Muss 'em Up

Just one of those detective movies shown during the day on TCM to pass the time, right? But Preston Foster gives such a madcap performance and creates such a unique character that they should have built a franchise around this guy, Tippecanoe "Tip" O'Neal. He's a freelancing cop, actually a Dirty Harry-type ahead of his time. Would prefer to use a garden hose to get info out of hoods.

When a dog is killed, Tip is called in by a rich guy to quietly solve the murder in this gun-obsessed house where everyone takes target practice by shooting floating plastic balls off of streams of water on which they are balanced (you have to see it to understand). When Tip attempts this, he accidentally shoots a moose head.

One of the great gags involves incredible word play. When a valet comes out to see if he can be any assistance to Tip, Tip blows him off by speaking some line of dialogue so fast it can't be understood no matter how many times one rewinds the tape. The valet can't understand it either and says, "What?" Tip replies, "Never mind, I'll do it myself," and happily drives off leaving the valet muttering under his breath.

The whole cast is great, including Ward Bond in a small role. The ending is a bit convoluted, but it doesn't detract from the fun.