Over-the-hill gumshoe in modern day Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another older detective who had gotten himself involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are amazingly well-matched playing the convincingly mismatched pair of sleuths who unravel the tangled mystery, and Bill Macy is equally fine as a congenial, low-life bartender-cum-talent agent. The plot of this serio-comic paean to the age of Raymond Chandler is perhaps too convoluted to follow in-depth, but that's rather easy to overlook considering it is the least important part of the picture. The begrudging, barb-filled relationship between Carney and Tomlin carries the show, and the friendship that slowly grows between them is thrilling for fans of this type of cinema. All three of the acting principals richly deserved--but did not get--Oscar nominations for their work, though the film did pick up one nomination, for Robert Benton's original screenplay. It's a chatty film, yet one which is charmingly askew and lingers in the memory like warm nostalgia. ***1/2 from ****
53 Reviews
A smart, wonderfully acted, wistful, fun homage to the great detective films
runamokprods24 January 2012
I really like this sweet semi-comic homage to the great detective films. Art Carney is simply wonderful as a gumshoe now in his 60s, gaining weight and losing foot-speed, but with wits as sharp as ever, and wisdom gained by time. This is what one of Bogie's great detective characters probably would be like 30 years later.
He's drawn into an absurdly complex crime situation, when a slightly wacko aging hippie wanna-be actress (played by Lily Tomlin) hires him to help find her lost cat. '
Some of the humor is a bit broad for the more serious themes underneath, and as much as I always love Tomlin, there were times she seemed to be flirting with caricature.
But the almost-romantic chemistry between this supremely miss-matched pair is terrific and fun to watch. It doesn't add up to anything huge, but it's intelligent, fun well-executed entertainment for grown ups – something that's far too rare in the current cinema.
He's drawn into an absurdly complex crime situation, when a slightly wacko aging hippie wanna-be actress (played by Lily Tomlin) hires him to help find her lost cat. '
Some of the humor is a bit broad for the more serious themes underneath, and as much as I always love Tomlin, there were times she seemed to be flirting with caricature.
But the almost-romantic chemistry between this supremely miss-matched pair is terrific and fun to watch. It doesn't add up to anything huge, but it's intelligent, fun well-executed entertainment for grown ups – something that's far too rare in the current cinema.
Wonderful performances in an overlooked film
dtidball10 August 2006
The Late Show is one of the most underrated films of all time. It's somewhat convoluted detective plot has raised comparisons to Chinatown, which is both unfair and unfortunate. This is a film that stands out on its own.
The acting is generally very good, and the performances by the leads are particularly strong. Dialogue which might have seemed forced or corny with less assured actors is believable and often funny here. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are fun to watch as a bickering detective duo brought together as much by mutual loneliness as by anything the plot throws at them. Both are able to keep their characters interesting without overdoing it. It would have been especially easy for Ms. Tomlin to go over the top with her depiction of the rather flighty Margo, but she manages to balance her character's peculiarities and make it look effortless.
Robert Benton received an academy award nomination for his screenplay, but he really deserved more recognition for directing a film in which he gets the mood just right, and trusts his cast to do their jobs well. This was no mean feat for a work that needs to be film noir with some comic timing.
I saw this film when it first came out nearly 30 years ago, and then watched it again recently. At a time when so many films rely on computer generated images, and plots that seem dreamed up by marketing departments, it was refreshing to rediscover a film that relies on strong direction, and outstanding acting.
The acting is generally very good, and the performances by the leads are particularly strong. Dialogue which might have seemed forced or corny with less assured actors is believable and often funny here. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are fun to watch as a bickering detective duo brought together as much by mutual loneliness as by anything the plot throws at them. Both are able to keep their characters interesting without overdoing it. It would have been especially easy for Ms. Tomlin to go over the top with her depiction of the rather flighty Margo, but she manages to balance her character's peculiarities and make it look effortless.
Robert Benton received an academy award nomination for his screenplay, but he really deserved more recognition for directing a film in which he gets the mood just right, and trusts his cast to do their jobs well. This was no mean feat for a work that needs to be film noir with some comic timing.
I saw this film when it first came out nearly 30 years ago, and then watched it again recently. At a time when so many films rely on computer generated images, and plots that seem dreamed up by marketing departments, it was refreshing to rediscover a film that relies on strong direction, and outstanding acting.
One of my top ten overlooked classics
Mr. Sandman7 July 2000
Here's a wonderful, offbeat little film directed by Robert Benton, who directed Kramer vs. Kramer, and Nobody's Fool. He also wrote the screenplay, which received an Oscar nomination, so I guess it wasn't ignored entirely when it came out. Critics often dismiss The Late Show with a tart "Well, it's no Chinatown" (which came out three years earlier). That's too bad because it's a sly, engaging, funny detective thriller in its own right that manages to rise above the constraints of the genre and reach some memorable emotional heights along the way.
Art Carney plays Ira Welles, an over-the-hill private eye with a hearing aid, a bad leg, and a bleeding ulcer. It's almost as if Benton said: "hey, what would happen if Phillip Marlowe were still alive and kicking and living in the seedy part of Los Angeles in the mid-'70s?" Making the hero a senior citizen makes even more sense in the noir context than having him be the usual tough guy in the peak of health.
Things start off with a bang, or at least a whimper, when his partner Harry shows up with a bullet hole in his stomach (a la Maltese Falcon). Ira shows us what he's all about right away when tells his soon to be dead colleague: "Sorry you're going off, pal. You've been real good company." Ira is a throwback who spends serious amounts of time at the racetrack, lives in a boarding house, gets everywhere by bus (in LA?), calls women "Dolly," and values notions of honor and loyalty to one's partner above all else.
This world runs smack against the more permissive, loopy, go with-the-flow attitudes of the late-Sixties, early-Seventies, in the guise of Margo (Lily Tomlin). Margo is a laconic blatherskite who burns incense, lives in a room full of batik and macramé, and listens to meditation tapes. She goes to Ira for help when her cat Winston is kidnapped by a disgruntled fence whom she neglected to pay. Ira refuses to get involved with such nonsense until he realizes the catnapper also had something to with the death of his partner.
This kicks off an appropriately convoluted noir plot of epic complexity that involves murderous fences, infidelity, blackmail, and a steadily mounting body count. But the plot takes a backseat to the subtly changing, often touching relationship between the two lead characters. These two seemingly polar opposites actually have a lot in common.
They are both misfits who have constructed elaborate lies that they inhabit. Ira tells Margo that he's always been a loner, yet he spends his evenings playing canasta with his landlady, risks his life to find his partner's killer, and finds himself slowly warming up to Margo despite her air of flaky desperation. Margo flits from one identity to the next. One minute she's an actress, the next a dress designer, and the next a talent agent. In reality, she's mule for a two-bit fence and has to deal grass on the side to make ends meet. "I only do it to get my shrink paid," she tells a disapproving Ira.
Art Carney and Lily Tomlin play the push-me-pull-you dynamic between the two for all they're worth. Carney has a terrific moment when he collapses in pain due to ulcer pain and tells Margo not to take him to the hospital. In Tomlin's hands, Margo is one of the great screen neurotics, yet she's much savvier and sharper than she seems at first, and is able to finally rise to face the challenge of some pretty hairy situations. The Late Show is a real gem from the last truly great decade of American movies.
Art Carney plays Ira Welles, an over-the-hill private eye with a hearing aid, a bad leg, and a bleeding ulcer. It's almost as if Benton said: "hey, what would happen if Phillip Marlowe were still alive and kicking and living in the seedy part of Los Angeles in the mid-'70s?" Making the hero a senior citizen makes even more sense in the noir context than having him be the usual tough guy in the peak of health.
Things start off with a bang, or at least a whimper, when his partner Harry shows up with a bullet hole in his stomach (a la Maltese Falcon). Ira shows us what he's all about right away when tells his soon to be dead colleague: "Sorry you're going off, pal. You've been real good company." Ira is a throwback who spends serious amounts of time at the racetrack, lives in a boarding house, gets everywhere by bus (in LA?), calls women "Dolly," and values notions of honor and loyalty to one's partner above all else.
This world runs smack against the more permissive, loopy, go with-the-flow attitudes of the late-Sixties, early-Seventies, in the guise of Margo (Lily Tomlin). Margo is a laconic blatherskite who burns incense, lives in a room full of batik and macramé, and listens to meditation tapes. She goes to Ira for help when her cat Winston is kidnapped by a disgruntled fence whom she neglected to pay. Ira refuses to get involved with such nonsense until he realizes the catnapper also had something to with the death of his partner.
This kicks off an appropriately convoluted noir plot of epic complexity that involves murderous fences, infidelity, blackmail, and a steadily mounting body count. But the plot takes a backseat to the subtly changing, often touching relationship between the two lead characters. These two seemingly polar opposites actually have a lot in common.
They are both misfits who have constructed elaborate lies that they inhabit. Ira tells Margo that he's always been a loner, yet he spends his evenings playing canasta with his landlady, risks his life to find his partner's killer, and finds himself slowly warming up to Margo despite her air of flaky desperation. Margo flits from one identity to the next. One minute she's an actress, the next a dress designer, and the next a talent agent. In reality, she's mule for a two-bit fence and has to deal grass on the side to make ends meet. "I only do it to get my shrink paid," she tells a disapproving Ira.
Art Carney and Lily Tomlin play the push-me-pull-you dynamic between the two for all they're worth. Carney has a terrific moment when he collapses in pain due to ulcer pain and tells Margo not to take him to the hospital. In Tomlin's hands, Margo is one of the great screen neurotics, yet she's much savvier and sharper than she seems at first, and is able to finally rise to face the challenge of some pretty hairy situations. The Late Show is a real gem from the last truly great decade of American movies.
The Comics Play It Straight
boblipton7 August 2021
Art Carney is an over-the-hill PI, and Lily Tomlin is the lady who wants to hire him to find her missing cat. As the movie progresses, it turns into a loving bit of nostalgia for all those old movie detective series, with tasteless modern LA intruding into its dream.
Robert Altman produced, but he insisted that writer Robert Benton direct from his own script, and the old-line talent behind the camera makes this a general love note, with Charles ROsher Jr. Helming the camera and Monty Westmore doing the make-up. There's no chemistry between Carney and Tomlin. Carney, in fact, seems to be intent on his character being thoroughly grumpy throughout, as if these characters are not taking what he does seriously. Still, it's a pleasure to atch all the old pros in operation.
Robert Altman produced, but he insisted that writer Robert Benton direct from his own script, and the old-line talent behind the camera makes this a general love note, with Charles ROsher Jr. Helming the camera and Monty Westmore doing the make-up. There's no chemistry between Carney and Tomlin. Carney, in fact, seems to be intent on his character being thoroughly grumpy throughout, as if these characters are not taking what he does seriously. Still, it's a pleasure to atch all the old pros in operation.
The great cat caper
bkoganbing29 January 2017
In The Late Show Art Carney may have created the most broken down action hero ever on the big screen. In fact his role here is in keeping with the Oscar he won playing irascible old codgers in Harry And Tonto and whom he would continue to play for the rest of his big screen career. The man truly reinvented himself after being so identified as Ed Norton of sewer repair on The Honeymooners.
Probably at the height of the noir era in film post World War II Carney could have done private eye roles like Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd. But now he's retired from the business has a bad leg, wears a hearing aid and rents a room from an indulgent landlady Ruth Nelson.
Until his old partner still in the game comes to him with a fatal bullet in his chest. An inside joke if you will because the partner is played by Howard Duff who was Sam Spade for years on radio. And at Duff's funeral he meets quirky former actress Lily Tomlin who was Duff's last client. She hired Duff to find her missing cat.
