Marlowe (1969)
Marlowe (1969), directed by Paul Bogart.
This is a very loose adaptation of Chandler's The Little Sister. We have the broad outline and even some dialogue, but everything else is changed.
It is not very exciting or coherently constructed. On the plus side we have a good cast and a lovely look at the 1960s, which if not as stylish as the 1940s, has color. They avoid too much hippie art.
The cast:
James Garner provides his usual charm and dry wit. He's tough enough, but Marlowe spends a lot of time being beat up and drugged. This being the movies, his love life is much richer than in the books.
Gayle Hunnicutt, a remarkable beauty, plays a famous actress. I remember her from Legend of Hell House, The (1973) and as Irene Adler in the Jeremy Brett "Sherlock Holmes".
Rita Moreno is the actress's friend. In this version she is an "exotic dancer" and her striptease must have been pushing it for 1969: she's as near naked as makes no difference. Moreno has a remarkable filmography: Singin' in the Rain (1952), West Side Story (1961), Night of the Following Day, The (1968).
Carroll O'Connor is the much put-upon police Lt. The police are not fond of private eyes in the books. People forget that O'Connor had a film career before "All in the Family": Lonely Are the Brave (1962), Point Blank (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970).
Kenneth Tobey is another police detective. He was an icon of my youth for all those 1950s b&w science fiction films such as Thing from Another World, The (1951). I'm always shocked by his bright red hair in color films.
Bruce Lee is wasted in his two scenes. His exit is absurd.
William H. Daniels is a studio functionary.
Photographed by William H. Daniels, who goes way back:
Available on Blu-ray from Arrow, a wonderful image, "film-like" as we used to say.
