Travis McGee (film)

Last updated

Travis McGee
GenreDrama
Based on The Empty Copper Sea by John D. MacDonald
Written by Stirling Silliphant
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Sam Elliott
Gene Evans
Barry Corbin
Theme music composer Jerrold Immel
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer George Eckstein
CinematographyJack Whitman
EditorRichard Bracken
Running time100 minutes
Production companyHajeno Productions
Original release
Network ABC
ReleaseMay 18, 1983 (1983-05-18)

Travis McGee is a 1983 American TV movie based on the 1978 novel The Empty Copper Sea by John D. MacDonald. It was the second film adaptation of the Travis McGee series. It was made by Warner Bros. [1]

Contents

Plot

Cynical private investigator Travis McGee is called on to determine if a missing man is really dead or not; McGee soon finds the answer in a surprising twist ending that almost costs him his life.

Cast

Production

The novel was published in 1978, [2] and became a best seller. [3]

This film was a pilot for a TV series; it made some key changes from the books, including shifting the locale to California and changing the houseboat The Busted Flush into a sailing boat. "We turned our back on a key element in McGee's life because we wanted to have the mobility of a sailboat," said Elliot. [4]

The first writer employed was Stirling Silliphant. [5] Elliot disliked this script, so Alan Sharp was brought in. His script used elements of Copper Sea and another McGee book, The Green Ripper . "I liked the Sharp script best, but ABC rejected it," Elliott said. "There were a couple more writers, and then Kenneth Johnson got hired. He had created The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman and The Incredible Hulk, and the script he came up with was about what I'd expected of a man with that background. I resisted and the network backed off." [4]

Eventually, Elliott did as ABC wanted. "It's one thing to beat your head against the wall and get results," he said "It's something else to do it and just get a headache. Eventually, we went back to the Silliphant script and filmed that, with a few additions from the Sharp script. In the end, I just decided to do the best I could, but to do it." [4]

"They changed a lot of things," said Katherine Ross, shortly before the show aired. "But it looks as if it will now go to series because they've commissioned some more scripts - and if that happens, I think they'll revert to the McGee stories. There was a lot of rewriting done on this pilot - Sam did some himself - and at one point he got very depressed. But ABC's response when they saw the pilot was so good that it cheered him up." [6]

"There are some big, big holes in it," Elliott said of the film. "Just because we got it on film after 3+1⁄2 years doesn't mean anyone was totally pleased with the script." [4] "There seemed to be a lot of resistance on the part of the scriptwriters to using MacDonald's material," said Elliott. "It always dumbfounded me how it could be so difficult to work with such a wealth of material, and in the process lose its essence. The writers seemed to think, 'MacDonald sure wrote some wonderful books, but I can do better.'" [4]

Elliott loved "the humorous and cynical comments about life and the world that MacDonald made through McGee... What there is of that in the show got in because I literally picked up the book, copied it out and said it." [4] "Networks, by and large, could care less about the content of programs, as long as they fill the void between commercials," said Elliot. "At some point, they've got to start giving the public credit for having half a brain." [4]

Reception

The New York Times critic said, "the plot is not entirely convincing and Mr. Elliot has chosen to play McGee in a style so laid back as to be comatose." [7]

The Philadelphia Inquirer writer said, "except for this deplorable loss of atmosphere [the shift of locale], Travis McGee is a telemovie that perhaps comes as close as is possible to capturing the look and style of MacDonald's virile and invincible hero. Sam Elliott is so fittingly cast as McGee, and the grizzled Gene Evans as his savvy old sidekick, Meyer, that the substitution of Pismo Beach for Fort Lauderdale is likely to pass unnoticed by most viewers." [8]

"We should have left McGee in Florida where he belongs," said Elliot. "If I had it to do over, I would have done it in Florida and I wouldn't have put him on a sailboat... I feel as guilty about it as a lot of other people should feel. It's my face up there. I've got to answer all those 'Why did he do that?' questions." [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Under Siege 2: Dark Territory</i> 1995 American film

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by Geoff Murphy, starring Steven Seagal as the ex-Navy SEAL, Casey Ryback. Set on board a train traveling through the Rocky Mountains from Denver to Los Angeles, it is the sequel to the 1992 film Under Siege also starring Seagal. The title refers to the railroading term that the subject train was travelling through dark territory, a section of railroad track that has no train signals and in which communications between train dispatchers and the railroad engineers were impossible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Towne</span> American screenwriter, producer, director and actor (1934–2024)

Robert Towne was an American screenwriter and director. He started writing films for Roger Corman, including The Tomb of Ligeia in 1964, and was later part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking.

<i>The Goodbye Girl</i> 1977 film directed by Herbert Ross

The Goodbye Girl is a 1977 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Neil Simon and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings and Paul Benedict. The film, produced by Ray Stark, centers on an odd trio of characters: a struggling actor who has sublet a Manhattan apartment from a friend, the current occupant, and her precocious young daughter.

John Dann MacDonald was an American writer of novels and short stories. He is known for his thrillers.