The cat however is key and before the film ends several of the cast wind up dead. It's a well assembled ensemble who support Carney and Tomlin. Joanna Cassidy as the femme fatale, Eugene Roche as a fence, Bill Macy as a bartender/tipster who tries to play both ends, and John Considine are all at the top of their game.
But Carney is a wonder, he's got great chemistry with Tomlin and he's got great moves as well. Wish I had some of them.
Probably at the height of the noir era in film post World War II Carney could have done private eye roles like Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd. But now he's retired from the business has a bad leg, wears a hearing aid and rents a room from an indulgent landlady Ruth Nelson.
Until his old partner still in the game comes to him with a fatal bullet in his chest. An inside joke if you will because the partner is played by Howard Duff who was Sam Spade for years on radio. And at Duff's funeral he meets quirky former actress Lily Tomlin who was Duff's last client. She hired Duff to find her missing cat.
The cat however is key and before the film ends several of the cast wind up dead. It's a well assembled ensemble who support Carney and Tomlin. Joanna Cassidy as the femme fatale, Eugene Roche as a fence, Bill Macy as a bartender/tipster who tries to play both ends, and John Considine are all at the top of their game.
But Carney is a wonder, he's got great chemistry with Tomlin and he's got great moves as well. Wish I had some of them.
Fabulous, Art Carney is amazing...
DotelMotel5 November 2004
The saddest thing about Robert Benton's "The Late Show" is that it has gotten lost in the shuffle when discussing the great movies of the nineteen seventies. This is a terrific piece of film noir that is paying homage to the great detective mysteries of the forties. Benton's sharp screenplay is sensational in creating colorful, likable, and original characters. Benton beautifully connects all the points of the complex plot by the end, leaving the viewer completely satisfied.
The all around acting in the film is terrific, with Lily Tomlin supplying comedic support to Art Carney's lead detective Ira Wells. The film however belongs to the late, great Art Carney. Carney gives quite simply an amazing tour de force performance as the aging Ira Wells. He is a sad and lonely character who is socially awkward yet surprisingly tough. He is a great underdog character, who with Carney in the lead role, the viewer cannot help but to root for. After showing his dramatic range and winning an Oscar for Best Actor for 1974's "Harry and Tonto" (a personal favorite of mine), Art was offered some terrific roles and gave some great performances. In many ways Carney's performance in "The Late Show" is better then his performances in his other two great films of the seventies, "Harry and Tonto" and "Going In Style". It is a treat and pleasure to watch him in "The Late Show" because it shows a legendary and extroadinarily talented actor in full force.
Thankfully Warner Brothers has released "The Late Show" on DVD (now if only Fox could release "Harry and Tonto" on DVD). For years it was very difficult to get on VHS. While the film may look a little dated, it hooks the viewer with its story and acting that you will be glad that you took a trip back to 1977.
The all around acting in the film is terrific, with Lily Tomlin supplying comedic support to Art Carney's lead detective Ira Wells. The film however belongs to the late, great Art Carney. Carney gives quite simply an amazing tour de force performance as the aging Ira Wells. He is a sad and lonely character who is socially awkward yet surprisingly tough. He is a great underdog character, who with Carney in the lead role, the viewer cannot help but to root for. After showing his dramatic range and winning an Oscar for Best Actor for 1974's "Harry and Tonto" (a personal favorite of mine), Art was offered some terrific roles and gave some great performances. In many ways Carney's performance in "The Late Show" is better then his performances in his other two great films of the seventies, "Harry and Tonto" and "Going In Style". It is a treat and pleasure to watch him in "The Late Show" because it shows a legendary and extroadinarily talented actor in full force.
Thankfully Warner Brothers has released "The Late Show" on DVD (now if only Fox could release "Harry and Tonto" on DVD). For years it was very difficult to get on VHS. While the film may look a little dated, it hooks the viewer with its story and acting that you will be glad that you took a trip back to 1977.
The Almost Too Late Show
madmonkmcghee27 March 2011
Wonderfully melancholy and entertaining take on the noir style, with a spot-on odd couple casting of Art Carney as an aging gumshoe and Lily Tomlin as a ditsy New Age dame, both looking for something and someone to give their empty lives real meaning. The plot is appropriately convoluted, as befits a Chandleresque mystery story, but as with most noirs a tight plot is not really what matters. Forget about who killed who and what for. It's all about the characters, and they're all memorable and played pitch- perfect. This movie could have gone badly wrong in so many ways, but director Benton knew what he was aiming for: a both funny and touching portrait of two lonely people, who even welcome murder and violence if it can get them out of the stifling rut their lives have become. Blending genres can be tricky, but here the suspense and comedy are equally balanced. Carney is effortlessly convincing as a man who would rather be gunned down than waste away in a hospital bed; it's almost as if he hopes to die on the job. Tomlin's character is gratingly annoying at times, but then she's supposed to be, otherwise she would have been merely cute and kooky. The supporting cast is equally excellent, all hitting the right notes. Those looking for belly laughs or nail-biting suspense will find this too mild for their tastes. Anyone interested in a movie that is both touching, exciting and entertaining should seek out this little gem.
A sweet and unsentimental masterpiece
robastyk27 December 2007
As many who have left comments before me have observed, this film echos the detective stories of the 1930s and 1940s. I would go a little further and suggest that the premise of the movie is what would the case be like if Philip Marlowe were roped into a mystery when he was pushing 80? Howard Duff's scene early in the film and even his character's name evoke The Big Sleep while Chandler allusions continue through the film. Art Carney's superbly underplayed Ira Wells is unquestionably an avatar of Marlowe surviving into the late 1970s and into his late 70s. He's a bit deaf, a bit slow, a bit more crotchety but he's still that one moral man walking down "these mean streets" of L.A.
Benton has done some extraordinary work, but this is his elevation to the sublime, a movie that one can watch again and again. It's a minor masterpiece. If producer Altman's own The Long Goodbye had been as good a Raymond Chandler film as this is, Goodbye would have risen to the level of the other two incomparable films of Chandler novels: the Howard Hawkes, Bogart and Bacall The Big Sleep and the Robert Mitchum Farewell, My Lovely.
