The President's Analyst (1967)

Director:

Theodore J. Flicker

Writer:

Theodore J. Flicker (written by)

Release Date:

21 December 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Only two people on earth want Sidney Schaefer alive. Sidney Schaefer. And the President of the United States.

Plot:

At first, Dr. Sidney Schaefer feels honored and thrilled to be offered the job of the President's Analyst...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Video Surveillance | Wager | Assassin | Brooklyn Bridge

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Coburn	...	Dr. Sidney Schaefer
Godfrey Cambridge	...	Don Masters
Severn Darden	...	V.I. Kydor Kropotkin
Joan Delaney	...	Nan Butler
Pat Harrington Jr.	...	Arlington Hewes (as Pat Harrington)
Barry McGuire	...	Old Wrangler
Jill Banner	...	Snow White
Eduard Franz	...	Ethan Allan Cocket
Walter Burke	...	Henry Lux
Will Geer	...	Dr. Lee-Evans
William Daniels	...	Wynn Quantrill
Joan Darling	...	Jeff Quantrill
Sheldon Collins	...	Bing Quantrill
Arte Johnson	...	Sullivan
Martin Horsey	...	1st Puddlian
William Beckley	...	2nd Puddlian
Kathleen Hughes	...	White House Tourist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walt Davis	...	Phoneman (uncredited)
John Gunn	...	FBR Agent (uncredited)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Chinese Agent (uncredited)
Dyanne Thorne	...	Cocktail Waitress (uncredited)
Hank Worden	...	Dirty Old Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Theodore J. Flicker

Writing credits
Theodore J. Flicker		(written by)

Produced by
Howard W. Koch	....	executive producer
Stanley Rubin	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Potash
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
William A. Fraker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Stuart H. Pappé

Production Design by
Pato Guzman

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Al Roelofs

Set Decoration by
Robert R. Benton		(as Robert Benton)
Arthur Krams

Costume Design by
Jack Bear

Makeup Department
Sugar Blymyer	....	hair stylist (as Maryce Bates)
Emile LaVigne	....	makeup artist
Nellie Manley	....	hair style supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
William Davidson	....	unit production manager (as William C. Davidson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kurt Neumann	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Robert Post	....	sound recordist (as Robert L. Post)
John Wilkinson	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Roger Creed	....	stunts (uncredited)
Larry Duran	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Lerner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill M. Ryusaki	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Saito	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
David M. Walsh	....	camera operator (as David Walsh)
Joe Smith	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Donald Freeman	....	final colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
The Clear Light	....	music performers: "She's Ready to Be Free"

Production Companies

• Panpiper Productions
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Paramount (1968) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Paramount-Films (1968) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Westheimer Company (special photographic effects)

Other Companies

• DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE)  animation (as DePatie-Freleng)
• Panavision  filmed in
• Technicolor  color

Also Known As:

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | Mandarin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:Not Rated | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Panpiper Productions

Trivia:

The head of the "FBR" is named Lux. "Lux" was a then-popular brand of vacuum cleaner. At the time, the director of the FBI was named Hoover.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Every line referring to the "FBR" or "CEA" is dubbed, often quite obviously. The actors were actually saying "FBI" and "CIA," but at the behest of the actual agencies the names were changed in post-production.

Quotes:

Dr. Sidney Schaefer:You know, one thing I learned from my patients... they all hate the phone company. It's interesting; even the stock holders of the phone company hate the phone company!
V.I. Kydor Kropotkin:I know. Bedouins hate the phone company. Matter of fact, I've never been in a country where everybody didn't hate the phone company.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.12" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Inner Manipulations

Drugs, death and John Adams, too.

When James Coburn passed away in 2002, it was sad to see how little fanfare was generated by this event. Coburn's resume is as strong as any actor of the Sixties and Seventies. For almost a decade, Coburn played in some of the strangest and most unorthodox films of the era. Everyone knows that he capably spoofed the popular spy genre with his "Flint" films. But it wasn't until he became the President's analyst that he really hit his stride. The fabulous panoramic views of a pre-World Trade Center New York duel with the more grimy shots of the Manhattan Garment District. Look for a humorous assassination involving a knife and a clothing pushcart. Nostalgic observation: the New York Skyline appears the way it does on the New York Mets' uniform patch. The plot concerns the President's need for a head shrinker. Wanted: a man who can be trusted with the leader of the free world's secrets. Grandpa Walton (Will Gear) shows up as the President's prior therapist. He is wonderful as always. Edgy pop singer, Barry McGuire, plays a stoner with a catchy song on his acoustic guitar. One memorable sequence combines McGuire's tune (something about "changes") and a team of assassins in a field, attempting to kill our hero, Coburn. The killers use everything from guns to gas to blow darts. Even a net. In widescreen, the final shot of the movie resonates with a sly, satirical nod to the genre. The villain of the piece comes as a big surprise to anyone under the age of forty: think telephone exchanges and room-size computers. And mix. Bravo!