It was also the impetus for Streisand's first foray into disco singing the Golden Globe-nominated theme song written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts.

Perfume magnate Hillary Kramer (Streisand) loses her company and is financially ruined when her accountant embezzles from her and flees to South America.

She decides to force Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon (Ryan O'Neal), who is now a driving instructor, back into the ring to recover her losses.

Finding a passage referring to footwork, she says, “I think that means kick him.” Hillary schemes to make a fortune by staging "the match that never was" with Hector Mantilla.

Shockingly, she ends the match by throwing in the towel, runs into the ring, declares her love for the Kid and kisses him as the credits begin to roll.

Missell and partner Howard Rosenman set up a deal at MGM under Daniel Melnick and hired Gail Parent and Andrew Smith to write a script.

Melnick was replaced as head of production by Richard Shepherd who had the script rewritten by Bob Kaufman as a vehicle for Diana Ross and Burt Reynolds.

Roger Ebert gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and called it "a meet cute from beginning to end, forced smiles, smarmy dialog and all.

The pushy cosmetics executive, however, seems to be an extension of the role played in real-life by Miss Streisand, who coproduced the movie, stars in it and seems to have ordered every close-up and line-reading.

Every entrance, exit, composition and quip favors her, somewhat to the concealment of a suave and ingratiating performance by O'Neal, who really has become an amusing and debonair light comedy actor in a tradition not much honored in 'The Main Event.