The Sterile Cuckoo
The Sterile Cuckoo (released in the UK as Pookie) is a 1969 American comedy-drama film released by Paramount Pictures 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, and directed by Alan J. Pakula in his directing debut. The film received two Oscar nominations for the 42nd Academy Awards: Liza Minnelli for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and; Fred Karlin and Dory Previn's  song "Come Saturday Morning" 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 freshmen and their colleges are near each other. Jerry immediately sees that Pookie is different, even strange: She lies to a nun on the bus so the nun will switch seats with her. As Jerry is beginning to settle into college life with his roommate, Charlie Schumacher, the aggressive Pookie arrives unannounced one Saturday morning. Pookie and Jerry spend much time together over the weekend, and  soon begin to see each other regularly. Jerry falls in love with Pookie, but their different personalities start to pull them apart. After they have sex, Pookie tells Jerry she might be pregnant. When the pregnancy scare is over, Jerry wants to spend spring break alone to catch up on his studies. Pookie pleads to stay with him, and he relents. A week alone with the needy, somewhat unstable Pookie makes Jerry realize that they need time apart. Later he discovers that she has dropped out of school, and he finds her in the same boardinghouse where she had been  staying the first time she visited him. He puts her on a bus for home and the young lovers part ways. 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.