Benton has done some extraordinary work, but this is his elevation to the sublime, a movie that one can watch again and again. It's a minor masterpiece. If producer Altman's own The Long Goodbye had been as good a Raymond Chandler film as this is, Goodbye would have risen to the level of the other two incomparable films of Chandler novels: the Howard Hawkes, Bogart and Bacall The Big Sleep and the Robert Mitchum Farewell, My Lovely.
Thumbs up for Character, Thumbs down for convoluted plot
Lord_of_the_Things10 June 2020
An enjoyable Neo-Noir with strong characters. Lily Tomlin and Art Carney were the highlight of the movie. Art Carney had a plethora of piffy one liners and his attitude fit the private eye role perfectly.
I think the movie missed out on being considered great due to the convoluted plot. Hard to keep up with whats going on. Many integral characters to the story are hardly, or never even seen in the film.
Watched this after seeing it on Siskel & Ebert, when they were discussing overlooked movies. I think due to it's convoluted plot the fact it was overlooked is no surprise.
Recommend, but not highly
I think the movie missed out on being considered great due to the convoluted plot. Hard to keep up with whats going on. Many integral characters to the story are hardly, or never even seen in the film.
Watched this after seeing it on Siskel & Ebert, when they were discussing overlooked movies. I think due to it's convoluted plot the fact it was overlooked is no surprise.
Recommend, but not highly
Cool idea but could have been much better.
volare1220 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie when it was released in 1977 - I remember that I had vaguely liked it but nothing about it really stuck in my memory. Having recently had the chance to see it again on TV, I found myself rather disappointed that it didn't hold up well as I had hoped it would.
"The Late Show" is reminiscent of some 40's crime movies like "The Big Sleep", where the plot gets so convoluted and hard to follow that after awhile you don't really care about it much and just sit back and enjoy the characters and atmosphere. The initial premise here is intriguing enough, but the mystery doesn't get any more interesting as it goes along, and the writing is not particularly inspired. The actors (mostly) give it all they've got though - Art Carney gives a great performance as aging private eye Ira Wells, and the supporting cast is excellent as well: Eugene Roche, Bill Macy, Howard Duff, Joanna Cassidy, John Considine and Ruth Nelson all fall easily into the Neo-Noir style of the piece and do justice to their characters.
There is one fly in the casting ointment: Lily Tomlin. I was surprised this time around at how self-conscious and amateurish her performance as Margo Sterling struck me as being. Tomlin doesn't seem to have a handle on who the character is really, so she comes off as trying to act "quirky" because that's what the script indicates, without having any grasp of what's behind it. Her line readings are grating and monotonous, and her timing is off. She doesn't have any chemistry with anyone, not even Carney - she may as well be in a different movie completely. The part really called for someone with more of a theatrical sense, and watching the film again, I kept thinking how much better other actresses could have been in the role. Barbara Harris and Bette Midler both came to mind - Harris had done a similar off-beat type of character the previous year in Alfred Hitchcock's "Family Plot", and IMO she could have brought many more interesting colors to Margo, as well as an authenticity to her flightiness that Tomlin never manages; Midler had yet to break into films in 1977, but the kind of self-centered wackiness that the role required would have been right up her alley. Tomlin, who's comic forte is low-key underplaying, seems uncomfortable and miscast in a part demanding a more flamboyant style - she never fully inhabits the character, which is a major problem when she's such a large part of the movie.
The other aspects of the film - direction, photography, musical scoring - are handled well enough without being noteworthy in any way. For a film advertised as a comedy, there is a very high body count and quite a bit of realistic gore. For my money, "The Late Show" is a somewhat interesting curio, and probably will mostly appeal to Art Carney fans who would enjoy seeing him in an atypical role.
"The Late Show" is reminiscent of some 40's crime movies like "The Big Sleep", where the plot gets so convoluted and hard to follow that after awhile you don't really care about it much and just sit back and enjoy the characters and atmosphere. The initial premise here is intriguing enough, but the mystery doesn't get any more interesting as it goes along, and the writing is not particularly inspired. The actors (mostly) give it all they've got though - Art Carney gives a great performance as aging private eye Ira Wells, and the supporting cast is excellent as well: Eugene Roche, Bill Macy, Howard Duff, Joanna Cassidy, John Considine and Ruth Nelson all fall easily into the Neo-Noir style of the piece and do justice to their characters.
There is one fly in the casting ointment: Lily Tomlin. I was surprised this time around at how self-conscious and amateurish her performance as Margo Sterling struck me as being. Tomlin doesn't seem to have a handle on who the character is really, so she comes off as trying to act "quirky" because that's what the script indicates, without having any grasp of what's behind it. Her line readings are grating and monotonous, and her timing is off. She doesn't have any chemistry with anyone, not even Carney - she may as well be in a different movie completely. The part really called for someone with more of a theatrical sense, and watching the film again, I kept thinking how much better other actresses could have been in the role. Barbara Harris and Bette Midler both came to mind - Harris had done a similar off-beat type of character the previous year in Alfred Hitchcock's "Family Plot", and IMO she could have brought many more interesting colors to Margo, as well as an authenticity to her flightiness that Tomlin never manages; Midler had yet to break into films in 1977, but the kind of self-centered wackiness that the role required would have been right up her alley. Tomlin, who's comic forte is low-key underplaying, seems uncomfortable and miscast in a part demanding a more flamboyant style - she never fully inhabits the character, which is a major problem when she's such a large part of the movie.
The other aspects of the film - direction, photography, musical scoring - are handled well enough without being noteworthy in any way. For a film advertised as a comedy, there is a very high body count and quite a bit of realistic gore. For my money, "The Late Show" is a somewhat interesting curio, and probably will mostly appeal to Art Carney fans who would enjoy seeing him in an atypical role.
