The Sterile Cuckoo

The Sterile Cuckoo (released in the UK as Pookie) is a 1969 American comedy-drama film by producer-director Alan J. Pakula that tells the story of an eccentric young couple whose relationship deepens despite their differences and inadequacies. It stars Liza Minnelli, Wendell Burton, and Tim McIntire.
The film was adapted by Alvin Sargent from the |1965 novel by John Nichols, directed by Pakula in his directing debut, and was released by Paramount Pictures.
The film received two Oscar nominations for the 42nd Academy Awards: Liza Minnelli for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Fred Karlin & Dory Previn's song "Come Saturday Morning" (performed by the Sandpipers) for Best Original Song.
==Plot==
Mary Ann ("Pookie") Adams is a quirky oddball who meets quiet, reserved Jerry Payne while waiting for a bus heading to their colleges; both are first-year students and their colleges are near each other. Jerry notices that Pookie is different, unpredictable: she even lies to a nun on the bus so she can sit closer to him.
As Jerry settles into college life, the aggressive Pookie arrives unannounced one Saturday morning. The two spend time together over the weekend, and soon see each other regularly. Jerry falls for Pookie, but their different personalities keep them apart. They agree to have sex, but Pookie later tells Jerry she might be pregnant. When the pregnancy scare is over, Jerry decides to spend spring break alone to catch up on studies. But Pookie pleads with him to stay until he relents.
A week alone with the needy, somewhat unstable Pookie makes Jerry realize they need time apart. Later he discovers she has dropped out of school. In time, he finds her in the same boarding house she had rented the first time she visited him. He puts her on a bus for home and, for now, the young lovers part their ways.
==Cast==
* Liza Minnelli as Mary Ann "Pookie" Adams
* Wendell Burton as Jerry Payne
* Tim McIntire as Charlie Schumacher
==Production==
Much of The Sterile Cuckoo was filmed at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Some of it was filmed in Sylvan Beach, New York, including the Sylvan Beach Union Chapel. Some scenes, including the later bus-stop scenes, were filmed at the central park in Vernon Center, New York. The first bus-stop scene was filmed in front of the Ontario State Bank Block at 300 South Euclid Avenue in Ontario, California.
==Reception==
The film was well-received by critics. It grossed $14 million in the United States and Canada, making it the 13th highest-grossing film of 1969.
==Awards and nominations==
Award 	Category 	Nominee(s) 	Result
Academy Awards 	Best Actress 	Liza Minnelli 	
Academy Awards 	Best Song – Original for the Picture 	"Come Saturday Morning" Music by Fred Karlin Lyrics by Dory Previn	
British Academy Film Awards 	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles 	Liza Minnelli 	
David di Donatello Awards 	Best Foreign Actress 	Liza Minnelli 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama 	Liza Minnelli 	
Grammy Awards 	Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special	Fred Karlin 	
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards 	Best Actress 	Liza Minnelli 	
Mar del Plata International Film Festival	Best Film 	Alan J. Pakula 	
Mar del Plata International Film Festival	Best Actress 	Liza Minnelli 	
National Society of Film Critics Awards 	Best Screenplay 	Alvin Sargent 	
==See also==
* List of American films of 1969
==References==
==External links==
* 
* Filming of The Sterile Cuckoo at Hamilton College
Category:1969 films
Category:1960s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
Category:1960s teen comedy-drama films
Category:American coming-of-age comedy-drama films
Category:American teen comedy-drama films
Category:1960s English-language films
Category:Films based on American novels
Category:Films directed by Alan J. Pakula
Category:Films scored by Fred Karlin
Category:Films set in New York (state)
Category:Films shot in New York (state)
Category:Films set in universities and colleges
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Films with screenplays by Alvin Sargent
Category:1969 directorial debut films
Category:1969 comedy films
Category:1969 drama films
Category:1960s American films