User reviews

Over-the-hill gumshoe in modern day Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another older detective who had gotten himself involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are amazingly well-matched playing the convincingly mismatched pair of sleuths who unravel the tangled mystery, and Bill Macy is equally fine as a congenial, low-life bartender-cum-talent agent. The plot of this serio-comic paean to the age of Raymond Chandler is perhaps too convoluted to follow in-depth, but that's rather easy to overlook considering it is the least important part of the picture. The begrudging, barb-filled relationship between Carney and Tomlin carries the show, and the friendship that slowly grows between them is thrilling for fans of this type of cinema. All three of the acting principals richly deserved--but did not get--Oscar nominations for their work, though the film did pick up one nomination, for Robert Benton's original screenplay. It's a chatty film, yet one which is charmingly askew and lingers in the memory like warm nostalgia. ***1/2 from ****

I really like this sweet semi-comic homage to the great detective films. Art Carney is simply wonderful as a gumshoe now in his 60s, gaining weight and losing foot-speed, but with wits as sharp as ever, and wisdom gained by time. This is what one of Bogie's great detective characters probably would be like 30 years later.

He's drawn into an absurdly complex crime situation, when a slightly wacko aging hippie wanna-be actress (played by Lily Tomlin) hires him to help find her lost cat. '

Some of the humor is a bit broad for the more serious themes underneath, and as much as I always love Tomlin, there were times she seemed to be flirting with caricature.

But the almost-romantic chemistry between this supremely miss-matched pair is terrific and fun to watch. It doesn't add up to anything huge, but it's intelligent, fun well-executed entertainment for grown ups – something that's far too rare in the current cinema.

The Late Show is one of the most underrated films of all time. It's somewhat convoluted detective plot has raised comparisons to Chinatown, which is both unfair and unfortunate. This is a film that stands out on its own.

The acting is generally very good, and the performances by the leads are particularly strong. Dialogue which might have seemed forced or corny with less assured actors is believable and often funny here. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are fun to watch as a bickering detective duo brought together as much by mutual loneliness as by anything the plot throws at them. Both are able to keep their characters interesting without overdoing it. It would have been especially easy for Ms. Tomlin to go over the top with her depiction of the rather flighty Margo, but she manages to balance her character's peculiarities and make it look effortless.

Robert Benton received an academy award nomination for his screenplay, but he really deserved more recognition for directing a film in which he gets the mood just right, and trusts his cast to do their jobs well. This was no mean feat for a work that needs to be film noir with some comic timing.

I saw this film when it first came out nearly 30 years ago, and then watched it again recently. At a time when so many films rely on computer generated images, and plots that seem dreamed up by marketing departments, it was refreshing to rediscover a film that relies on strong direction, and outstanding acting.

Here's a wonderful, offbeat little film directed by Robert Benton, who directed Kramer vs. Kramer, and Nobody's Fool. He also wrote the screenplay, which received an Oscar nomination, so I guess it wasn't ignored entirely when it came out. Critics often dismiss The Late Show with a tart "Well, it's no Chinatown" (which came out three years earlier). That's too bad because it's a sly, engaging, funny detective thriller in its own right that manages to rise above the constraints of the genre and reach some memorable emotional heights along the way.

Art Carney plays Ira Welles, an over-the-hill private eye with a hearing aid, a bad leg, and a bleeding ulcer. It's almost as if Benton said: "hey, what would happen if Phillip Marlowe were still alive and kicking and living in the seedy part of Los Angeles in the mid-'70s?" Making the hero a senior citizen makes even more sense in the noir context than having him be the usual tough guy in the peak of health.

Things start off with a bang, or at least a whimper, when his partner Harry shows up with a bullet hole in his stomach (a la Maltese Falcon). Ira shows us what he's all about right away when tells his soon to be dead colleague: "Sorry you're going off, pal. You've been real good company." Ira is a throwback who spends serious amounts of time at the racetrack, lives in a boarding house, gets everywhere by bus (in LA?), calls women "Dolly," and values notions of honor and loyalty to one's partner above all else.

