City Heat (1984)

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers:

Blake Edwards (story)
Blake Edwards ...
(more)

Release Date:

7 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Take Clint the street-smart cop . . . take Burt the wise-guy private eye . . . and then take cover!

Plot:

A slick private eye and tough police lieutenant--once partners, now bitter enemies--reluctantly team up to investigate a murder.

Plot Keywords:

1930s | Murder | Mobster | Private Eye | Shootout

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Lieutenant Speer
Burt Reynolds	...	Mike Murphy
Jane Alexander	...	Addy
Madeline Kahn	...	Caroline Howley
Rip Torn	...	Primo Pitt
Irene Cara	...	Ginny Lee
Richard Roundtree	...	Dehl Swift
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Leon Coll
William Sanderson	...	Lonnie Ash
Nicholas Worth	...	Troy Roker
Robert Davi	...	Nino
Jude Farese	...	Dub Slack
John Hancock	...	Fat Freddy
Jack Thibeau	...	Garage Soldier
Gerald S. O'Loughlin	...	Counterman Louie
Bruce M. Fischer	...	Bruiser
Art LaFleur	...	Bruiser
Jack Nance	...	Aram Strossell, the Bookkeeper
Dallas Cole	...	Redhead Sherry
Lou Fillipo	...	Referee (as Lou Filippo)
Michael Maurer	...	Vint Diestock
Preston Sparks	...	Keith Stoddard
Ernie Sabella	...	Ballistics Expert
Christopher Michael Moore	...	Roxy Cop
Carey Loftin	...	Roxy Driver
Harry Caesar	...	Locker Room Attendant
Charles Parks	...	Dr. Breslin
Hamilton Camp	...	Garage Attendant
Tab Thacker	...	Tuck
Gene LeBell	...	Garage Soldier
Nick Dimitri	...	Garage Soldier
George Fisher	...	Garage Soldier
Bob Herron	...	Garage Soldier
Bill Hart	...	Garage Soldier
Arthur Malet	...	Doc Loomis
Fred Lerner	...	Pitt Roof Sniper
George Orrison	...	Pitt Doorway Thug
Beau Starr	...	Pitt Lookout
Anthony Charnota	...	Poker Player
Walter Robles	...	Poker Player
Richard Foronjy	...	Poker Player
Joan Shawlee	...	Peggy Barker
Minnie Summers Lindsey	...	Bordello Maid (as Minnie Lindsey)
Darwyn Swalve	...	Bordello Bouncer
Wiley Harker	...	Mr. Smith
Bob Maxwell	...	Mr. Smith
Tom Spratley	...	Chauffeur
Bob Terhune	...	Billiard Soldier
Holgie Forrester	...	Little Red
Harry Demopoulos	...	Roman Orgy Patron (as Harry Demopoulos M.D.)
James C. Lewis	...	Roxy Patron (as Jim Lewis)
Edwin Prevost	...	Butler
Alfie Wise	...	Short Guy
Hank Calia	...	Shorter Friend
Alex Plasschaert	...	Shortest Friend
Daphne Eckler	...	Agnes
Lonna Montrose	...	Didi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dell Yount	...	Boxing Fan (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Benjamin

Writing credits
Blake Edwards		(story) (as Sam O. Brown)
Blake Edwards		(as Sam O. Brown) and
Joseph Stinson		(as Joseph C. Stinson)

Produced by
Fritz Manes	....	producer

Original Music by
Lennie Niehaus

Cinematography by
Nick McLean

Film Editing by
Jacqueline Cambas

Production Design by
Edward C. Carfagno		(as Edward Carfagno)

Set Decoration by
George Gaines

Makeup Department
Mark Shostrom	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Fritz Manes	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt Earl Beesley	....	second assistant director
L. Dean Jones Jr.	....	second assistant director
David Valdes	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator
Scott W. Leslie	....	set dresser
Frank White	....	laborer

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
Bub Asman	....	sound effects editor
Donald L. Bolger	....	cable person
Gordon Davidson	....	sound effects editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert G. Henderson	....	sound effects editor (as Bob Henderson)
C. Darin Knight	....	sound mixer
Alan Robert Murray	....	sound effects editor
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jules Strasser	....	boom operator
Brooke Henderson Ward	....	assistant sound editor (as Brooke Henderson)

