Inger's Friend Robert Redford

Inger and Robert Redford in The Last of the Big Spenders

Inger Stevens considered Robert Redford (1936-2025) a true friend among the Hollywood crowd she encountered. Like Inger, Bob spent considerable time in New York City in the late 1950s and that's where they first became acquainted. He'd studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1957 to 1959. They both were dedicated to the craft of acting, turned off by Hollywood phoniness, and drawn to the Broadway stage. Additionally, they were both artists, Bob having studied art at Pratt Institute prior to attending the Academy.

Following his graduation in 1959, Bob auditioned with the Actor's Studio but ultimately found it to be "contrived". He signed with MCA talent agency in 1959, the same year that Inger also signed with MCA to represent her in both her theater and film work.

In addition to his Broadway career, Bob performed in many television shows before becoming a major film star. Although not featured in the same episodes, Inger and Robert made the rounds in the same classic shows: Playhouse 90, Moment of Fear, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, Alcoa Premiere, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. 

Fortunately, in 1963, the two friends were able to costar in the same television production. The Last of the Big Spenders was an episode of The Dick Powell Theatre that starred Dana Andrews, Robert Redford, and Inger Stevens. In the teleplay, Dana Andrews plays Paul Oakland, an ailing writer who receives a visit from his estranged son Nick (Robert Redford). Nick has a difficult time understanding his father or his father's relationship with the younger woman Adele Hughes (Inger Stevens). A reviewer for The Sentinel wrote, "If you're in the mood for a literate play with interesting characters and absorbing dialogue, this one easily fills the bill. It's almost all talk, but in the capable hands of Dana Andrews, Robert Redford, Inger Stevens, and Herschel Bernardi, it has the quality of a live TV play." 

Here is a clip from the show that I've shared on the Inger Stevens Blog Youtube channel: 

Inger, Robert, and Dana in a LOTBS scene

You can watch the full episode (colorized) through an external Youtube channel:

Colorized LOTBS 

Several years later, Robert Redford was headed for film stardom and shooting interior scenes for Barefoot in the Park. Inger thought it would be funny to surprise him with a gag gift so she imprinted her footprints in a large cement square and decorated the square with palm trees. Inger's secretary Chris delivered the gift to Robert, who cracked up at the sight of it and Inger's ability to poke fun of revered Hollywood traditions.

Chris told biographer William Patterson that Inger was very impressed with Bob's faithfulness to his wife and that, on one occasion, Bob had driven Inger all the way to Palm Springs for dinner, but didn't make a pass. The two had a nice dinner, enjoyed good conversation, then he drove her home. Inger confided in Chris that she and Redford had never been lovers and that she looked up to him as if he were a trusted brother.

Sources:

Callan, M. F. Robert Redford: The Biography. 2014.

"The Last of the Big Spenders." The Sentinel. April 16, 1963. 

Patterson, William. Farmer's Daughter Remembered. 2000.