This world runs smack against the more permissive, loopy, go with-the-flow attitudes of the late-Sixties, early-Seventies, in the guise of Margo (Lily Tomlin). Margo is a laconic blatherskite who burns incense, lives in a room full of batik and macramé, and listens to meditation tapes. She goes to Ira for help when her cat Winston is kidnapped by a disgruntled fence whom she neglected to pay. Ira refuses to get involved with such nonsense until he realizes the catnapper also had something to with the death of his partner.

This kicks off an appropriately convoluted noir plot of epic complexity that involves murderous fences, infidelity, blackmail, and a steadily mounting body count. But the plot takes a backseat to the subtly changing, often touching relationship between the two lead characters. These two seemingly polar opposites actually have a lot in common.

They are both misfits who have constructed elaborate lies that they inhabit. Ira tells Margo that he's always been a loner, yet he spends his evenings playing canasta with his landlady, risks his life to find his partner's killer, and finds himself slowly warming up to Margo despite her air of flaky desperation. Margo flits from one identity to the next. One minute she's an actress, the next a dress designer, and the next a talent agent. In reality, she's mule for a two-bit fence and has to deal grass on the side to make ends meet. "I only do it to get my shrink paid," she tells a disapproving Ira.

Art Carney and Lily Tomlin play the push-me-pull-you dynamic between the two for all they're worth. Carney has a terrific moment when he collapses in pain due to ulcer pain and tells Margo not to take him to the hospital. In Tomlin's hands, Margo is one of the great screen neurotics, yet she's much savvier and sharper than she seems at first, and is able to finally rise to face the challenge of some pretty hairy situations. The Late Show is a real gem from the last truly great decade of American movies.

Art Carney is an over-the-hill PI, and Lily Tomlin is the lady who wants to hire him to find her missing cat. As the movie progresses, it turns into a loving bit of nostalgia for all those old movie detective series, with tasteless modern LA intruding into its dream.

Robert Altman produced, but he insisted that writer Robert Benton direct from his own script, and the old-line talent behind the camera makes this a general love note, with Charles ROsher Jr. Helming the camera and Monty Westmore doing the make-up. There's no chemistry between Carney and Tomlin. Carney, in fact, seems to be intent on his character being thoroughly grumpy throughout, as if these characters are not taking what he does seriously. Still, it's a pleasure to atch all the old pros in operation.

In The Late Show Art Carney may have created the most broken down action hero ever on the big screen. In fact his role here is in keeping with the Oscar he won playing irascible old codgers in Harry And Tonto and whom he would continue to play for the rest of his big screen career. The man truly reinvented himself after being so identified as Ed Norton of sewer repair on The Honeymooners.

Probably at the height of the noir era in film post World War II Carney could have done private eye roles like Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd. But now he's retired from the business has a bad leg, wears a hearing aid and rents a room from an indulgent landlady Ruth Nelson.

Until his old partner still in the game comes to him with a fatal bullet in his chest. An inside joke if you will because the partner is played by Howard Duff who was Sam Spade for years on radio. And at Duff's funeral he meets quirky former actress Lily Tomlin who was Duff's last client. She hired Duff to find her missing cat.

The cat however is key and before the film ends several of the cast wind up dead. It's a well assembled ensemble who support Carney and Tomlin. Joanna Cassidy as the femme fatale, Eugene Roche as a fence, Bill Macy as a bartender/tipster who tries to play both ends, and John Considine are all at the top of their game.

But Carney is a wonder, he's got great chemistry with Tomlin and he's got great moves as well. Wish I had some of them.

The saddest thing about Robert Benton's "The Late Show" is that it has gotten lost in the shuffle when discussing the great movies of the nineteen seventies. This is a terrific piece of film noir that is paying homage to the great detective mysteries of the forties. Benton's sharp screenplay is sensational in creating colorful, likable, and original characters. Benton beautifully connects all the points of the complex plot by the end, leaving the viewer completely satisfied.

