Tricks of the Trade (1988) (TV)

Director:

Jack Bender

Writer (WGA):

Noreen Stone (written by)

Release Date:

6 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery

Plot:

Catherine's world goes to pieces when she learns from the police that her husband Donald got killed - shot in the apartment of a prostitute...

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Sex | Infidelity | Undressing | Embarrassment

Cast

Cindy Williams	...	Catherine
Markie Post	...	Marla
Scott Paulin	...	Frank
James Whitmore Jr.
Chris Mulkey	...	Lt. Stryker
John Durbin
Armin Shimerman	...	Criminal
John Ritter	...	Donald Todsen
Tanya Boyd	...	Beverly
Laura Owens	...	Liz Morgenson
Nancy Morgan
Cain Devore	...	Rental Agent
John DiSanti	...	Tony
Jack Nance
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cheryl Carter	...	Victoria Van Adams
Lisa Dalton		(as Lisa Loving)
S.A. Griffin	...	Bartender

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Leonard Hill Films

It's not Beverly Hills; it's Brentwood

The mystery part of this made-for-TV flick is better than the comedy routines, most of which fall flat, though there are a few skits that tickle the funny bone, such as the shootout in a sex toy shop. To enjoy the show, the viewer must accept John Ritter as a philandering stockbroker crafty enough to foil big time wise guys; Markie Post as a Hollywood hooker named Marla, without a pimp or madam; and Cindy Williams as Catherine Todsen, the most naive woman since Doris Day was a virgin. If you can dig this, then you should enjoy the shenanigans of the two opposites, Marla and Catherine, trying to solve the mystery of who killed the husband/lover Donald Todsen (John Ritter), gunned down in the line of duty (while being serviced by Marla). Add to this pot of mirth two of the dumbest cops since Rosewood and Taggart in "Beverly Hills Cops," and you have a dukes mixture that works part of the time.

Though this film predates the big hit "Pretty Woman" by two years, its depiction of prostitution is just as far-fetched, Marla being viewed as a victim of society's pliers and philosophizing about the virtues of being a streetwise harlot. Only once does Catherine bring up the ugly subject of such negative aspects of the trade as disease. Marla makes a short rationalization in reply then changes the subject. Making such a virile and demeaning profession glamorous is questionable, especially when it is compared to the dreary, boring, unexciting lifestyle lived by Catherine.

"Tricks of the Trade" as a double entendre is an apropos title since Marla uses her tricks of the trade to track down the killer and uncover the hidden loot. The viewer may also be surprised when the real murderer is revealed at the end.