The Affair

The Affair is a 1973 American TV movie directed by Gilbert Cates and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Bruce Davison and Jamie Smith-Jackson. The film starred Natalie Wood in her first appearance since Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. Her co-star was Robert Wagner, her first husband whom she recently remarried. Plot Courtney Patterson is a beautiful 32 year old songwriter who is physically disabled due to polio. Her condition has made her emotionally guarded, but when she meets Marcus Simon, a handsome older attorney, she cautiously moves towards romance. Although Courtney remains wary of intimacy, Marcus slowly wins her over. Unfortunately, her family is not supportive of their relationship, providing yet another obstacle that the couple must overcome. Marcus Simon (Wagner) meets Courtney when he is briefly employed by the family to handle a legal matter for them. Both of them are timid about approaching romance - Courtney because of her medical condition; Marcus because his wife recently left him for another man and took their two sons with her. A family dinner establishes that there is some tension between Courtney's wealthy parents (Kent Smith, Frances Reid) and their two children. Courtney's younger brother (Davison) is an aspiring artist who disdains the family fortune and lives simply with his girlfriend Jennifer (Jackson).