The Private Eyes (1981)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Lang Elliott

Writers:

Tim Conway (writer)
John Myhers (writer)

Release Date:

17 April 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery

Plot:

This spoof of the Sherlock Holmes stories finds Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart investigating a strange death in a possibly haunted mansion...

Plot Keywords:

Sherlock Holmes | Spoof | Murder | Pigeon | Secret Tunnel

Cast

Tim Conway	...	Dr. Tart
Don Knotts	...	Inspector Winship
Trisha Noble	...	Mistress Phyllis Morley
Bernard Fox	...	Justin
Grace Zabriskie	...	Nanny
John Fujioka	...	Mr. Uwatsum
Stan Ross	...	Tibet
Irwin Keyes	...	Jock
Suzy Mandel	...	Hilda
Fred Stuthman	...	Lord Morley
Mary Nell Santacroce	...	Lady Morley
Robert V. Barron	...	Gas Station Attendant
Patrick Cranshaw	...	Roy
Russi Taylor	...	Doll Voice (voice)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:LH | Finland:K-12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Asheville, North Carolina, USA

Company:

The Private Eyes Partners Limited

Trivia:

When the Shadow rolls a bomb toward the detectives in the secret passage, Dr. Tart says, "We must be near a bowling alley." He's right: there is indeed a bowling alley inside the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, where this movie was filmed.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Winship and Tart first meet the staff, the boom is clearly in view when Tart starts his line, "Eeeny, meeny, miney mo... catch a killer by the..."

Quotes:

Dr. Tart: [reading the note from Lord Morley] Now you will see, I can do something right. I'm going to show you, a killer tonight. I want Phyllis to come to my chamber, and see. Who what the one, who murdered Lady Morley and myself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Elementary, Don and Tim....

Any movie that features Don Knotts as a brilliant detective and Tim Conway as his faithful assistant certainly has courage going for it.

But "Private Eyes" is better than you might expect; the setting (Biltmore Castle) is beautiful, the supporting cast (Fox in particular) is hilarious and a lot, if not all, of the gags are priceless.

Then again, what would you expect from Knotts' above-it-all air of pseudo-intelligence and Conway's endless pratfalls and an overcoat full of pigeons (don't ask)? They're two of the old-school comedians who know what's funny and never try to go further than the jokes will go.

"Private Eyes" works because Knotts and Conway are, more or less, just being themselves. Definitely a film worth seeking out.

You'll laugh. Trust me.

Seven stars. And don't drink the ink.