When I was 12, living in Mexico and going to an international school, the father of one of my classmates routinely proposed to women after knowing them only a few hours. He proposed to my mother the day they met (she was separated, not divorced, but I have a feeling that's not why she rejected him he proposed to another acquaintance a couple days later and she did accept).
He was an American, some sort of nuclear/space scientist, so my mom and I chalked up his odd behavior to work-related stress. He didn't propose to Mexican women, btw, it wasn't some cultural-alienation quirk.
So, odd as it may seem, it's not completely absurd. Or maybe Joseph Losey ran into this guy during his travels ???