Stunts
Michael Cassidy	....	stunts
Vince Deadrick Jr.	....	stunts
Richard Drown	....	stunts
Bud Ekins	....	stunts
Allan Graf	....	stunts
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts
Julius LeFlore	....	stunts
Fritz Manes	....	stunts
Debby Porter	....	stunts
James Hooks Reynolds	....	stunts
Mic Rodgers	....	stunts
Sharon Schaffer	....	stunts
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator (as Wayne Van Horn)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunts (as Wayne Van Horn)
Chuck Waters	....	stunts
George P. Wilbur	....	stunts
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Víctor Pérez	....	best boy
Ernie Reed	....	camera operator: second camera
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
Bruce D. Spellman	....	best boy grip
Stephen St. John	....	Steadicam operator
Stephen St. John	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Tom Stern	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Sandra Davis	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Robert Fernandez	....	scoring mixer
Donald Harris	....	music editor

Other crew
Stanley Brossette	....	unit publicist
Marie Kenney	....	script supervisor
Alex Romero	....	dubbed taps
Laurie Arnow-Epstein	....	construction accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. (presents)
• Malpaso Company, The
• Deliverance Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1985) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1985) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia (1985) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1985) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1985) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1988) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD) (3 film collection)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (3 film collection)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes

Also Known As:

Runtime:

93 min | Sweden:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1985) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Spain:13 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | USA:PG (certificate #27552) | Netherlands:12 | West Germany:16 (nf) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

New York Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros.

Trivia:

Madeline Kahn plays the part of Caroline Howley in a role that original writer-director Blake Edwards intended for his wife Julie Andrews.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: This first time Murphy (Burt Reynolds) visits his apartment, he switches on his 1930s era radio, which instantly begins playing music, as a modern one would. This is incorrect - a radio of that era contained vacuum tubes, and it would have taken the radio several minutes to "warm up" before any music could be heard.

Quotes:

Addy:[she and Speer are sharing a drink from a bottle of illegal booze labeled furniture polish] Wow! This really is furniture polish!
Lt. Speer:Shocking what Prohibition causes some people to drink these days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: This Episode Sucks (#6.3)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

A Complete Disaster

City Heat (1984)

1/2 (out of 4)

Horrendous film about a cop (Clint Eastwood) and private eye (Burt Reynolds) who are investigating the same case. Turns out a man (Richard Roundtree) was trying to blackmail some mob boys but soon he's dead and it's up to our two superstars to crack the case. If you ever need proof that superstars aren't as important as a good screenplay then here it is. Apparently Blake Edwards was set to direct this movie but got fired sometime during the filming as he couldn't agree with the two stars on what this film should be. Perhaps this is the reason the movie is such a mess but whatever the reason it's doubtful you'll see a worst movie with Eastwood. Sometimes when you go into a movie with low expectations you find yourself enjoying it on a few levels but that wasn't the case here. Everything in this movie is horrid but the biggest problem I had is that I could never figure out what the hell I was watching. At times the tone is so serious that you think you're watching an actual thriller. At other times the material is so over the top that you feel as if you're watching some type of spoof. With Eastwood and Reynolds you appear to be getting a buddy picture yet they're hardly on screen together and when they are it isn't for too long. This is a really confusing movie in terms of its tone but perhaps Edwards was going for the spoof, got fired and the replacement director went for something more serious. Whatever happened the final result is a complete disaster and without question a major embarrassment. There's no denying that Reynolds was making some poor selections here and this is yet another. He seems really out of place here and gives a rather awkward performance that never gets the laughs he's going for. You somewhat would expect him to pick out a bad screenplay but for the life of me I can't understand how Eastwood would get involved in something like this. This material is without question the worst I've seen from him and it's hard to believe he'd sign on for something like this. He sleepwalks through the entire film and can't give it a bit of energy. Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn and Rip Torn are all bland as well and Roundtree doesn't get to do much before getting knocked off. The film takes place in the 30s so we get all the old fashioned cars and outfits and while this is pretty on the eyes there wasn't a single frame where I actually felt like we were in the 30s. It's hard to find any direction here as each scene is just off the wall and comes off looking extremely tired and there's no energy to be found anywhere. As horrid as this movie is at the same time it's almost easy to recommend just so people can see how badly a movie can be even with strong talent. This is the type of film that makes you scratch your head and wonder what they were thinking but I'd love to hear Eastwood try to put a spin on this.