The Carey Treatment

Last updated
The Carey Treatment
Thecareytreatmentposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Blake Edwards
Screenplay byJames P. Bonner
(pseudonym for
Harriet Frank Jr.
Irving Ravetch)
Based on A Case of Need
1968 novel
by Jeffery Hudson (pseudonym for Michael Crichton)
Produced by William Belasco
Starring James Coburn
Jennifer O'Neill
Pat Hingle
Cinematography Frank Stanley
Edited by Ralph E. Winters
Music by Roy Budd
Production
company
Geoffrey Productions
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • March 29, 1972 (1972-03-29)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Carey Treatment is a 1972 American crime thriller film directed by Blake Edwards and starring James Coburn, Jennifer O'Neill, Dan O'Herlihy and Pat Hingle. The film was based on the 1968 novel A Case of Need credited to Jeffery Hudson, a pseudonym for Michael Crichton. Like Darling Lili and Wild Rovers before this, The Carey Treatment was heavily edited without help from Edwards by the studio into a running time of one hour and 41 minutes; these edits were later satirized in his 1981 black comedy S.O.B. . [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Dr. Peter Carey is a pathologist who moves to Boston, where he starts working in a hospital. He soon meets Georgia Hightower, with whom he falls in love. Karen Randall, daughter of the hospital's Chief Doctor, becomes pregnant and is brought to the emergency ward after an illegal abortion. She dies there, and Dr. David Tao, a brilliant surgeon and friend of Carey, is arrested and accused of being responsible for the illegal abortion. Carey does not believe his friend to be guilty and starts investigating on his own, despite strong opposition by the police and the doctors around the hospital's chief.

Cast

Production

Development

Film rights were bought in August 1968 by A&M Productions, the production company of Herb Alpert. They said filming would take place the following year in Boston. [3] In October Perry Leff signed Wendell Mayes to a two-picture contract to write and produce, the first of which was to be A Case of Need. [4] [5] [6]

Film rights were then picked up by MGM. In March 1971 it was announced Bill Belasco was producing and Harriet Frank Jr. and Irving Ravetch were working on a script. [7]

In June Blake Edwards signed to direct. [8] This was considered surprising because Edwards had clashed with MGM's chief executive, James Aubrey, during the making of The Wild Rovers. Edwards' wife Julie Andrews later wrote "for reasons I can only guess at, Blake took the bait. Perhaps there was some compulsion on his part to make things right, or perhaps he simply wanted to finally win out against the man who had caused him such pain." [9]

Aubrey promised Edwards he would finance The Green Man, a project of Edwards' to star Julie Andrews.

The cast included Aubrey's daughter Skye,

Shooting

Filming started in September 1971 under the title A Case of Need. [10] It was a difficult shoot with Edwards claiming Aubrey cut his schedule and refused to let Edwards rewrite the script. Edwards left the film after completing it. [11]

Edwards launched a breach of contract suit against MGM and president James T. Aubrey for their post production tampering of the film. [12] Edwards:

The whole experience was, in terms of filmmaking, extraordinarily destructive. The temper and tantrums from my producer, William Belasco, were such that he insulted me in front of the cast and crew and offered to bet me $1,000 that I'd never work in Hollywood again if I didn't do everything his and Aubrey's way. They told me that they didn't want quality, just a viewable film. The crew felt so bad about the way I was treated that they gave me a party – and usually it's the other way round. I know I've been guilty of excuses but my God what do you have to do to pay your dues? I made Wild Rovers for MGM and kept quiet when they recut it. But this time I couldn't take it. I played fair. They didn't. [11]

Coburn later said "You know, I don’t mind that film. I liked my work on it. There again the studio (MGM) fucked it up. They cut ten days out of the schedule. They pulled the plug on us early. It’s too bad. We did shoot the film on location in Boston though." [13]

Reception

Critical response

The Carey Treatment received mostly mixed to negative reviews from critics.

