The Late Show

Director: Robert Benton Robert Benton

Overview

Even though he barely makes enough money to cover his expenses and finds divorce cases (his bread and butter) unsavory, aging detective Ira Wells (Art Carney) is determined to stay active and to retain some amount of self-respect. When his partner Harry Regan (Howard Duff) is killed while on assignment, Ira agrees to take on his current case, although he can't see how it has anything to do with his friend's murder, which he is anxious to solve. In order to survive, by solving the case of his client's missing cat, and solving the murder of his friend, Ira winds up accepting a lot of help from his client Margo (Lily Tomlin). By the end of the film, it looks like an offbeat romance, or perhaps a new business partnership, is blooming.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2016
UPC:	0888574444198
Original Release:	1977
Source:	Warner Archives
Language:	English
Sales rank:	20,400

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Art Carney	Ira Wells
Lily Tomlin	Margo
Bill Macy	Charlie Hatter,Actor
Eugene Roche	Ron Birdwell
Joanna Cassidy	Laura Birdwell
John Considine	Lamar
Ruth Nelson	Mrs. Schmidt
John Davey	Sgt. Dayton
Howard Duff	Harry Regan
Ken Wannberg	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Benton

Robert Altman	Producer
Paul Baxley	Stunts
Robert Benton	Director,Screenwriter
Paul Baxley Jr.	Stunts
Scott Bushnell	Producer
Jim Webb	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Produced by Robert Altman, writer-director Robert Benton's The Late Show (1977) treads similar comic neo-noir territory as Altman's earlier The Long Goodbye (1973), but with a distinctly wistful flavor. Paying homage to the legacy of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett while lightening the proceedings with a dash of humor, Benton's L.A. story about an aging detective's investigation of his partner's death is an intricate yarn that involves assorted Hollywood fringe players and low-lifes on the way to a slyly happy ending. Unlike Altman's Marlowe, Art Carney's cynical loner Ira emerges from the case with a gleam of hope, embodied in Lily Tomlin's dizzy client-turned-sidekick Margo (who also manages to find her lost cat). In the inspired pairing of comic talents, Tomlin's quintessential SoCal eccentric meshes charmingly with Carney's gruff Ira, creating a unique Hollywood crime-solving duo. Coming off her Oscar-nominated dramatic performance in Altman's Nashville (1975), Tomlin received raves for her second film role, establishing her as a formidably varied movie actress as well as TV and stage performer. The Late Show's savvy combination of hard-boiled verbiage and California neuroses earned Benton a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for his first solo script effort.

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola