemed locked in a rivalry with Liz Montgomery for the title of Queen of the TV Movies. And by that point, that probably wasn't such a bad niche to find yourself in.

But in 1967, you could say that Remick was floundering a bit. NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY is one of those 60s films that tries very hard to be sophisticated but never quite pulls it off. The laughs are pretty paltry in this would-be black comedy. The Jewish mother jokes are there, the slightly naughty gay jokes are there, the Catholic jokes are there. They seem pretty dated and, well, almost quaint now.

But Rod Steiger DOES get a chance to chew the scenery with the best of them. He's the real reason to watch this movie, and his role as the homicidal ham-of-a-thousand-faces is one that rightly revels in. Steiger pulls more accents in this one flick than Meryl has managed in her entire career. It's over-the-top fun and makes you wish that Hollywood has treated him a little better too.

The film could have been better with just a little more edge. Sharper writing and directing would have made a huge difference. As a period piece, NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY is well worth watching. As a vehicle for Steiger, it pretty much works. But this is a movie that seems to think having a character named "Moe" Brummel is the height of sophistication. It's not.

In spite of the film being a thriller, we know from the beginning who the bad guy is. It's Rod Steiger, who gets to really stretch and ham it up as a theater manager/serial killer who murders each of his victims in some outlandish disguise to win their trust. George Segal is the cop who must crack the case and, at the same time, fend off his wonderfully annoying mother, Eileen Heckart (whose running gag line, "Who ever heard of a Jewish cop?" gets repeated over and over again throughout). Steiger's character is one of those vain killers who checks the newspaper for reports of his exploits and who takes to calling Segal when the facts are reported wrong or when he wants to taunt the authorities. Segal is rather bland, although it's not really his fault since the role doesn't give him much to do other than to react to the other characters, particularly his mother, Steiger, and Lee Remick, as his love interest and would-be victim of the murderer. Steiger goes way, way over the top, but it works because the film has set him up to be not only flamboyant, but overreactive to mother issues of his own. His various disguises get odder and odder as the film moves along, and when it shifts from comedy into resolution of the crime mode, his character becomes that much more menacing, not because he's funny but because we learn, as Segal puts the pieces together, that he is honestly and truly deranged.

Remick serves as the breath of fresh air, only because her character is the only one who isn't dealing with some sort of emotional crisis. The scene where she meets and charms Heckart is an overlooked comedic gem.

Rod Steiger must have simply loved making this film! He is picture-perfect as the multi-faced serial killer on the loose in New York City.

If you like Mr. Steiger, this is the movie for you.

George Segal is the detective - hot on the trail [Jewish mother Eileen Heckart in tow] with the cool, lovely Lee Remick as the love interest, and possible victim....

It's a dark, dark comedy about a serious subject - an unmarried Jewish detective! No, the murders intertwine the romance, and with this cast - who can possibly go wrong!

Great double-bill? This one with "Where's Poppa?"