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IMDb > The Late Show (1977)

The Late Show (1977) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   659 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Robert Benton (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Late Show on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 July 1977 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The nicest movie you'll ever see about murder and blackmail. [Lobby Card] more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
Actor Art Carney Dies at 85
 (From IMDb News. 11 November 2003)

User Reviews:
A bittersweet elegy to the old private eye days. more (15 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Art Carney ... Ira Wells

Lily Tomlin ... Margo Sperling
Bill Macy ... Charlie Hatter

Eugene Roche ... Ron Birdwell

Joanna Cassidy ... Laura Birdwell
John Considine ... Lamar
Ruth Nelson ... Mrs. Schmidt
John Davey ... Sergeant Dayton
Howard Duff ... Harry Regan
Lothar Lambert
Beate Hasenau
Cihan Anasai
Dagmar Beiersdorf
Dorothea Moritz
Erika Wilde
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color | Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
[Margo has pictures of her cat, Winston, that she wants Ira to find]
Margo Sperling: This little kitty is just a little honey bun. Give this little cat a break!
more
Movie Connections:
References "The Thin Man" (1957) more
Soundtrack:
What Was more

FAQ

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful.
A bittersweet elegy to the old private eye days., 17 March 2005
Author: dwdan from United States

I love this bittersweet story. I agree with other commentators that plot is not what drives this tale forward: it reaches a point where it's not longer important who did what to whom and why. What is important are the character portrayals, which are handled deftly by Art Carney, as aging private eye Ira Wells, and by a ditsy but lovable flower-child leftover played by Lily Tomlin. The supporting cast members are excellent.

The other thing this little film has is atmosphere, in spades. It's 1970s L.A., with echoes of 1940s Raymond Chandler L.A. And director Benton makes good use of certain small iconic bits like the vast mountain of burial vaults, in the cemetery where we first meet the three principal characters, and the static last shot of an L.A. bus stop bench with Boris Karlof's Frankenstein face advertising the Hollywood wax museum.

And finally: the title theme is a hauntingly moody torch song ("What Was is Just What Was"), which ought to be a jazz standard--right up there with "Laura." I love this movie and watch it once every few years, ideally late at night with a drink in hand.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Errors on this movie lasswegas
Great Movie nordiqueboy77
All hail Eugene Roche! Bitterblogger
Looking for "reviews of the day" from 1977 Lenore_Hutton102
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