The Drowning Pool (1975)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

Ross Macdonald (novel)
Tracy Keenan Wynn (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

July 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

Harper days are here again...

Plot:

A big-city private detective travels to the Deep South to help out an old girlfriend who is being blackmailed.

Plot Keywords:

Louisiana | Detective | Blackmail | Private Detective | Underwater

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Lew Harper
Joanne Woodward	...	Iris Devereaux
Anthony Franciosa	...	Chief Broussard (as Tony Franciosa)
Murray Hamilton	...	Kilbourne
Gail Strickland	...	Mavis Kilbourne
Melanie Griffith	...	Schuyler Devereaux
Linda Haynes	...	Gretchen
Richard Jaeckel	...	Lt. Franks
Paul Koslo	...	Candy
Joe Canutt	...	Glo
Andrew Robinson	...	Pat Reavis (as Andy Robinson)
Coral Browne	...	Olivia Devereaux
Richard Derr	...	James Devereaux
Helena Kallianiotes	...	Elaine Reavis
Leigh French	...	Red Head
Peter Dassinger	...	Peter
James Fontenot	...	Bartender
Tommy McLain	...	Nightclub Band (as Tommy McLain and his Mule Train Band)
Martin Ahrens	...	Cajun Heavy #1
Philippe Blenet	...	Cajun Heavy #2
Jerome Greene	...	Butler
Cecil Elliott	...	Motel Switchboard Operator

Directed by
Stuart Rosenberg

Writing credits
Ross Macdonald		(novel) (as Ross MacDonald)
Tracy Keenan Wynn		(writer) &
Lorenzo Semple Jr.		(writer) &
Walter Hill		(writer)
Eric Roth		uncredited

Produced by
David Foster	....	producer
Hawk Koch	....	associate producer (as Howard W. Koch Jr.)
Lawrence Turman	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Gordon Willis

Film Editing by
John C. Howard

Casting by
Alan Shayne

Production Design by
Paul Sylbert

Art Direction by
Edwin O'Donovan		(as Ed O'Donovan)

Set Decoration by
Phil Abramson

Makeup Department
Kaye Pownall	....	hair stylist
Monty Westmore	....	makeup artist
Carrie White	....	hair stylist: Ms. Woodward

Production Management
Arthur S. Newman Jr.	....	production manager (as Arthur Newman)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hawk Koch	....	assistant director (as Howard W. Koch Jr.)
Lee Rafner	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Joe Acord	....	construction coordinator
Gregg H. Bilson	....	assistant props (as Gregg Bilson)
Pat O'Connor	....	property master
Bill Parks	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Clint Althouse	....	boom operator (as Clint Althaus)
Hal Barns	....	sound effects editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Jost	....	sound mixer
Billie Owens	....	sound effects editor
Arthur Piantadosi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Arthur H. Pullen	....	sound effects editor
Richard Tyler	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Tyler)

Special Effects by
Chuck Gaspar	....	special effects
Henry Millar	....	special effects (as Henry Millar Sr.)

Stunts
Stan Barrett	....	stunt coordinator
Joe Canutt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Arthur Brooker	....	key grip (as Art Brooker)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
George Holmes	....	gaffer
Mel Traxel	....	unit still photographer
Richard Yuricich	....	first assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Donald Brooks	....	wardrobe designer: Ms. Woodward
Norma Brown	....	costumer: women
Richard Bruno	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Dick Bruno)
Vicki Sánchez	....	costumer: women
Jules Melillo	....	key costumer: men (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Carroll Timothy O'Meara	....	assistant editor (as Tim O'Meara)

Music Department
Charles Fox	....	conductor: "Killing Me Softly with His Song"
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Paul Casella Jr.	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Rosalyn Catania	....	production secretary
Carl Combs	....	unit publicist
Betty Crosby	....	script supervisor
Ralph M. Leo	....	production auditor (as Ralph Leo)

Production Companies

• Coleytown
• David Foster Productions
• The First Artists Production Company Ltd.
• Turman-Foster Company
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1975) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (as part of "Paul Newman Collection")
• Warner-Columbia Films (1975) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Burbank Studios, The  production equipment and servies

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Coleytown

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~7.2 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~7.3 seconds.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
J.H. Kilbourne: Outstanding!

Movie Connections:

Edited into La classe américaine (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Killing Me Softly With His Song

Some pleasure

It's a lot better than Harper. Newman has fewer tics and the story moves along smoother. Harper had no dynamism because Jack Smight is a terrible action director; the only excitement came from the exchanges between Newman and Arthur Hill in the car. Stuart Rosenberg can be relied on to throw enough kinkiness and ambiguity at us to keep our interest.

Melanie Griffith was used better by Arthur Penn in Night Moves; it's too bad the kitten with a whip persona had to end when she grew up. Andy Robinson was so good as the villain in so many pictures--that sensual face worked well for him, as it does here. You'd expect to see him at Andy Warhol's Factory. Gail Strickland and Murray Hamilton as the rich couple were enjoyable to watch. If Joanne Woodward's part had been better written, she could have given us more than just the nervous belle. An average picture, affording some pleasure for Paul Newman completists.