Shamus (film)

Last updated
Shamus
Shamus-poster.jpg
Directed by Buzz Kulik
Written byBarry Beckerman
Produced by Robert M. Weitman
Starring Burt Reynolds
Dyan Cannon
John Ryan
Joe Santos
Giorgio Tozzi
Ron Weyand
Cinematography Victor J. Kemper
Edited by Walter Thompson
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Robert M. Weitman Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • January 31, 1973 (1973-01-31)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3,300,000 (US/ Canada rentals) [1]

Shamus is a 1973 American comedy thriller film directed by Buzz Kulik, and starring Burt Reynolds and Dyan Cannon. The word "shamus" means "detective" in American slang.

Contents

Plot

New York private detective, Shamus McCoy, is called to the house of Hume, an eccentric diamond dealer, and is given the task of recovering some stolen diamonds. His investigation is thwarted at every turn and it is only when he is beaten by a gang of thugs to warn him off the job that he realizes that he's onto something really big. Using his friend Springy as well as Alexis Montaigne, the sister of a nightclub owner, McCoy digs for the truth about the robbery. [2] The trail leads to an Army colonel called Hardcore who is in cahoots with Alexis's brother, then full circle to Hume, who is behind the plot all along.

Cast

Production

Development

The film was produced by Robert M. Weitman, who had a multi-picture deal with Columbia, the first of which was The Anderson Tapes . Reynolds' signing was announced in February 1972. By this stage Buzz Kulik was attached as director and Sam Pessim was writing the script. [3]

Weitman had known Reynolds since the 1960s when he tried to get the actor to appear in a TV series The Lieutenant. Weitman discovered Barry Beckerman's script when he was at MGM in the 1960s. It was then set in the 1940s. Weitman took the script with him when he went to Columbia and set it up as his second film there, getting Beckerman to rewrite it so it was set in the 1970s. Steve McQueen was suggested for the lead but Weitman wanted to go with Reynolds. "To me", he said, "Burt had always worked. I looked at things he'd done and said 'He's funny. He throws away lines like a Kleenex. He was like a hidden iceberg'." [4]

It was the first film Reynolds signed for since publication of the Cosmo centerfold. [5]

Dyan Cannon had been in semi-retirement since her bad experience on Such Good Friends but agreed to make the film after seeing Reynolds perform on stage in The Rainmaker. "It's Bogart and Bacall all over again", said Weitman. [4]

Filming locations

Filmed in New York City, military scenes filmed at Headquarters 1/101 Cavalry NYARNG (New York Army National Guard) located at 321 Manor Road, Staten Island, New York. End credits mention special thanks to The 42nd Division (Rainbow Division) 1/101 Cavalry

During filming Reynolds was mobbed by 3,000 fans. [6]

Reception

Variety wrote a negative review of Shamus stating that the film is "confusing...scripter Barry Beckerman drags in an assortment of mostly unexplained characters but some dandy rough work – and finales in a fine fog. Perhaps something was lost in translation to the screen." [7] Roger Greenspun wrote that the film "is full of appealing New York locations and much inventive action, ultimately amounts to little more than the kind of situation melodrama that the movies these days offer for excitement. On this level it is workmanlike, well paced, modest, sometimes scary, and sometimes genuinely funny." [8]

Burt Reynolds said it was "not a bad film, kind of cute. If the picture had been as good as the title sequence it would have made millions. As it was it made $5 million." [9]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 25% of eight critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.5/10. [10]

Sequel

Robert M. Weitman produced a TV movie about the same character titled A Matter of Wife... and Death (1976) with the role played by Rod Taylor. It was a pilot for a prospective series that did not come to be. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyan Cannon</span> American actress and filmmaker (born 1937)

Dyan Cannon is an American actress, filmmaker and editor. Her accolades include a Saturn Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Academy Award nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was named Female Star of the Year by the National Association of Theatre Owners in 1973 and the Hollywood Women's Press Club in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris the Cat</span> Advertising mascot for cat food

Morris the Cat is the advertising mascot for 9Lives brand cat food, appearing on its packaging and in many of its television commercials since the 1970s.

<i>The Longest Yard</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Robert Aldrich

The Longest Yard is a 1974 American prison sports comedy-drama film directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Tracy Keenan Wynn, based on a story by producer Albert S. Ruddy, and starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad and James Hampton. The film was released as The Mean Machine in the United Kingdom and South Africa. The film follows a former NFL player recruiting a group of prisoners and playing football against their guards. It features many real-life football players, including Green Bay Packers legend Ray Nitschke.

<i>Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice</i> 1969 film by Paul Mazursky

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is a 1969 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky, written by Mazursky and Larry Tucker, who also produced the film, and starring Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon. The original music score was composed by Quincy Jones. The cinematography for the film was by Charles Lang. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including ones for Gould and Cannon. Patricia Welles wrote the paperback novel from Mazursky and Tucker's screenplay.

<i>Shaft in Africa</i> 1973 film by John Guillermin

Shaft in Africa is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by John Guillermin, and the third film of the Shaft series, starring Richard Roundtree as John Shaft. Stirling Silliphant wrote the screenplay. The film's budget was $1.5 million, but the film was a box office flop, grossing just $1 million. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer quickly sold the property to television, but the television series was cancelled after just seven episodes.