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 5 reviews, with an average score or 5.20/10. [14]

Vincent Canby, writing for The New York Times , was amused by The Carey Treatment but wrote, "...I don't think we have to take this too seriously, for The Carey Treatment, like so many respectable private-eye movies, is sustained almost entirely by irrelevancies." [15]

Roger Ebert wrote, "The problem is in the script. There are long, sterile patches of dialog during which nothing at all is communicated. These are no doubt important in order to convey the essential meaninglessness of life, but how can a director make them interesting? Edwards tries." [16]

The Los Angeles Times called it "Edwards' best movie in years" and Coburn's "best role since moving up from supporting player to star." [17]

Variety said it was "written, directed, timed, paced and cast like a feature-for-tv... a serviceable release... Jennifer O'Neill... graces with her beauty plots to which she has absolutely no integral contribution." [18]

Accolades

Edgar Allan Poe Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Peppard</span> American actor (1928–1994)

George Peppard was an American actor. He secured a major role as struggling writer Paul Varjak when he starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and later portrayed a character based on Howard Hughes in The Carpetbaggers (1964). On television, he played the title role of millionaire insurance investigator and sleuth Thomas Banacek in the early-1970s mystery series Banacek. He played Col. John "Hannibal" Smith, the cigar-smoking leader of a renegade commando squad in the 1980s action television series The A-Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Edwards</span> American filmmaker (1922–2010)

Blake Edwards was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Andrews</span> British actress, singer, and author (born 1935)

Dame Julie Andrews is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for three Tony Awards. One of the biggest box office draws of the 1960s, Andrews has been honoured with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Coburn</span> American actor (1928–2002)

James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

<i>Victor/Victoria</i> 1982 film by Blake Edwards

Victor/Victoria is a 1982 musical comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews, James Garner, Robert Preston, Lesley Ann Warren, Alex Karras, and John Rhys-Davies. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Tony Adams and scored by Henry Mancini, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Victor/Victoria was adapted as a Broadway musical in 1995. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score. It is a remake of the 1933 German film Victor and Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Tidyman</span> American author and screenwriter (1928–1984)

Ernest Ralph Tidyman was an American author and screenwriter, best known for his novels featuring the African-American detective John Shaft. His screenplay for The French Connection garnered him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe Award, a Writers Guild of America Award, and an Edgar Award. In 1971, he also co-wrote the screenplay for the film version of Shaft with John D. F. Black.

<i>S.O.B.</i> (film) 1981 American comedy directed by Blake Edwards

S.O.B. is a 1981 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards, starring Julie Andrews, Richard Mulligan, Robert Preston, Larry Hagman, Robert Vaughn, Robert Webber, Loretta Swit, Shelley Winters, and William Holden in his final film role. The film was produced by Lorimar and was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1, 1981.

<i>The Americanization of Emily</i> 1964 black comedy war film written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Arthur Hiller

The Americanization of Emily is a 1964 American black-and-white black comedy anti-war film directed by Arthur Hiller, written by Paddy Chayefsky, and starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, Melvyn Douglas, James Coburn, Joyce Grenfell, and Keenan Wynn. Set during World War II, the film follows a United States Navy adjutant who is roped into a reckless interservice rivalry-fueled stunt by his superiors, becoming a war hero by being the first American sailor killed on D-Day.

Robert Arthur was an American screenwriter and producer best known for his long association with Universal Studios.

<i>The Man Who Loved Women</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by Blake Edwards

The Man Who Loved Women is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews and Kim Basinger. It is a remake of the 1977 François Truffaut's film L'Homme qui aimait les femmes.

<i>The Tamarind Seed</i> 1974 film by Blake Edwards

The Tamarind Seed is a 1974 romantic thriller spy drama film written and directed by Blake Edwards and starring Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. Based on the 1971 novel of the same name by Evelyn Anthony, the film is about a British Home Office functionary and a Soviet-era attaché who are lovers involved in Cold War intrigue. The Tamarind Seed was the first film produced by Lorimar Productions. The film score was composed by John Barry.

<i>Darling Lili</i> 1970 film by Blake Edwards

Darling Lili is a 1970 American romantic-musical spy film, written by William Peter Blatty and Blake Edwards, the latter also directing the film. It stars Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson, and Jeremy Kemp, with music by Henry Mancini and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This was the last full musical to have song lyrics written by Mercer.

<i>Wild Rovers</i> 1971 film by Blake Edwards

Wild Rovers is a 1971 American Western film directed by Blake Edwards and starring William Holden and Ryan O'Neal.