If you lay a hand on me I swear you'll pay for it in your next life!
sol121816 January 2006
**SPOILERS** Nostalgic 1977 movie that's more like a 1940's film-noir crime suspense/drama with an over the hill private eye Ira Wells, Art Carney, teaming up with a middle-age hippie Margo Sperling, Lily Tomlin, to solve the murder of Ira's long-time friend of over 30 years, and also private detective, Harry Regan, Howard Duff.
Harry coming to see Ira at his rooming house one evening collapses and dies right in front of him from a 45 slug in his chest. At Harry's funeral Ira gets to see his friend Charlie, Bill Macy, who has this young woman Margo Sperling with him and want's Ira to find her missing cat Winston. Having no patience to go looking for cats at his age Ira changes his mind when he finds out that Harry was on the case, in finding Winston, at the time of his murder and feels that Harry trying to find Margo's cat may have had something to do with his untimely death. Ira was right dead right.
The serious Ira teaming up with spaced-out, on ideas about life not drugs, Margo realizes that Harry's murder was but a small part of a series of crimes, including at least four other killings, involving big time L.A gangster Ron Birdwell, Eugene Roche. Brdwell's wife Laura, Joanna Cassidy, has been missing for some three days and was involved with a Mr. Whiting who together with his wife both ended up dead.
It takes a while for Ira to get to the bottom of what's been going on between Birdwell and the Whitings but with the help of screwy pseudo-philosophical Margo, who turns out to be a lot smarter then Ira at first thought, he puts all the pieces together. Ira comes up with not only who killed both the Whitings but who murdered his friend Harry Regan as well and, on top of all that, Ira finds Margo's cat Winston. The cat it turns out has been sitting on the evidence, a .32 pistol, to connect all the killings as well as it being used to blackmail Laura; in keeping her mouth shut about who's responsible for a sting of unconnected and unsolved murders in the L.A area.
Art Carney giving the performance of his life as the broken down PI Ira Wells takes it on the chin and in the gut throughout the entire movie from hoodlums like Birdwell and his sadistic bodyguard Lamar, John Considine. Ira also has to puts up with the New Age Guru-like Margo, who he gets to like despite her almost talking him to death.
Lily Tomlin is perfect as the over-age hippie Margo Sperling who also begins to take life seriously when she realizes that she and Ira's lives are in danger in an elaborate scheme to distance the Whiting murders away from those responsible for them and make them look like a robbery gone wrong.
Ira who really got on the case to find who murdered Harry Regan finding Winston was only secondary for him and gets a lot more then he bargained for including a brutal beating by Lamar ,who he later pays back with interest. In the end he finds not only who killed Harry but a new place to stay, Margo's place, after his landlady kicked him out of her house for giving her more headaches and excitement then his rent could compensate her for: $42,50 a month.
Art Carney besides having ulcers problems in the movie as Ira Wells walked with a limp, because of a bum leg, which in real life he really had from being wounded in France, by an exploding German artillery shell in World War Two.
Harry coming to see Ira at his rooming house one evening collapses and dies right in front of him from a 45 slug in his chest. At Harry's funeral Ira gets to see his friend Charlie, Bill Macy, who has this young woman Margo Sperling with him and want's Ira to find her missing cat Winston. Having no patience to go looking for cats at his age Ira changes his mind when he finds out that Harry was on the case, in finding Winston, at the time of his murder and feels that Harry trying to find Margo's cat may have had something to do with his untimely death. Ira was right dead right.
The serious Ira teaming up with spaced-out, on ideas about life not drugs, Margo realizes that Harry's murder was but a small part of a series of crimes, including at least four other killings, involving big time L.A gangster Ron Birdwell, Eugene Roche. Brdwell's wife Laura, Joanna Cassidy, has been missing for some three days and was involved with a Mr. Whiting who together with his wife both ended up dead.
It takes a while for Ira to get to the bottom of what's been going on between Birdwell and the Whitings but with the help of screwy pseudo-philosophical Margo, who turns out to be a lot smarter then Ira at first thought, he puts all the pieces together. Ira comes up with not only who killed both the Whitings but who murdered his friend Harry Regan as well and, on top of all that, Ira finds Margo's cat Winston. The cat it turns out has been sitting on the evidence, a .32 pistol, to connect all the killings as well as it being used to blackmail Laura; in keeping her mouth shut about who's responsible for a sting of unconnected and unsolved murders in the L.A area.
Art Carney giving the performance of his life as the broken down PI Ira Wells takes it on the chin and in the gut throughout the entire movie from hoodlums like Birdwell and his sadistic bodyguard Lamar, John Considine. Ira also has to puts up with the New Age Guru-like Margo, who he gets to like despite her almost talking him to death.
Lily Tomlin is perfect as the over-age hippie Margo Sperling who also begins to take life seriously when she realizes that she and Ira's lives are in danger in an elaborate scheme to distance the Whiting murders away from those responsible for them and make them look like a robbery gone wrong.
Ira who really got on the case to find who murdered Harry Regan finding Winston was only secondary for him and gets a lot more then he bargained for including a brutal beating by Lamar ,who he later pays back with interest. In the end he finds not only who killed Harry but a new place to stay, Margo's place, after his landlady kicked him out of her house for giving her more headaches and excitement then his rent could compensate her for: $42,50 a month.
Art Carney besides having ulcers problems in the movie as Ira Wells walked with a limp, because of a bum leg, which in real life he really had from being wounded in France, by an exploding German artillery shell in World War Two.
