Main Cast: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche, Joanna Cassidy
Release Year: 1977
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
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. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Review
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. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Tommy Thompson - First Assistant Director, Robert Benton - Director, Peter Appleton - Editor, Lou Lombardo - Editor, Ken Wannberg - Composer (Music Score), Monty Westmore - Makeup, Charles Rosher Jr. - Cinematographer, Robert Altman - Producer, Scott Bushnell - Producer, Jim Webb - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul R. Baxley, Jr. - Stunts, Robert Benton - Screenwriter, Robert Gould - Set Decorator
The story revolves around a financially strained, aging detective named Ira Wells (Art Carney) whose main ambition is to stay active in the business and garner some self-respect. When Harry Regan (Howard Duff), his partner, is murdered while on the job, Ira takes on Harry’s current case. Meanwhile, he is anxious to solve the suspicious events surrounding his partner’s untimely death. Ira, busy with all of the work he’s taken on, lets his client Margo (Lily Tomlin) help him out with all of the work. By film’s end, a new romance may be flowering between these two unlikely partners.[3]
In early 1976, Robert Benton brought his script to Robert Altman who, after reading it, decided to produce the film. Production began in spring of 1976 and wrapped in November.[4]
Reception
Critical reception
The Late Show got extremely positive reviews when it was initially released in 1977. The Late Show has a 100% rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews.[5]Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said "And most of all, it's a movie that dares a lot, pulls off most of it, and entertains us without insulting our intelligence" giving the film a four-star rating.[6]
