Source: Some information on this page may have been sourced as part of the 2023 Wikimedia Australia Partnership Projects grant, with the purpose of improving and expanding the use of Wikidata on our website. Wikidata is a free and open knowledge base that can be read and edited by both humans and machines. Read more about this project here.
Ira Wells (Art Carney) is an ageing private eye trying to solve the murder of his ex-partner (Howard Duff), “helped” by Margo (Lily Tomlin), a flaky, aimless young woman. The chemistry between Carney and Tomlin is perfect and echoes of Chandler and Hammett resound in Benton’s complex but likeable script. This quietly authoritative show-stopper is a marvellous comment on classics like “The Maltese Falcon” and “The Big Sleep”, while at the same time taking its place beside them as a superior example of the genre. Also starring Bill Macy and Eugene Roche. Co-starring Joanna Cassidy, John Considine, Ruth Nelson, Howard Duff and John Davey.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
306113
Language
English
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)