The Late Show

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

1977 1h 33m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 69

MysteryCrimeComedyThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.

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

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Art Carney
Ira Wells
Lily Tomlin
Margo
Bill Macy
Charlie Hatter
Eugene Roche
Ron Birdwell
Joanna Cassidy
Laura Birdwell
John Considine
Lamar
Ruth Nelson
Mrs. Schmidt
John Davey
Sergeant Dayton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Benton
Writers: Robert Benton
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Charles Rosher Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kenneth Wannberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Appleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Art Carney and Lily Tomlin and Bill Macy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0076301 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 69 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Benton directs. Charles Rosher Jr. behind the camera. Kenneth Wannberg scores. Peter Appleton cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

149 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Robert Benton, shot by Charles Rosher Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Kenneth Wannberg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Peter Appleton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Art Carney and Lily Tomlin and Bill Macy carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The nicest movie you'll ever see about murder and blackmail.".
7IMDB entry: tt0076301 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 69 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Rosher Jr.
Original score: Kenneth Wannberg
Editing: Peter Appleton
Makeup / hair: Monty Westmore
Sound: Richard Portman
Stunt coordinator: Paul Baxley
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Late Show (1977)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Robert Benton

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-19
★ 7/10
When “Charlie” (Bill Macy) turns up to talk to his old PI pal “Ira” (Art Carney) about helping “Margo” (Lily Tomlin) to track down her kidnapped cat, then he gets short shrift. He is far more concerned with finding the people who recently murdered his partner and thinks she ought to just pay the “ransom”. She’s not got two cents to rub together, however, and so uses her wits to intrigue the man into following up her complaint against “Birdwell” (Eugene Roche) and his cashmere-clad henchman “Lamar” (John Considine). The first meeting doesn’t go so well - even if he does get a free Van Heusen shirt - but it does start a ball rolling for this curmudgeonly old grump who realises that his search for the killer and for her kitty are in some way connected. Tomlin’s on good form here but it’s Carney who steals this as his out-of-shape and cynical “Ira” sweats, huffs and puffs his way through a cheery detective yarn with an agreeable pace, some pithy dialogue and daft scenarios that reminded me of a sort of “Rockford Files” meets “McQ” enterprise. It does reset itself a little too often, but it’s still an enjoyable parody of many things from this genre that have gone before and I did enjoy it.

Production companies