The all around acting in the film is terrific, with Lily Tomlin supplying comedic support to Art Carney's lead detective Ira Wells. The film however belongs to the late, great Art Carney. Carney gives quite simply an amazing tour de force performance as the aging Ira Wells. He is a sad and lonely character who is socially awkward yet surprisingly tough. He is a great underdog character, who with Carney in the lead role, the viewer cannot help but to root for. After showing his dramatic range and winning an Oscar for Best Actor for 1974's "Harry and Tonto" (a personal favorite of mine), Art was offered some terrific roles and gave some great performances. In many ways Carney's performance in "The Late Show" is better then his performances in his other two great films of the seventies, "Harry and Tonto" and "Going In Style". It is a treat and pleasure to watch him in "The Late Show" because it shows a legendary and extroadinarily talented actor in full force.

Thankfully Warner Brothers has released "The Late Show" on DVD (now if only Fox could release "Harry and Tonto" on DVD). For years it was very difficult to get on VHS. While the film may look a little dated, it hooks the viewer with its story and acting that you will be glad that you took a trip back to 1977.

Wonderfully melancholy and entertaining take on the noir style, with a spot-on odd couple casting of Art Carney as an aging gumshoe and Lily Tomlin as a ditsy New Age dame, both looking for something and someone to give their empty lives real meaning. The plot is appropriately convoluted, as befits a Chandleresque mystery story, but as with most noirs a tight plot is not really what matters. Forget about who killed who and what for. It's all about the characters, and they're all memorable and played pitch- perfect. This movie could have gone badly wrong in so many ways, but director Benton knew what he was aiming for: a both funny and touching portrait of two lonely people, who even welcome murder and violence if it can get them out of the stifling rut their lives have become. Blending genres can be tricky, but here the suspense and comedy are equally balanced. Carney is effortlessly convincing as a man who would rather be gunned down than waste away in a hospital bed; it's almost as if he hopes to die on the job. Tomlin's character is gratingly annoying at times, but then she's supposed to be, otherwise she would have been merely cute and kooky. The supporting cast is equally excellent, all hitting the right notes. Those looking for belly laughs or nail-biting suspense will find this too mild for their tastes. Anyone interested in a movie that is both touching, exciting and entertaining should seek out this little gem.

**SPOILERS** Nostalgic 1977 movie that's more like a 1940's film-noir crime suspense/drama with an over the hill private eye Ira Wells, Art Carney, teaming up with a middle-age hippie Margo Sperling, Lily Tomlin, to solve the murder of Ira's long-time friend of over 30 years, and also private detective, Harry Regan, Howard Duff.

Harry coming to see Ira at his rooming house one evening collapses and dies right in front of him from a 45 slug in his chest. At Harry's funeral Ira gets to see his friend Charlie, Bill Macy, who has this young woman Margo Sperling with him and want's Ira to find her missing cat Winston. Having no patience to go looking for cats at his age Ira changes his mind when he finds out that Harry was on the case, in finding Winston, at the time of his murder and feels that Harry trying to find Margo's cat may have had something to do with his untimely death. Ira was right dead right.

The serious Ira teaming up with spaced-out, on ideas about life not drugs, Margo realizes that Harry's murder was but a small part of a series of crimes, including at least four other killings, involving big time L.A gangster Ron Birdwell, Eugene Roche. Brdwell's wife Laura, Joanna Cassidy, has been missing for some three days and was involved with a Mr. Whiting who together with his wife both ended up dead.

It takes a while for Ira to get to the bottom of what's been going on between Birdwell and the Whitings but with the help of screwy pseudo-philosophical Margo, who turns out to be a lot smarter then Ira at first thought, he puts all the pieces together. Ira comes up with not only who killed both the Whitings but who murdered his friend Harry Regan as well and, on top of all that, Ira finds Margo's cat Winston. The cat it turns out has been sitting on the evidence, a .32 pistol, to connect all the killings as well as it being used to blackmail Laura; in keeping her mouth shut about who's responsible for a sting of unconnected and unsolved murders in the L.A area.

