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The Late Show

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6.2/10 • 60

1977-02-101h 33m

MysteryCrimeComedy

The nicest movie you'll ever see about murder and blackmail.

Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

Directors
Robert Benton
Editors
Lou Lombardo

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Art Carney

    Art Carney

    Ira Wells

  2. Lily Tomlin

    Lily Tomlin

    Margo

  3. Bill Macy

    Bill Macy

    Charlie Hatter

  4. Eugene Roche

    Eugene Roche

    Ron Birdwell

  5. Joanna Cassidy

    Joanna Cassidy

    Laura Birdwell

  6. John Considine

    John Considine

    Lamar

  7. Ruth Nelson

    Ruth Nelson

    Mrs. Schmidt

  8. John Davey

    John Davey

    Sergeant Dayton

  9. Howard Duff

    Howard Duff

    Harry Regan

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 19, 2025

7/10

When “Charlie” (Bill Macy) turns up to talk to his old PI pal “Ira” (Art Carney) about helping “Margo” (Lily Tomlin) to track down her kidnapped cat, then he gets short shrift. He is far more concerned with finding the people who recently murdered his partner and thinks she ought to just pay the “ransom”. She’s not got two cents to rub together, however, and so uses her wits to intrigue the man into following up her complaint against “Birdwell” (Eugene Roche) and his cashmere-clad henchman “Lamar” (John Considine). The first meeting doesn’t go so well - even if he does get a free Van Heusen shirt - but it does start a ball rolling for this curmudgeonly old grump who realises that his search for the killer and for her kitty are in some way connected. Tomlin’s on good form here but it’s Carney who steals this as his out-of-shape and cynical “Ira” sweats, huffs and puffs his way through a cheery detective yarn with an agreeable pace, some pithy dialogue and daft scenarios that reminded me of a sort of “Rockford Files” meets “McQ” enterprise. It does reset itself a little too often, but it’s still an enjoyable parody of many things from this genre that have gone before and I did enjoy it.

Media

  • The Late Show poster
  • The Late Show poster
  • The Late Show poster
  • The Late Show poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
los angeles, californiaprivate detectiveneo-noir