The Late Show (1977)

Such a frustrating disappointment

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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.

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)

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

Directed by Robert Benton, "The Late Show" (1977) stars Art Carney as Ira Wells, an elderly private detective. When he's hired to find the missing cat of the volatile Margo (Lily Tomlin), Wells is provided an opportunity to showcase his talents."Show" was produced by Robert Altman. It also bears some similarities to Altman's "The Long Goodbye" (1973), both films opening with a missing feline and both films transplanting a 1940s noir hero to the 1970s. Wells is caught out of time, is chastised for being "old", "out of touch" and "outdated", but nevertheless proceeds to prove his doubters wrong. The film climaxes with Margo and Welles unravelling a conspiracy that is wholly typical of the genre.Whilst Carney and Tomlin are endearing in their roles, "The Late Show" doesn't do enough to rise above similar films from the era ("Chandler", "Harper", "Marlowe", "Night Movies", "The Long Goodbye" etc). Benton would revisit similar material with 1998's "Twilight".7/10 – See "Cutter's Way".