Art Carney giving the performance of his life as the broken down PI Ira Wells takes it on the chin and in the gut throughout the entire movie from hoodlums like Birdwell and his sadistic bodyguard Lamar, John Considine. Ira also has to puts up with the New Age Guru-like Margo, who he gets to like despite her almost talking him to death.

Lily Tomlin is perfect as the over-age hippie Margo Sperling who also begins to take life seriously when she realizes that she and Ira's lives are in danger in an elaborate scheme to distance the Whiting murders away from those responsible for them and make them look like a robbery gone wrong.

Ira who really got on the case to find who murdered Harry Regan finding Winston was only secondary for him and gets a lot more then he bargained for including a brutal beating by Lamar ,who he later pays back with interest. In the end he finds not only who killed Harry but a new place to stay, Margo's place, after his landlady kicked him out of her house for giving her more headaches and excitement then his rent could compensate her for: $42,50 a month.

Art Carney besides having ulcers problems in the movie as Ira Wells walked with a limp, because of a bum leg, which in real life he really had from being wounded in France, by an exploding German artillery shell in World War Two.

An enjoyable Neo-Noir with strong characters. Lily Tomlin and Art Carney were the highlight of the movie. Art Carney had a plethora of piffy one liners and his attitude fit the private eye role perfectly.

I think the movie missed out on being considered great due to the convoluted plot. Hard to keep up with whats going on. Many integral characters to the story are hardly, or never even seen in the film.

Watched this after seeing it on Siskel & Ebert, when they were discussing overlooked movies. I think due to it's convoluted plot the fact it was overlooked is no surprise.

Recommend, but not highly

As many who have left comments before me have observed, this film echos the detective stories of the 1930s and 1940s. I would go a little further and suggest that the premise of the movie is what would the case be like if Philip Marlowe were roped into a mystery when he was pushing 80? Howard Duff's scene early in the film and even his character's name evoke The Big Sleep while Chandler allusions continue through the film. Art Carney's superbly underplayed Ira Wells is unquestionably an avatar of Marlowe surviving into the late 1970s and into his late 70s. He's a bit deaf, a bit slow, a bit more crotchety but he's still that one moral man walking down "these mean streets" of L.A.

Benton has done some extraordinary work, but this is his elevation to the sublime, a movie that one can watch again and again. It's a minor masterpiece. If producer Altman's own The Long Goodbye had been as good a Raymond Chandler film as this is, Goodbye would have risen to the level of the other two incomparable films of Chandler novels: the Howard Hawkes, Bogart and Bacall The Big Sleep and the Robert Mitchum Farewell, My Lovely.

Art Carney is cantankerous Ira Wells, an atypical private detective. Not only does he limp, but he also wears a hearing aid and owns a bleeding ulcer. His takes the local buses to get around, and rents space in a boarding house at $42.50 per month. But Ira, who has wisdom and knows the tricks of the trade, is tough when he has to be. His old time friend, Harry Regan (Howard Duff), has just been shot to death. Says Wells: "Sorry you're going off, pal. You've been real good company." There are stolen stamps. As there is a connection with Harry's death, Wells takes the job offer of wacky Margo (Lily Tomlin) to locate her missing cat Winston, who has been abducted by a bad guy. The complex mystery deepens, and there is adultery and murder; a shady fence surfaces. There is even an exciting car chase. Ira and Margo, who are on opposite ends of the spectrum, eventually become loose-partners. Will our heroes be able to fill in all of the missing pieces? Will Ira even manage to stay alive by movie's end? One gets the impression that Ira would rather go out that way than wind up in a nursing home.