Art Carney in Top Form
romanorum18 April 2014
Art Carney is cantankerous Ira Wells, an atypical private detective. Not only does he limp, but he also wears a hearing aid and owns a bleeding ulcer. His takes the local buses to get around, and rents space in a boarding house at $42.50 per month. But Ira, who has wisdom and knows the tricks of the trade, is tough when he has to be. His old time friend, Harry Regan (Howard Duff), has just been shot to death. Says Wells: "Sorry you're going off, pal. You've been real good company." There are stolen stamps. As there is a connection with Harry's death, Wells takes the job offer of wacky Margo (Lily Tomlin) to locate her missing cat Winston, who has been abducted by a bad guy. The complex mystery deepens, and there is adultery and murder; a shady fence surfaces. There is even an exciting car chase. Ira and Margo, who are on opposite ends of the spectrum, eventually become loose-partners. Will our heroes be able to fill in all of the missing pieces? Will Ira even manage to stay alive by movie's end? One gets the impression that Ira would rather go out that way than wind up in a nursing home.
This movie, a throwback to the detective genre of the 1940s, tends more to the dramatic than the comedic. The acting is fine throughout. The chemistry of Art Carney and Lily Tomlim ("on the edge of weird") is splendid for the silver screen. Although the production is hardly expensive, Robert Benton's screenplay is first-class. And all loose ends are tied by movie's end. This feature is worth seeing.
This movie, a throwback to the detective genre of the 1940s, tends more to the dramatic than the comedic. The acting is fine throughout. The chemistry of Art Carney and Lily Tomlim ("on the edge of weird") is splendid for the silver screen. Although the production is hardly expensive, Robert Benton's screenplay is first-class. And all loose ends are tied by movie's end. This feature is worth seeing.
Whether or not you can get past Tomlin's character will greatly influence what you think of the film.
planktonrules29 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
When the film begins, Harry Regan comes knocking on the door of retired fellow private eye Ira Wells (Art Carney). Regan's been shot and soon dies. Wells vows to find the man's murderer...even though he's rather old and paunchy. Soon, he meets a SUPER-quirky lady (Lily Tomlin) who whines again and again about her stolen dog and together the pair get pulled into this mystery.
Whether you like or hate this film is strongly dependent on what you think of Tomlin's character. Some might find her funny and cute. Others, like me, might find her super-annoying and unfunny. For example, when Wells is at his friend's funeral, this woman (who doesn't even know him at this point) interrupts and goes on and on and on insisting Wells must drop everything to retrieve her stolen dog. Lady...the man's friend was JUST MURDERED and you're whining about a dog?! Her complete lack of social skills and empathy really, really annoyed me--to the point that I really didn't care what happened to her. I just wanted her to go away...and stay! A fatal problem that ruins an otherwise interesting take on Film Noir.
By the way, seeing the car explode when Ira shoots the tire of a speeding car was pretty stupid...sloppy and unrealistic.
UPDATE: Soon after I wrote this, another IMDb user,'themathexpert', contacted me to tell me it was stolen cat, not a dog. Oops. Sorry about that. Guess I hated the character so much I was not listening to much of what she said.
Whether you like or hate this film is strongly dependent on what you think of Tomlin's character. Some might find her funny and cute. Others, like me, might find her super-annoying and unfunny. For example, when Wells is at his friend's funeral, this woman (who doesn't even know him at this point) interrupts and goes on and on and on insisting Wells must drop everything to retrieve her stolen dog. Lady...the man's friend was JUST MURDERED and you're whining about a dog?! Her complete lack of social skills and empathy really, really annoyed me--to the point that I really didn't care what happened to her. I just wanted her to go away...and stay! A fatal problem that ruins an otherwise interesting take on Film Noir.
By the way, seeing the car explode when Ira shoots the tire of a speeding car was pretty stupid...sloppy and unrealistic.
UPDATE: Soon after I wrote this, another IMDb user,'themathexpert', contacted me to tell me it was stolen cat, not a dog. Oops. Sorry about that. Guess I hated the character so much I was not listening to much of what she said.
genuine sleeper
Mr. Sandman16 June 2000
For those drained and insulted by most of today's no plot, predictable no brainers, this will come as welcome relief. Most reviewers really don't get this little charmer. The direction is deft, the plot well-constructed and the ensemble acting is always on the mark. Though it was directed by Robert Benton of Kramer vs Kramer fame, it was produced by Robert Altman and his influence is evident. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin have great chemistry together and the cast of veteran character actors is top notch. There are moments of goofy good humor, tragedy, sweet wistfulness and chair-gripping tension. This has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Sandman says check it out!
Deft perfection
hugh-33-5800918 June 2022
You were born dumb and you're gonna die dumb.
SteveSkafte9 March 2010
"The Late Show" is the unexpected combination of several things. Unexpected, not because of the genre, but because of the era. The isn't a very reaching film, and certainly not totally straight-faced compared to the film noirs it is very openly influenced by. Just like the B movies that were once churned out monthly with nothing more than a good lead and a fast-paced script, Robert Benton creates his film in much the same style.
The surprise is Art Carney, giving one of his many more impressive performances. He makes the character real, in a lean script that begs for that kind of focus. Lily Tomlin is certainly convincing, a jumpy personality that would never be present in a classic film of this type, but feels perfectly at home here. I like the look of "The Late Show", the feel and attitude of it. It's a passing thing, but a good time and a thing or two to think about.
The surprise is Art Carney, giving one of his many more impressive performances. He makes the character real, in a lean script that begs for that kind of focus. Lily Tomlin is certainly convincing, a jumpy personality that would never be present in a classic film of this type, but feels perfectly at home here. I like the look of "The Late Show", the feel and attitude of it. It's a passing thing, but a good time and a thing or two to think about.
unique hybrid blend
SnoopyStyle19 May 2015
Ira Wells (Art Carney) is a broke aging private detective in L.A. His friend Harry Regan shows up at his door mortally wounded. Charlie Hatter introduces him to quirky Margo Sperling (Lily Tomlin) who is looking for her stolen cat. Harry was working for Margo before his demise. Ira decides to take on the case and track down Harry's killer. It's a lot of twists and turns with a good amount of danger.
This is a weird hybrid of a movie. It's a little wacky due a lot to Lily Tomlin and her character but it's not exactly a comedy. It has roots in the hard-boiled detective stories. The movie keeps twisting and turning. It is a long winding road to follow. The plot gets a bit confused. It is definitely something different and unique.
This is a weird hybrid of a movie. It's a little wacky due a lot to Lily Tomlin and her character but it's not exactly a comedy. It has roots in the hard-boiled detective stories. The movie keeps twisting and turning. It is a long winding road to follow. The plot gets a bit confused. It is definitely something different and unique.
A Tremendous Screwball Crime Comedy
blakiepeterson2 May 2015
Ira Wells (Art Carney) is a wheezing, semi-retired private dick who is more likely to meet your concerns with a disinterested eye roll than with genuine interest. Margo (Lily Tomlin), on the other hand, is the definition of kooky: she designs every single piece of clothing she wears, is prone to babbling like a Woody Allen heroine, and isn't afraid to ask wheezing, semi-retired private dicks (see what I did there) if they would be interested in helping them find their recently catnapped kitty. They drive each other mad — Ira is too quiet and Margo is too talkative — but I'll be damned if they don't make for a fantastic, if eccentric, detective duo. They're like Nick and Nora Charles, Margo muses at one point, minus the opulence, sex, marriage, doggy sidekick. These days, ulcer related episodes, madcap car chases, tawdry villains, and cat starring plot devices will have to do.
I love The Late Show. I love that it isn't quite a comedy or a neo-noir romp, existing somewhere cheekily in-between. I love Ira's contagious bitterness and his old school haggardness, unafraid to call a woman a dolly instead of an actual name, unafraid to walk around silently when his eyes are quoting Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. I love the hilarious weirdness Tomlin brings to Margo, and how she can deliver snappy lines at lightning speed like it's no big deal. This is an intelligent movie made by intelligent people (Robert Atman is executive producer), one that is both entertaining enough for the casual viewer and whip-smart enough for buffs seeking out something kinda Foul Play and something kinda The Long Goodbye.
When we are first introduced to Ira Wells, he wants to take a break from sleuthing. The world, however, is much too seedy for him to really take a break from cases. This notion becomes abundantly clear when an old friend shows up on his doorstep, shot in the stomach, dead only a few seconds later. Poor Ira. With his hearing aids, huge gut, and graying hairline, he's so unhealthy looking that he seems like the kind to go to a local diner, ask for the senior menu, only to suddenly have a heart attack. But whatever. Crime comes calling, you may as well answer back. After the funeral, he is approached by, you guessed it, Margo, inquiring about, you guessed it, her stolen cat. Ira takes the case, hesitantly, I might add, but much to his dismay, he finds that the situation is much more complicated than it seems. After years of thinking he's probably seen it all, he becomes tangled in a big ole mess of deceit, murder, and deadly femmes. The usual.
But The Late Show is hardly a Harper or a Farewell, My Lovely. Ira is way too old to still be in the game, and a woman like Margo should not be tagging along as his Lauren Bacall. I can't say that The Late Show knows this and "runs with it", because it doesn't necessarily run with it. It knows that it concocts a questionable situation, but instead of trying to make things outrageously zany to match the oddness, it just shrugs and lets things happen. Funny things. Tomlin is a ball of fire, inhabiting a role Barbara Stanwyck or Katharine Hepburn may have landed in their glory days; her chemistry with Carney is so backward that we can't help but sit back and wonder aloud how these two will ever get along. When they do, for better or worse, the rapport is wondrous. When they don't, the rapport is still wondrous. With Tomlin in tow, the mandatory "detecting" scenes become electric after years of cynicism: who knew that a shady run-in with a suspicious wife and a dead body could ring with such infectious humor?
As the ending approached, the sadder I became: I didn't want The Late Show to end. Of course, it's too good to have a sequel or a later sitcom of the same name, but I think the point is that I could watch Ira and Margo solve cases together for hours upon hours. Ira is the kind of intimidating question mark you want to get to know, and Margo has the kind of voice you want to hear mumbling at a constant pace. I like these people, and we simply don't have enough movies that are smart but also emotionally involving. Like the best of comedies, this one is effortlessly engaging.
Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com
I love The Late Show. I love that it isn't quite a comedy or a neo-noir romp, existing somewhere cheekily in-between. I love Ira's contagious bitterness and his old school haggardness, unafraid to call a woman a dolly instead of an actual name, unafraid to walk around silently when his eyes are quoting Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon. I love the hilarious weirdness Tomlin brings to Margo, and how she can deliver snappy lines at lightning speed like it's no big deal. This is an intelligent movie made by intelligent people (Robert Atman is executive producer), one that is both entertaining enough for the casual viewer and whip-smart enough for buffs seeking out something kinda Foul Play and something kinda The Long Goodbye.
When we are first introduced to Ira Wells, he wants to take a break from sleuthing. The world, however, is much too seedy for him to really take a break from cases. This notion becomes abundantly clear when an old friend shows up on his doorstep, shot in the stomach, dead only a few seconds later. Poor Ira. With his hearing aids, huge gut, and graying hairline, he's so unhealthy looking that he seems like the kind to go to a local diner, ask for the senior menu, only to suddenly have a heart attack. But whatever. Crime comes calling, you may as well answer back. After the funeral, he is approached by, you guessed it, Margo, inquiring about, you guessed it, her stolen cat. Ira takes the case, hesitantly, I might add, but much to his dismay, he finds that the situation is much more complicated than it seems. After years of thinking he's probably seen it all, he becomes tangled in a big ole mess of deceit, murder, and deadly femmes. The usual.
But The Late Show is hardly a Harper or a Farewell, My Lovely. Ira is way too old to still be in the game, and a woman like Margo should not be tagging along as his Lauren Bacall. I can't say that The Late Show knows this and "runs with it", because it doesn't necessarily run with it. It knows that it concocts a questionable situation, but instead of trying to make things outrageously zany to match the oddness, it just shrugs and lets things happen. Funny things. Tomlin is a ball of fire, inhabiting a role Barbara Stanwyck or Katharine Hepburn may have landed in their glory days; her chemistry with Carney is so backward that we can't help but sit back and wonder aloud how these two will ever get along. When they do, for better or worse, the rapport is wondrous. When they don't, the rapport is still wondrous. With Tomlin in tow, the mandatory "detecting" scenes become electric after years of cynicism: who knew that a shady run-in with a suspicious wife and a dead body could ring with such infectious humor?
