Product Details

• Actors: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche, Joanna Cassidy
• Directors: Robert Benton
• Writers: Robert Benton
• Producers: Robert Altman
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: March 30, 2004
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00013WVL2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,148 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Late Show" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Writer-director Robert Benton, who examined a similar story in 1998's "Twilight," first explored the territory of the geriatric private eye in this sadly underrated 1977 delight. Art Carney stars as a nearly retired detective who suddenly finds himself caught up in two seemingly separate cases. One involves the murder of his former partner (Howard Duff); the other entangles him with a flaky post-hippie (Lily Tomlin), who wants him to find her missing cat. The two cases eventually dovetail, but the plot--which leads them to a Hollywood crime bigwig played by the affable Eugene Roche--is of less interest than the almost magical chemistry between the crotchety Carney and the wonderfully off-the-wall Tomlin. The perfect film for anyone who likes their mysteries in the Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler mode. "--Marshall Fine"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Detective movie!, September 18, 2000

By 

"skipmccoy" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Late Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Along with Night Moves,(and obviously Chinatown) this one of my favorite detective films from the 70s. Art Carney and Lily Tomlin are a great pair and they help make a good movie even better. Robert Benton(Bad Company, Nobondy's Fool, Twilight) has made a great film here that is at once a tribute and a commentary on Raymond Chandler-type films. Carney is great as an aging PI who is hired to find a cat and ends up embroiled in a much larger story. The dialogue here is so well done-it's very stylish-throwback dialogue if you will. I love this movie and it seems that so few people have seen it. I own it and any fan of the Maltese Falcon or the Big Sleep should too.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A forgotten gem, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Late Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I can't believe no one else has reviewed this fine movie. Art Carney has never been better, even in Harry and Tonto, and Bill Macy does a fine turn as a small-time con man. Lily has some classic lines, like her description of Macy's trash Cadillac; ``This car is a toilet and you're the attendant''.

Partly a send up of private detective movies and partly a charming buddy movie (Art and Lily), this belongs in anyone's collection. And if you've never seen it . . . well, you're in for a treat indeed.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Endearing, First-Rate Murder Mystery, November 24, 2004

By 

C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Late Show (DVD)

An endearing murder mystery, with great chemistry between Art Carney and Lily Tomlin. Carney is an aging, gruff private eye with a bad leg, a bleeding ulcer and a hearing aid. Tomlim is an off-kilter woman who believes in reincarnation and occasionally sells a little dope. She wants to hire Carney to find her cat. From there we have belly shots, beatings and blackmail. It's a nice, complicated mystery. Tomlin has a great scene with a refrigerator. And the ending is satisfying.

If people ever thought Tomlin wasn't a skilled actress, they should watch this film and Nashville. Shame she hasn't had more of a movie career. I think she's an attractive woman, but no Hollywood starlette type. She's got a long face, a skeptical intelligence about her, and wicked humor. On the other hand, she could play with great vulnerability (Nashville).

First rate movie. First rate actress. Carney was certainly her equal in the film, and Bill Macy plays a memorable sleaze.