THE TOO LATE SHOW

THE LATE SHOW (1977)
dir: Robert Benton

THE TOO LATE SHOW
Sick #117, October 1977
w & a: Dave Manak

Comedy thriller about Ira Wells (Art Carney), a private detective coming out of retirement andakes on Margo Sperling (Lily Tomlin) who becomes his client and then his partner. The other characters are Charlie Hatter (Bill Macy), Ron Birdwell (Eugene Roche), and Lamar (John Considine). Ira lives in a small apartment in Los Angeles and his landlady is Mrs. Schmidt (Ruth Nelson). Ira's former partner Harry (Howard Duff) comes in after having just been shot, and dies. Now Ira decides to find out who did it.

At Harry's funeral, he runs into Charlie, an old friend he asks to help find Harry's killer. He also meets Margo, who was a client of Harry's in a case where Harry was helping find a lost cat.

In working in the case, the trail also seems to lead to Ron Birdwell, who was somehow involved in Harry's murder.

Art Carney got his start as Ed Norton, best friend of Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden, on The Jackie Gleason Show/The Honeymooners.