Travis McGee is a fictional character, created by American mystery writer John D. MacDonald. McGee is neither a police officer nor a private investigator; instead, he is a self-described "salvage consultant" who recovers others' property for a fee of 50 percent. McGee appeared in 21 novels, from The Deep Blue Good-by, first published in 1964, to The Lonely Silver Rain in 1985. In 1980, the McGee novel The Green Ripper won a National Book Award in a one-year Mystery category. All 21 books have the theme of a color in the title, one of the earliest examples of detective/mystery fiction series to have a 'title theme'.

<i>Telefon</i> (film) 1977 spy film

Telefon is a 1977 spy film directed by Don Siegel and starring Charles Bronson, Lee Remick and Donald Pleasence. The screenplay by Peter Hyams and Stirling Silliphant is based on the 1975 novel by Walter Wager.

<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>The Deep Blue Good-by</i> 1964 novel by John D. MacDonald

The Deep Blue Good-by is the first of 21 novels in the Travis McGee series by American author John D. MacDonald.

Andrew Victor McLaglen was a British-born American film and television director, known for Westerns and adventure films, often starring John Wayne or James Stewart.

<i>The Long Riders</i> 1980 film by Walter Hill

The Long Riders is a 1980 American Biographical- Western film directed by Walter Hill. It was produced by James Keach, Stacy Keach and Tim Zinnemann and featured an original soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Cooder won the Best Music award in 1980 from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for this soundtrack. The film was entered into the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>The Getaway</i> (1994 film) American action thriller

The Getaway is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson. The screenplay was written by Walter Hill and Amy Holden Jones, based on Jim Thompson's 1958 novel of the same name. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, Michael Madsen, James Woods and Jennifer Tilly. The film flopped at box office, but it enjoyed lucrative success in the home video market.

<i>The Long Goodbye</i> (film) 1973 film by Robert Altman

The Long Goodbye is a 1973 American satirical neo-noir film directed by Robert Altman and written by Leigh Brackett, based on Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel. The film stars Elliott Gould as Philip Marlowe and features Sterling Hayden, Nina Van Pallandt, Jim Bouton, Mark Rydell, and an early, uncredited appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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>The Choirboys</i> (film) 1977 film by Robert Aldrich

The Choirboys is a 1977 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Christopher Knopf and Joseph Wambaugh based on Wambaugh's 1975 novel of the same name. It features an ensemble cast including Charles Durning, Louis Gossett Jr., Randy Quaid, and James Woods. The film was released to theaters by Universal Pictures on December 23, 1977.

<i>Lucky Lady</i> 1975 film by Stanley Donen

Lucky Lady is a 1975 American comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Liza Minnelli, Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Robby Benson. Its story takes place in 1930 during Prohibition in the United States.

<i>Bear Island</i> (film) 1979 British film by Don Sharp

Bear Island is a 1979 thriller film based on Alistair MacLean's 1971 novel of the same name. It was directed by Don Sharp, and starring Donald Sutherland, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee and Lloyd Bridges.

Darker than Amber is a 1970 film adaptation of John D. MacDonald's 1966 mystery/suspense novel, Darker than Amber. It was directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay by MacDonald and Ed Waters.

<i>The Empty Copper Sea</i> 1978 novel by John D. MacDonald

The Empty Copper Sea (1978) is the 17th novel in the Travis McGee series by John D. MacDonald. In it, McGee looks into the apparent drowning of Hub Lawless in a boating accident. His $2 million insurance policy leads some to believe he has faked his death.

<i>Bride by Mistake</i> 1944 film by Richard Wallace

Bride by Mistake is a 1944 American romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace, and starring Alan Marshal and Laraine Day.

<i>Casanova</i> (1987 film) 1987 made-for-television film directed by Simon Langton

Casanova is a 1987 American made-for-television biographical romantic comedy film directed by Simon Langton. It depicts real life events of Giacomo Casanova.

References

  1. ↑ "Book Notes". Lochte, Dick. Los Angeles Times (June 13, 1982): L 12.
  2. ↑ 'Empty Copper Sea': Glazing of a private eye Los Angeles Times October 8, 1978: M 4.
  3. ↑ Southern California Best Sellers: Fiction Los Angeles Times October 22, 1978: K 12.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mills, Bart (May 18, 1983). "This Star Hates What They've Done to Travis McGee". The Philadelphia Inquirer . p. D 8.
  5. ↑ Criminals, Beware: The Screen Avengers Are Coming! Trombetta, Jim. Los Angeles Times July 12, 1981: O 1.
  6. ↑ A Post-'Graduate' Still Shadowed by 'Sundance' Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times September 16, 1982: J 1.
  7. ↑ TV: Three-Part Series on Blacks in the Military By John J. O'connor. The New York Times May 18, 1983: C 27.
  8. ↑ For Fans of Travis McGee, a Promising Voyage On TV Winfrey, Lee. Philadelphia Inquirer May 18, 1983: D 9.
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.