This movie, a throwback to the detective genre of the 1940s, tends more to the dramatic than the comedic. The acting is fine throughout. The chemistry of Art Carney and Lily Tomlim ("on the edge of weird") is splendid for the silver screen. Although the production is hardly expensive, Robert Benton's screenplay is first-class. And all loose ends are tied by movie's end. This feature is worth seeing.

For those drained and insulted by most of today's no plot, predictable no brainers, this will come as welcome relief. Most reviewers really don't get this little charmer. The direction is deft, the plot well-constructed and the ensemble acting is always on the mark. Though it was directed by Robert Benton of Kramer vs Kramer fame, it was produced by Robert Altman and his influence is evident. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin have great chemistry together and the cast of veteran character actors is top notch. There are moments of goofy good humor, tragedy, sweet wistfulness and chair-gripping tension. This has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Sandman says check it out!

Mismatched senior citizen, Carney, and free spirit, Tomlin working to solve a case involving a stolen cat and a dead private eye. The interaction between the two is about what you would expect, in other words friction that wears thin as the film progresses. The real problem is not the acting, but the script. It is confusing, and other than the two leads, character development is lacking. Anytime a movie has to pause numerous times so that action the audience has not seen can be explained as things move along, it is merely a crutch for a weak script. The viewer then is not only grasping to understand, but is losing interest, due to the stopping and starting. "The Late Show" would have been far better if the script was more fully developed. - MERK

Brilliant cast delivers on an excellent script. Funny and exciting. The supporting characters really make it, with Bill Macy, Gene Roche, and Joanna Cassidy worth special mention. Overlooked gem.

"The Late Show" is the unexpected combination of several things. Unexpected, not because of the genre, but because of the era. The isn't a very reaching film, and certainly not totally straight-faced compared to the film noirs it is very openly influenced by. Just like the B movies that were once churned out monthly with nothing more than a good lead and a fast-paced script, Robert Benton creates his film in much the same style.

The surprise is Art Carney, giving one of his many more impressive performances. He makes the character real, in a lean script that begs for that kind of focus. Lily Tomlin is certainly convincing, a jumpy personality that would never be present in a classic film of this type, but feels perfectly at home here. I like the look of "The Late Show", the feel and attitude of it. It's a passing thing, but a good time and a thing or two to think about.

What a strange movie, mostly a straight ahead detective story with some burst of violence and action, but occasionally a funny character piece. It works and it doesn't, but it's interesting and Carney is great as the lead. Bit of a hidden gem.

Ira Wells (Art Carney) is a wheezing, semi-retired private dick who is more likely to meet your concerns with a disinterested eye roll than with genuine interest. Margo (Lily Tomlin), on the other hand, is the definition of kooky: she designs every single piece of clothing she wears, is prone to babbling like a Woody Allen heroine, and isn't afraid to ask wheezing, semi-retired private dicks (see what I did there) if they would be interested in helping them find their recently catnapped kitty. They drive each other mad — Ira is too quiet and Margo is too talkative — but I'll be damned if they don't make for a fantastic, if eccentric, detective duo. They're like Nick and Nora Charles, Margo muses at one point, minus the opulence, sex, marriage, doggy sidekick. These days, ulcer related episodes, madcap car chases, tawdry villains, and cat starring plot devices will have to do.

I love The Late Show. I love that it isn't quite a comedy or a neo-noir romp, existing somewhere cheekily in-between. I love Ira's contagious bitterness and his old school haggardness, unafraid to call a woman a dolly instead of an actual name, unafraid to walk around silently when his eyes are quoting Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. I love the hilarious weirdness Tomlin brings to Margo, and how she can deliver snappy lines at lightning speed like it's no big deal. This is an intelligent movie made by intelligent people (Robert Atman is executive producer), one that is both entertaining enough for the casual viewer and whip-smart enough for buffs seeking out something kinda Foul Play and something kinda The Long Goodbye.

