The Thief Who Came to Dinner (1973)

A computer programmer decides to become a thief. And when he starts making waves an insurance investigator hounds him. He also meets a woman who becomes his accomplice.

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Writers:

Terrence Lore Smith (novel), Walter Hill (screenplay)

Stars:

Ryan O'Neal, Jacqueline Bisset, Warren Oates

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ryan O'Neal	...	Webster McGee
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Laura Keaton
Warren Oates	...	Dave Reilly
Jill Clayburgh	...	Jackie Johnson
Charles Cioffi	...	Gene Henderling
Ned Beatty	...	Deams
Austin Pendleton	...	Zukovsky
Gregory Sierra	...	Dynamite Hector
Michael Murphy	...	Ted
John Hillerman	...	Edmund Lasker
Alan Oppenheimer	...	Insurance Man
Margaret Fairchild	...	Mrs. Donner
Jack Manning	...	Tom Preston
Richard O'Brien	...	Police Sgt. Del Conte
George Morfogen	...	Rivera

Storyline

A computer programmer decides to become a thief. And when he starts making waves an insurance investigator hounds him. He also meets a woman who becomes his accomplice.

---

Plot Keywords:

thief | insurance investigator | jewel heist | heist | nasa employee | 

---

Taglines:

Webster and Laura took everything they wanted ... each other ... and a diamond worth $6.000.000.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

A sakkozó tolvaj

Filming Locations:

Houston, Texas, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 870,833 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bud Yorkin Productions, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The plaza where Webster and Dave have their final confrontation at the film's conclusion is the same used in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) for the battle between the ape forces and the human forces.

---

Quotes

Webster: [Laura is jealous about Jackie] Goddamnit! I love you! I live with you! And you know enough about me to put me away for three hundred years! What must I do to prove myself?
Laura: [pause, then] Everything.

User Reviews

A fun off-beat classic caper.

Okay, what do you need to perfect or make a good movie about theivery? A strong plot or a good source to base it on. B.fleshed out and fun characters C.a fun storyline or D.all of the above. If you said all of the above, that's right. These are the central elements that makes "The Thief Who Came to Dinner", worth checking out. Okay, first off this a dated 70's film that will probably turn off most people, but if you don't take it seriously as it tries to be, it's worth it's running time. Ryan O'Neal stars as Webster McGee, a computer programmer who one day ups and quits his somewhat cushy job and becomes a burglar. McGee is a very cocky, fun-loving guy, who you wouldn't suspect as being someone who'd break into your home and steal things. That he does it with such precision, so much so that he has an investigator played by the late Warren Oates hot on his trail. While playing mind games with Oates, he falls in love with Laura (Jacqueline Bisset), who knows what he does and accepts him for it, which goes unexplained in the movie. Director Bud Yorkin does a very good job here directing from Walter Hill's adapted screenplay. But it if was tighter paced, it would've been a lot more fun. There are times where the film lags and it really feels as it's missing something. There are alot of nice and breezy sequences prefectly shot by Director of Photograph Phillip Lanthrop. Henry Mancini's score is absolutely fabulous and arguably one of his more underrated gems. A little more energy would've gone a long way with this one. On the whole, I'd recommend it for it's performances and definetly rooting for the Chess Burglar.