The Late Show

"The nicest movie you'll ever see about murder and blackmail."

Jul 4 1977 PG 1h 33m
Comedy, Mystery, Thriller

Over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another 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.

Plot

Ira Wells is an aged retired Los Angeles, California based private investigator who comes out of retirement when his former partner, Harry Regan, shows up on his doorstep with a bullet wound to the gut and dies. Ira wants to find out who killed Harry. Ira is contacted by another long-time acquaintance, Charlie Hatter, a self-proclaimed loser and Hollywood hack, about Harry's last case. Harry's client was Margo Sterling, a former client of Charlie's who is a flaky, penniless new-age actress, agent, and dress maker. She hired Harry to retrieve her missing cat, Winston, who is being held ransom by an acquaintance named Brian Hemphill, who stole Winston because Margo "borrowed" money. With all this, Ira has to figure out what would be the reason for someone to kill Harry.

Written by

Robert Benton

Directed by

Robert Benton

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures, Lions Gate Films

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 4 wins & 7 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
3,786
Average Rating
6.8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA