Mystery Lovers! discussion

I'm not sure if this picture is from Rockford files or another with James Garner. Thoroughly enjoyed The Rockford files.

Glad you asked. That's James Garner in a 1969 movie, 'Marlowe' co-starring Rita Moreno and Gayle Hunnicut; also Bruce Lee. Story taken from Chandler's 'The Little Sister'.

Subtle clue: you can tell its not Rockford because Garner is wearing a shoulder holster here.

I'd watch James Garner in anything. What a great guy.

...been reflecting a little bit lately on just how staggeringly superb was Sidney Lumet's adaptation of Agatha Christie's, 'Murder on the Orient Express'. Very few movies with all-star ensemble casts, ever come out well. Consider just how badly that endeavor might have gone.

Instead, it turned out to be one of the gems of cinema. One of the highlights of its decade. For an American director to even take on such an assignment--working with the best actors in Europe! It boggles the imagination.

Enjoyed a review/interview lately where either Lumet or someone else in the cast described the outlandish energy put forth by Albert Finney. At the time of filming, he was appearing in a stage play nightly--thus, he had to know his lines in both productions at once. Immediately after curtain, (say, 1 am) he needed to hop in a vehicle, and fall instantly asleep in order to get some rest during the only interval he could find--on the ride to the movie set for 'Orient'. By 4 or 5 am, he had to be ready to act. So Lumet hired an ambulance to get him across town, out to wherever they were filming. While Finney slept on the gurney in back, his makeup team went to work, re-doing his face as Poirot.

And then, when on the 'Orient' set, (as we know) he doesn't just 'adequately get through his duties'. He knocks the assignment out of the ballpark. The verisimilitude he gave that role...

You'd never hear of such professionalism or such ambition, these days. Just a different industry, different type of people populating the industry...