<i>100 Rifles</i> 1969 American Western film

100 Rifles is a 1969 American Western film directed by Tom Gries and starring Jim Brown, Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. It is based on Robert MacLeod's 1966 novel The Californio. The film was shot in Spain. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who had previously also scored Bandolero!, another Western starring Welch.

<i>Singin in the Rain</i> 1952 American musical-romantic comedy film

Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno and Cyd Charisse in supporting roles. It offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies".

<i>The Last of Sheila</i> 1973 mystery thriller film directed by Herbert Ross

The Last of Sheila is a 1973 American whodunnit mystery film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim. It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Raquel Welch.

<i>The Anderson Tapes</i> 1971 film by Sidney Lumet

The Anderson Tapes is a 1971 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Sean Connery and featuring Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam and Alan King. The screenplay was written by Frank Pierson, based upon a best-selling 1970 novel of the same name by Lawrence Sanders. The film is scored by Quincy Jones and marks the feature film debut of Christopher Walken.

<i>Stroker Ace</i> 1983 film by Hal Needham

Stroker Ace is a 1983 American action comedy sport film directed by Hal Needham and starring Burt Reynolds as the eponymous Stroker Ace, a NASCAR driver.

<i>White Lightning</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by Joseph Sargent

White Lightning is a 1973 American action film directed by Joseph Sargent, written by William W. Norton, and starring Burt Reynolds, Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, R. G. Armstrong and Diane Ladd. It marked Laura Dern's film debut.

<i>Gator</i> (film) 1976 film by Burt Reynolds

Gator is a 1976 American action comedy film and a sequel to White Lightning starring and directed by Burt Reynolds in his directorial debut.

<i>A Matter of Wife... and Death</i> 1975 American TV series or program

A Matter of Wife... and Death is a 1975 American made-for-television crime drama mystery film. It is a sequel to the 1973 film Shamus and was intended as a pilot for a series. The teleplay was written by Don Ingalls and the film directed by Marvin Chomsky, with former head of production at MGM Robert M. Weitman as the producer. The film was broadcast on NBC on May 3, 1975.

<i>The Train Robbers</i> 1973 film by Burt Kennedy

The Train Robbers is a 1973 American Western film written and directed by Burt Kennedy and starring John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod Taylor, Ben Johnson, and Ricardo Montalbán. Filming took place in Sierra de Órganos National Park in the town of Sombrerete, Mexico. Two brief scenes take place in the square that was used for the final shootout in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

<i>The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas</i> (film) 1982 film by Colin Higgins

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 American musical comedy film co-written, produced and directed by Colin Higgins. An adaptation of the 1978 Broadway musical of the same name, the film stars Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning and Dom DeLuise.

<i>Doctors Wives</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by George Schaefer

Doctors' Wives is a 1971 American drama film directed by George Schaefer and starring Dyan Cannon, Richard Crenna, Gene Hackman, Carroll O'Connor, Rachel Roberts, Janice Rule, Diana Sands and Cara Williams. It was based on a novel by Frank G. Slaughter.

<i>Breaking In</i> (1989 film) 1989 film by Bill Forsyth

Breaking In is a 1989 American crime comedy film directed by Bill Forsyth, written by John Sayles, and starring Burt Reynolds, Casey Siemaszko and Lorraine Toussaint. The film follows professional small-time criminals as they live and practice their trades.

Seymour "Buzz" Kulik was an American film director and producer. He directed 72 films and television shows, including the landmark CBS television network anthology series Playhouse 90 and several episodes of The Twilight Zone. Kulik went on to direct made-for-TV movies, such as Brian's Song.

<i>The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing</i> (film) 1973 film

The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing is a 1973 American Western film adaptation of Marilyn Durham's novel of the same name directed by Richard C. Sarafian, written by Eleanor Perry and William W. Norton, and starring Burt Reynolds and Sarah Miles.

<i>How Sweet It Is</i> (2013 film) 2013 American film

How Sweet It Is is a 2013 American independent musical comedy-drama film directed by Brian Herzlinger and written by Herzlinger and Jay Black. The film stars Joe Piscopo, Erika Christensen, Erich Bergen, Michael Paré, and Paul Sorvino. It was released in select theaters in the United States on May 10, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974 p 19
  2. ↑ Fountain, Clarke. "Shamus: Overview". Allmovie. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  3. ↑ Murphy, Mary (Feb 11, 1972). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Shamus' Next for Reynolds". Los Angeles Times. p. h12.
  4. 1 2 Haber, Joyce (Apr 8, 1973). "A Phi Beta Producer Who Goes With the Public". Los Angeles Times. p. q19.
  5. ↑ Eliot, Marc (27 July 1982). "The infamous Cosmo centerfold: Burt takes it all off--and career takes off". Chicago Tribune. p. b1.
  6. ↑ Kramer, Carol (May 21, 1972). "The naked truth is Burt'll stay clothed". Chicago Tribune. p. m8.
  7. ↑ "Shamus Review [subscription required]". Variety . January 1, 1973. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  8. ↑ Greenspun, Roger (February 1, 1973). "Burt Reynolds Recalls Era of the Private Eye in 'Shamus'". New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ Siskel, Gene (Nov 28, 1976). "Workaholic Burt Reynolds sets up his next task: Light comedy". Chicago Tribune. p. e2.
  10. ↑ "Shamus". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 10, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "ROD TAYLOR STARS IN PILOT BASED ON 'SHAMUS' PICTURE". Los Angeles Times. Apr 6, 1975. p. l3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.