text: Peter Bart, an executive at Paramount when the film was made, said "Love Story had become a sort of cinematic aphrodisiac. A kid would take his date to the film, they would cry together, commiserate about the tragedy, then they would go to bed, as though to celebrate their survival. Hence each night the lines seemed to grow longer as the boys kept pressing their luck."
  Accolades
  American Film Institute
  Television
  The film was first broadcast on ABC television on October 1, 1972, and became the most-watched film on television surpassing Ben-Hur (1959) with 27 million homes watching, with a score of 42.3 by Nielsen ratings and an audience share of 62%. The rating was equalled the following year by Airport (1970) and then surpassed in 1976 by Gone with the Wind (1939).
  Harvard College screenings
  The Crimson Key Society, a student association, has sponsored screenings of Love Story during orientation to each incoming class of Harvard College freshmen since the late 1970s. During the showings, society members and other audience members mock, boo, and jeer "maudlin, old-fashioned and just plain schlocky" moments to humorously build school spirit.
  Soundtrack
  The soundtrack from the film was released separately as an album, and distributed by Quality Records.
  Charts
  Weekly charts
  Year-end charts
  Theme with lyrics
  The theme song with lyrics, "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story", was not in the movie, but was released shortly after.