For some reason, we watched The Last of Sheila, a strange ’70s “brainteaser” mystery, with D.C., Richard Benjamin, Racquel Welch, James Coburn, James Mason, and Ian McShane (! not very Swearingen-y).
Charles Grodin must have been busy, or in a blood feud with Benjamin.
It was written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. But it felt like a Love Boat episode written by Liz Smith and Anthony Shaffer’s retarded little brother.
What’s your favorite Dyan Cannon film?
Heaven Can Wait
Yeah, Heaven Can Wait is my favorite but I have fond memories of The Last of the Sheila. It played constantly on The Movie Channel back in the late seventies after we got cable (for some reason Frankfort, Kentucky received cable television in the late 60s–stuff like HBO and other cable movie channels arrived when I was in high school (1977-80 . . . so the math). I haven’t seen it since but it was a fun whodunit.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
I admit: there is something oddly nostalgia-producing about Sheila. It recalled for me the kind of movie I’d catch on the Boston superstation’s afternoon movie, where it’d be equally likely for me to catch a full week of Hitchcock, or a blend of oddities from the ‘sixties and ‘seventies–like the whodunnit supergroup movies popular for a while there, or a great strange British comedy called The Bed-Sitting Room, or the aforementioned Vanishing Point.
But, honestly, Sheila is a crap whodunnit, and pretty much a crap film. I listened to about 2 minutes of the commentary track (by Benjamin, Cannon, and Welch), and even they seem to ignore the movie, talking about what they’re wearing, having fun on the Riviera, and missing Jimmy Coburn. I felt compelled to watch ’til the end although the “twist” was almost absurdly set up (and given away) by lousy ‘seventies audio dubbing. (Because, see, Richard Benjamin can “mimic” the voice of Jimmy Coburn, and thus…)
SPOILER ABOVE!
Aw no! Now I’ll never watch whatever the hell it was…
I just rented B&C&T&A a couple of months ago, b/c I’d never seen it, Elliot Gould is in it, and I was wondering about movies that couldn’t be remade in the current world we live in.
I dont recall much of what I thought, except it was enjoyable; I like the way the characters are trying to act like mature adults, but become childish along the way.
I also liked the dynamic of married couples who are all friends, and how that works. Way before they decide to try to sleep together in B-C-T-A, there are all of the promises to keep secrets and the loyalties between the genders vs. talking about the other couple behind their backs. I couldnt really think of other movies made today that try to do that much. It reminded me of John Cheever’s short stories of suburbia and neighborhood cocktail parties; all of the embarrassing things that can happen and words that get said in those backyards at night… And the ramifications of them the next day.