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
Produced byWilliam 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 (James Coburn) is a pathologist who moves to Boston, where he starts working in a hospital. He soon meets Georgia Hightower (Jennifer O'Neill), with whom he falls in love. Karen Randall (Melissa Torme-March), 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 (James Hong), 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

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 and Irving Ravetch were working on a script. [7] In June Blake Edwards signed to direct. [8]

Filming started in September 1971. [9]

Edwards launched a breach of contract suit against MGM and president James T. Aubrey for their post production tampering of the film. [10] 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." [12]

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. [13]

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." [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]

Accolades

Edgar Allan Poe Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

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

George William 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">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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Stockwell</span> American actor (1936–2021)

Robert Dean Stockwell was an American actor with a career spanning seven decades. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he appeared in Anchors Aweigh (1945), Song of the Thin Man (1947), The Green Years (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), The Boy with Green Hair (1948), and Kim (1950). As a young adult, he had a lead role in the 1957 Broadway and 1959 screen adaptation of Compulsion; and in 1962 he played Edmund Tyrone in the film version of Long Day's Journey into Night, for which he won two Best Actor Awards at the Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his starring role in the 1960 film version of D. H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers.

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

Elliott Kastner was an American film producer, whose best known credits include Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Missouri Breaks (1976), and Angel Heart (1987).

<i>Joy in the Morning</i> (film) 1965 film directed by Alex Segal

Joy in the Morning is a 1965 American romance film starring Richard Chamberlain and Yvette Mimieux and directed by Alex Segal. Adapted from the 1963 novel of the same name by Betty Smith, the film tells the story of a young newlywed couple, Carl and Annie Brown, who marry against their parents' wishes while Carl is still in law school and struggle to maintain their relationship.

<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.

<i>Pretty Maids All in a Row</i> 1971 film by Roger Vadim

Pretty Maids All in a Row is a 1971 American sexploitation film that is part black comedy, part sex comedy, and part murder mystery. Starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, and Telly Savalas, it was released on April 28, 1971. Roger Vadim directed the film, and Gene Roddenberry produced and wrote the screenplay based on a 1968 novel by Francis Pollini.

<i>The Seven Minutes</i> (film) 1971 film by Russ Meyer

The Seven Minutes is a 1971 American drama movie directed and produced by Russ Meyer. The movie was based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irving Wallace.

<i>Alfred the Great</i> (film) 1969 British film

Alfred the Great is a 1969 British epic historical drama film which portrays Alfred the Great's struggle to defend the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex from a Danish Viking invasion in the 9th century. David Hemmings starred in the title role.

<i>The Green Years</i> (film) 1946 film by Victor Saville

The Green Years is a 1946 American drama film directed by Victor Saville and featuring Charles Coburn, Tom Drake, Beverly Tyler and Hume Cronyn. It was adapted by Robert Ardrey and Sonya Levien from A. J. Cronin's 1944 novel of the same name. It tells the story of the coming-of-age of an Irish orphan in Scotland.

<i>The Last Run</i> 1971 film by Richard Fleischer

The Last Run is a 1971 American action film shot in Portugal, Málaga and elsewhere in Spain directed by Richard Fleischer, starring George C. Scott, Tony Musante, Trish Van Devere, and Colleen Dewhurst.

<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 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.

<i>A Time for Killing</i> 1967 film by Roger Corman, Phil Karlson

A Time for Killing is a 1967 Western film directed originally by Roger Corman but finished by Phil Karlson. Filmed in Panavision and Pathécolor, it stars Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, Inger Stevens, and Harrison Ford in his first credited film role.

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

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.

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

<i>Sword of Venus</i> 1953 film

Sword of Venus is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Harold Daniels, written by Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg, and starring Robert Clarke, Catherine McLeod, Dan O'Herlihy, William Schallert and Marjorie Stapp. It was released on February 20, 1953, by RKO Pictures. It was also released in the U.K. as The Island of Monte Cristo.

If Tomorrow Comes is a 1971 American TV film. It was originally entitled The Glass Hammer then My Husband, the Enemy but was retitled after protests.

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. ↑ "MGM Slates Busy Month in September". Los Angeles Times. Aug 27, 1971. p. d11.
  10. ↑ Servi, Vera. (Dec 20, 1971). "To Viet Nam with Hope". Chicago Tribune. p. b20.
  11. ↑ 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. ↑ Goldman, Lowell (Spring 1991). "James Coburn Seven and Seven Is". Psychotronic Video. No. 9. p. 24.
  13. ↑ "The Carey Treatment". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  14. ↑ The Carey Treatment Movie Review (1972) | Roger Ebert
  15. ↑ https://movies.nytimes.com/movi/review?res=9803E2D8173DE53ABC4850DFB5668389669EDE [ dead link ]
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.