When we are first introduced to Ira Wells, he wants to take a break from sleuthing. The world, however, is much too seedy for him to really take a break from cases. This notion becomes abundantly clear when an old friend shows up on his doorstep, shot in the stomach, dead only a few seconds later. Poor Ira. With his hearing aids, huge gut, and graying hairline, he's so unhealthy looking that he seems like the kind to go to a local diner, ask for the senior menu, only to suddenly have a heart attack. But whatever. Crime comes calling, you may as well answer back. After the funeral, he is approached by, you guessed it, Margo, inquiring about, you guessed it, her stolen cat. Ira takes the case, hesitantly, I might add, but much to his dismay, he finds that the situation is much more complicated than it seems. After years of thinking he's probably seen it all, he becomes tangled in a big ole mess of deceit, murder, and deadly femmes. The usual.

But The Late Show is hardly a Harper or a Farewell, My Lovely. Ira is way too old to still be in the game, and a woman like Margo should not be tagging along as his Lauren Bacall. I can't say that The Late Show knows this and "runs with it", because it doesn't necessarily run with it. It knows that it concocts a questionable situation, but instead of trying to make things outrageously zany to match the oddness, it just shrugs and lets things happen. Funny things. Tomlin is a ball of fire, inhabiting a role Barbara Stanwyck or Katharine Hepburn may have landed in their glory days; her chemistry with Carney is so backward that we can't help but sit back and wonder aloud how these two will ever get along. When they do, for better or worse, the rapport is wondrous. When they don't, the rapport is still wondrous. With Tomlin in tow, the mandatory "detecting" scenes become electric after years of cynicism: who knew that a shady run-in with a suspicious wife and a dead body could ring with such infectious humor?

As the ending approached, the sadder I became: I didn't want The Late Show to end. Of course, it's too good to have a sequel or a later sitcom of the same name, but I think the point is that I could watch Ira and Margo solve cases together for hours upon hours. Ira is the kind of intimidating question mark you want to get to know, and Margo has the kind of voice you want to hear mumbling at a constant pace. I like these people, and we simply don't have enough movies that are smart but also emotionally involving. Like the best of comedies, this one is effortlessly engaging.

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Ira Wells (Art Carney) is a broke aging private detective in L.A. His friend Harry Regan shows up at his door mortally wounded. Charlie Hatter introduces him to quirky Margo Sperling (Lily Tomlin) who is looking for her stolen cat. Harry was working for Margo before his demise. Ira decides to take on the case and track down Harry's killer. It's a lot of twists and turns with a good amount of danger.

This is a weird hybrid of a movie. It's a little wacky due a lot to Lily Tomlin and her character but it's not exactly a comedy. It has roots in the hard-boiled detective stories. The movie keeps twisting and turning. It is a long winding road to follow. The plot gets a bit confused. It is definitely something different and unique.

I've never thought that many of Robert Benton's movies were great, they are more low-key dramas. So, with "The Late Show," this follows suit.

Art Carney is great, but he is a naturally skilled actor. Lily Tomlin is pretty routine. The cinematography, such as it is, is fairly dull and poorly lit. The music is good, and is composed by the one person who seems to be in on the neo-noir concept in a genuine way.

The story is supposed to be a comedy-drama, but there is really no comedy. So, it's just drama, which here is neo-noir, with lots of "doll" this or "doll" that in the screenplay. The goings on are just too morose, and the script too closely follows the convoluted film noir plot formula for its own good.

Missed opportunities all around.

***** (5 Out of 10 Stars)

The Late Show (1977)

4/4

"The Late Show" is a convoluted, complicated mystery. It is also a funny comedy about a missing cat, and a fun film to go along with. Essentially, it's a noir comedy with a knowledge of what it really is, using tone and contrast to its advantage, creating a funny and thrilling product. It could even function as a comic satire on old noir from the 1940's. It's a lot of things, and a great movie, too. Considering the product here, is it a surprise that writer-director Robert Benton would go on to write and direct the masterful "Kramer vs. Kramer" two years later? I don't think so. It was also produced by Robert Altman ("Nashville").