As the ending approached, the sadder I became: I didn't want The Late Show to end. Of course, it's too good to have a sequel or a later sitcom of the same name, but I think the point is that I could watch Ira and Margo solve cases together for hours upon hours. Ira is the kind of intimidating question mark you want to get to know, and Margo has the kind of voice you want to hear mumbling at a constant pace. I like these people, and we simply don't have enough movies that are smart but also emotionally involving. Like the best of comedies, this one is effortlessly engaging.
Read more reviews at petersonreviews.com
fun group. script needed jazzing up
ksf-214 September 2021
Stars Lily Tomlin, Art Carney, and Bill Macy as Margo, Ira, and Charlie. Carney had been the upstairs neighbor in Jackie Gleason's Honeymooners, a HUGELY, successful, early comedy series, right at the beginning of television. And at about six minutes in, I think we hear Elaine May as the newscaster voice. Not in the credits. When Margo's cat goes missing, she tries to hire Ira to track him down. But he is annoyed at being hired to find a cat. Clearly, there's a bigger thing going on there. Young Lily T... older Art Carney. Story gets kind of silly after that. The middle goes pretty slow. And the ending too. Not a whole lot going on here, in spite of the awesome main characters. Written and directed by Robert Benton. He was Quality, not Quantity....he didn't write or direct a lot of films, but the ones he did write were good! He was a writer on What's Up Doc, which was INCREDIBLE! Benton won Three oscars, and was nominated for a ton more.
Minor Benton Effort
jmillerdp19 May 2015
I've never thought that many of Robert Benton's movies were great, they are more low-key dramas. So, with "The Late Show," this follows suit.
Art Carney is great, but he is a naturally skilled actor. Lily Tomlin is pretty routine. The cinematography, such as it is, is fairly dull and poorly lit. The music is good, and is composed by the one person who seems to be in on the neo-noir concept in a genuine way.
The story is supposed to be a comedy-drama, but there is really no comedy. So, it's just drama, which here is neo-noir, with lots of "doll" this or "doll" that in the screenplay. The goings on are just too morose, and the script too closely follows the convoluted film noir plot formula for its own good.
Missed opportunities all around.
***** (5 Out of 10 Stars)
Art Carney is great, but he is a naturally skilled actor. Lily Tomlin is pretty routine. The cinematography, such as it is, is fairly dull and poorly lit. The music is good, and is composed by the one person who seems to be in on the neo-noir concept in a genuine way.
The story is supposed to be a comedy-drama, but there is really no comedy. So, it's just drama, which here is neo-noir, with lots of "doll" this or "doll" that in the screenplay. The goings on are just too morose, and the script too closely follows the convoluted film noir plot formula for its own good.
Missed opportunities all around.
***** (5 Out of 10 Stars)
Great fun
howard.schumann16 August 2015
The Late Show is a murder mystery, a comedy, and a sort of romantic relationship that is so entertaining and real that you don't even mind that you can't follow the plot. The film was directed by Robert Benton who received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay and stars Art Carney ("Harry and Tonto") and Lily Tomin, (nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress) in two terrific performances.
In the film, a takeoff on 40s film noir, Ira Wells (Carney) is a sixty-something washed up private eye with a bum leg and a perforated ulcer and his client Margo Stirling (Lily Tomlin) is a slightly wacky but charming woman (also irritating), fluent in seventies enlightenment lingo. Together they team up to look for the creep that killed Ira's best friend Harry Regan (Howard Duff). And not so quiet flows the blood as well as the laughs as they unravel a convoluted plot that requires a PhD minimum to understand. The blood is there to remind us that it is serious business. Otherwise, we would never know. It's such great fun.
In the film, a takeoff on 40s film noir, Ira Wells (Carney) is a sixty-something washed up private eye with a bum leg and a perforated ulcer and his client Margo Stirling (Lily Tomlin) is a slightly wacky but charming woman (also irritating), fluent in seventies enlightenment lingo. Together they team up to look for the creep that killed Ira's best friend Harry Regan (Howard Duff). And not so quiet flows the blood as well as the laughs as they unravel a convoluted plot that requires a PhD minimum to understand. The blood is there to remind us that it is serious business. Otherwise, we would never know. It's such great fun.
Dated detective in a dated movie .....
merklekranz12 September 2019
Mismatched senior citizen, Carney, and free spirit, Tomlin working to solve a case involving a stolen cat and a dead private eye. The interaction between the two is about what you would expect, in other words friction that wears thin as the film progresses. The real problem is not the acting, but the script. It is confusing, and other than the two leads, character development is lacking. Anytime a movie has to pause numerous times so that action the audience has not seen can be explained as things move along, it is merely a crutch for a weak script. The viewer then is not only grasping to understand, but is losing interest, due to the stopping and starting. "The Late Show" would have been far better if the script was more fully developed. - MERK
Is it supposed to be funny or dramatic?
bregund2 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Because it's neither. Twice I have tried to watch this film, and each time I got about halfway through before I called it quits. In the right role Lily Tomlin pops off the screen, here her performance is lethargic and her timing is way off. I suspect it has a lot to do with Art Carney's performance...sometimes a mismatched buddy comedy really works like Rush Hour or Lethal Weapon. In this film I kept waiting for something to happen, and while the clues roll out, they emerge with all the speed and snap of a sleepy tortoise. If they had picked up the pace this could have been an interesting film, but constantly referring to how old Art Carney's character is does nothing but slow the film down. Even the retirement home sci-fi film Cocoon proved that older actors can entertain with snappy dialogue and quick cuts, so there is no excuse for this film's glacial pace. Fool me twice, shame on me.
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