Waterhole #3 is a 1967 Western comedy film directed by William A. Graham. It is considered to be a comic remake of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

<i>The Kings Thief</i> 1955 adventure film by Robert Z. Leonard

The King's Thief is a 1955 swashbuckling CinemaScope adventure film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who replaced Hugo Fregonese during filming. Released on August 5, 1955, the film takes place in London at the time of Charles II and stars Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, David Niven, George Sanders and Roger Moore.

<i>The Boy Friend</i> (1971 film) 1971 British film by Ken Russell

The Boy Friend is a 1971 British musical comedy film written and directed by Ken Russell, based on the 1953 musical of the same name by Sandy Wilson. The film stars Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, and Max Adrian, with an uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made extensive edits to the film for its American release. The missing material was restored and the film was re-released in 1987. The Boy Friend was released on DVD on 12 April 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Aubrey</span> American TV and film executive (1918–1994)

James Thomas Aubrey Jr. was an American television and film executive. As president of the CBS television network from 1959 to 1965, with his "smell for the blue-collar," he produced some of television's most enduring series on the air, including Gilligan's Island and The Beverly Hillbillies.

<i>Night of the Quarter Moon</i> 1959 film by Hugo Haas

Night of the Quarter Moon is a 1959 American drama film directed by Hugo Haas and written by Franklin Coen and Frank Davis. The film stars Julie London, John Drew Barrymore, Anna Kashfi, Dean Jones, Agnes Moorehead and Nat King Cole. The film was released on March 4, 1959, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Louis F. "Bo" Polk Jr. is an American businessman who was briefly president of MGM.

William Belasco was a film producer.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Peter H. (June 28, 1981). "Julie Andrews: Bye, Mary Poppins, here's a thoroughly modern movie star Julie Andrews changes image from 'Mary Poppins' to 'S.O.B.'". Chicago Tribune. p. k1.
  2. ↑ Kehr, Dave (Feb 15, 2004). "Anatomy of a Blake Edwards Splat". New York Times. p. MT26.
  3. ↑ Martin, Betty (Aug 9, 1968). "'Case of Need' on A&M Slate". Los Angeles Times. p. e12.
  4. ↑ Martin, Betty (Oct 1, 1968). "Irene Pappas Signs Contract". Los Angeles Times. p. c14.
  5. ↑ Judith Martin (28 Feb 1969). "Dropping the Scalpel: Film Notes Columbia Frowns Speeds the Turnover Refuge From Roles". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. B12. Turn on hit highlighting for speaking browsers by selecting the Enter buttonHide highlighting.
  6. ↑ A. H. WEILER (July 6, 1969). "No Gap Like the Generation Gap". New York Times. p. D11.
  7. ↑ A. H. WEILER (Mar 21, 1971). "Our 'Boy' Barbra: Our 'Boy' Barbra". New York Times. p. D13.
  8. ↑ Martin, Betty (June 23, 1971). "Comeback for Ida Lupino". Los Angeles Times. p. e7.
  9. ↑ Andrews, Julie (202). Home work : a memoir of my Hollywood years. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 167.
  10. ↑ "MGM Slates Busy Month in September". Los Angeles Times. Aug 27, 1971. p. d11.
  11. 1 2 Warga, Wayne. (Dec 26, 1971). "What's Going On in the Lion's Den at MGM?: What's Going On". Los Angeles Times. p. q1.
  12. ↑ Servi, Vera. (Dec 20, 1971). "To Viet Nam with Hope". Chicago Tribune. p. b20.
  13. ↑ Goldman, Lowell (Spring 1991). "James Coburn Seven and Seven Is". Psychotronic Video. No. 9. p. 24.
  14. ↑ "The Carey Treatment". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "the-screen--breezy-james-coburn-in---carey-treatment". nytimes.com. 1972-03-30. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  16. ↑ The Carey Treatment Movie Review (1972) | Roger Ebert
  17. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (7 April 1972). "Pathologist as private eye". The Los Angeles Times. p. 15 Part 4.
  18. ↑ "The Carey Treatment". Variety's film reviews. 1983. p. 211.
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.