DVD Review: THE DETECTIVE / (1968) Gordon Douglas
December 2nd, 2008 by Scott Marks
The Detective (1968)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Written by Abby Mann from a novel by Roderick Thorp
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Lee Remick, Ralph Meeker, Horace McMahon, Jack Klugman, Al Freeman, Jr., Robert Duvall, Jacqueline Bisset, William Windom, Tony Musante, Sugar Ray Robinson, Pat Henry, Joe Santos and George Plimpton
Running Time: 114 min.
Photographed by Joseph Biroc in 
and DeLuxe color
Rating: 
If Charles Bronson can pull the old Paul Kersey/Kimball switcheroo in the Death With series, I feel no remorse in referring to The Detective, bookended by Tony Rome and Lady in Cement, as part of the unofficial Gordon Douglas, Frank Sinatra policier trilogy.
Following the formula set forth in Rome, the films deliver a little social commentary, a little sex, deviant sex, gunplay, and Budweiser product placement all in the name of box office nirvana. Tony’s houseboat is dry docked and New York replaces Miami’s tropical locale. This go-round adds a love interest and more location work, but no more in-jokes (unless you count Jilly Rizzo as a bartender), snappy theme song or Mickey Mouse music. (Not surprisingly, Jerry Goldsmith supplied the trilogy’s most competent score.) As the title indicates, the character is no longer self employed. He’s a Detective Sergeant for New York’s finest. A Moss Mabry topcoat covers the smartly tailored plainclothes dick and little else. Joe Leland is Tony Rome East. Marvin H. Albert’s laid back gumshoe registers a shade darker when filtered through novelist Roderick Thorp and Stanley Kramer screenwriter (and Kojack creator) Abby Mann. Leland is a gritty, seen-it-all career cop disgusted by internal corruption. Gone is the galaxy of hot and cold running broads. This flatfoot’s love life is scorched by a flame he carries for his nympho ex, Karen (Lee Remick).
The film plows through the investigative material in an entertaining, if not particularly fresh manner. Everything grinds to a screeching halt whenever the lengthy boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-to-numerous-indiscriminate-sex-partners subplot kicks in. You can feel the flashbacks coming two reels away. They start with a blinding blast of glaucoma followed by a throbbing inner ear infection: Images zoom and blur while shrill audio effects invade the senses. Leland aggressively picks up Karen. Douglas’ idea of depicting intimacy is moving the camera in close and instructing his leads to talk directly into it. There are plenty of roomy, perfectly centered ‘Scope closeups within which the characters pitch woo. On date night, Joe spends the last act of a play grabbing a smoke outside. Karen’s friends assume the macho bull too dense to grasp the nuance, but not Joe who defends his argument by referencing O’Casey and Shaw. This ain’t no average flatfoot. He’s cultured! Lee Remick, who gives the film’s best performance, was always at her hottest when she appeared broken and self-loathing. (Make a pitcher of Brandy Alexander’s and watch the last reel of Days of Wine and Roses.) When Joe shows up to make nice with Karen, instead of packing candy and flowers, he brings an edict: “I came here to ball!” Frank and the boys put Ms. Remick to good use.
The Detective showcases more stereotypes than Tommy Roger’s Tenement Symphony. There’s the Cohens, represented by Officer Dave and Rachael Schoenstein (Jack Klugman and Rene Taylor), and Kelly played by Sugar Ray Robinson. A menorah on the Schoenstein’s mantle adds verisimilitude. Rachel pushes lox and bagels and the second Joe finds a set of doctored books, he takes them directly to the token Jew. Someone must have taken delight in casting a black man in the role of “Kelly.” Sugar Ray Robinson’s years as a Vegas greeter prepared him for the part: He spends most of his time on screen standing next to doors. Joe’s black partner Robbie (Al Freeman, Jr.) has a bit of the Fuhrer in him. He likes his suspects nude. When asked why the naked interrogations, Rob-O confessed it was a habit he picked up watching German newsreels.
Continue reading DVD Review: THE DETECTIVE / (1968) Gordon Douglas
Tags: abby mann, detective film, DVD Review, Film Review, Frank Sinatra, gordon douglas, Jack Klugman, Jacqueline Bisset, jilly rizzo, joseph biroc, lee remick, mia farrow, the detective, tony romeJack Klugman remarries at 85!
February 11th, 2008 by Scott Marks
Jack & Peggy at the Westport, MA “Broadway on Beachside” cancer fundraiser
What is more surprising, the fact that cancer patient Jack Klugman outlived both his ex-wife Brett Somers and “Odd Couple” health nut Tony Randall or that at the age of 85 he’s alive, kicking and recently remarried?
Jacob Joachim “Jack” Klugman and his longtime galpal Peggy Crosby were wed on February 2 at the Little Brown Church in Studio City, California. The reception followed immediately at the Bistro Gardens Restaurant. The guest list included such notables as Bernie Kopell, “Doc” on TV’s The Love Boat’s. My phone must have been off the hook when they called to invite me.
Mr. Klugman and Ms. Crosby, the former wife of Bing’s son Phil, have been a couple for 20 years but Jack, who was separated but still legally married to Ms. Somers, refused to tie the knot. (Somers and Klugman married in 1953 and split up in 1974.) Ms. Somers died on September 15th of last year and after waiting a reasonable amount of time, Mr. Klugman finally consented to say “I do” to Ms. Crosby.
Aside from starring opposite Tony Randall on the TV version of The Odd Couple, Mr. Klugman had another small screen hit with Quincy, as well as the SCTV parody Quincy: Cartoon Coroner.
In a related story, this week’s Globe reports that Tony Randall’s young widow says her late husband was a stud! The 37-year-old Heather Harlan said, “Sex was not a pronlem…we had frequent sex.”
For Peggy Crosby’s sake, I hope Jack keeps his hat on and the lights off.
Tags: Brett Somers, Cancer, Jack Klugman, Peggy Crosby, QUINCY, Remarries, THE ODD COUPLE, Tony RandallFiled Under News