"The Late Show" is about an old, retired detective, Ira Wells (Art Carney) out for one last job, aiding young Margo Sterling (Lily Tomlin) to find her missing cat. The case balloons, however, when his partner is murdered, too, putting them together to get to the bottom of the situation - and it all started with that cat.

Sounds ridiculous? Well, it may sound like it. But it's great. The plot involving one old Ira and this young Margo is probably the best part of the movie, exploring both acting dynamics between Tomlin and Carney, who are at peak form here, but it's also interesting to see these characters work together and clash.

The final shot of the film, I say, is probably my favorite of this entertaining and well-crafted film. I won't spoil it, because I'll leave the surprise to you. But yes, I love this movie, and I like it not only because of the fun plot, but because of Carney and Tomlin, and the fantastic, utterly brilliant screenplay, by Benton. "The Late Show" is a great title for a great movie.

Stars Lily Tomlin, Art Carney, and Bill Macy as Margo, Ira, and Charlie. Carney had been the upstairs neighbor in Jackie Gleason's Honeymooners, a HUGELY, successful, early comedy series, right at the beginning of television. And at about six minutes in, I think we hear Elaine May as the newscaster voice. Not in the credits. When Margo's cat goes missing, she tries to hire Ira to track him down. But he is annoyed at being hired to find a cat. Clearly, there's a bigger thing going on there. Young Lily T... older Art Carney. Story gets kind of silly after that. The middle goes pretty slow. And the ending too. Not a whole lot going on here, in spite of the awesome main characters. Written and directed by Robert Benton. He was Quality, not Quantity....he didn't write or direct a lot of films, but the ones he did write were good! He was a writer on What's Up Doc, which was INCREDIBLE! Benton won Three oscars, and was nominated for a ton more.

What did I miss? What did people actually love about this campy, but never funny, absurd film?

The dialogue plays like a satire of a Grade D film noir from the forties (with a quick reference to menstruation and occasional mild swear words that are meant to define specific characters). The plots are beyond ridiculous. And the characters are even more ridiculous and quite annoying.

Margo offers twenty five dollars total, which is a significant percentage of her life savings, to two separate top notch legendary private detectives to rescue her cat. Ira defines himself as a superstar in the world of investigators by repeatedly reiterating his high fee of $25 a day, plus expenses. If Ira was retired and alone, the assumption is he had time to watch television, specifically the classic private eye shows of the time. I remember, from when I was a teenager that Mannix raised his rate from $100 to $200 a day, plus expenses, in the early seventies, several years before this film was made and set. Barnaby Jones, a seasoned, milk guzzling private detective who'd come out of his retirement, much like Ira, was getting a comparable rate to Mannix.

Normally, I love hyper, high energy, wacky, bizarre, unique and fast talking women. That applies to those I meet in my own life and to characters brought into the world in film by actresses like Judy Holliday, Jean Harlow, Goldie Hawn and even the great Lily Tomlin. Watching this makes me want to go find Lily in some old Laugh Ins or go back and see her in her classic, hilarious and brilliant duel performance in Big Business. For the first few minutes, the character seems like she could almost be intriguing. After that, she gets more grating by the line.

Of course, Art Carney did some great film work, later in his life. However, all I kept thinking when watching this one was, when is Jackie Gleason going to come in and save any given scene. Bill Macy was mildly annoying on Maude but that's how his character was meant to be. Here, you just want him to disappear from your screen and stop irritating you. I guess that's why I can't think of another feature film that Bill ever did. On a slight, bright note, there was something very sultry and very provocative about young Joanna Cassidy. However, she needed to be in different rooms, with different characters, speaking different dialogue.

Did Robert Benton really write and direct this one during the same time period as Superman and Kramer vs. Kramer? He must have collected up all of his throwaway dialogue, and scenarios that he wrote when he was already wound down for the day and filled with a few libations.

For all the talent involved, and the good reviews I'd read, I made every effort to sit through this one. Grating, annoying and ludicrous are the highest praise I can give it.