Never a Dull Moment (1968)

Actor Jack Albany, who plays gangsters on TV, is mistaken for notorious hit-man Ace, and is hired by mob boss Leo Smooth to pull a heist, but Jack must find a way out of it.

Director:

Jerry Paris

Writers:

John Godey (book), AJ Carothers

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Edward G. Robinson, Dorothy Provine

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Jack Albany
Edward G. Robinson	...	Leo Joseph Smooth
Dorothy Provine	...	Sally Inwood
Henry Silva	...	Frank Boley
Joanna Moore	...	Melanie Smooth
Tony Bill	...	Florian
Slim Pickens	...	Cowboy Schaeffer
Jack Elam	...	Ace Williams
Ned Glass	...	Rinzy Tobreski
Richard Bakalyan	...	Bobby Macoon
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Francis
Philip Coolidge	...	Fingers Felton
James Millhollin	...	Museum Director

Storyline

When practicing for a role, actor Jack is mistaken for the killer Ace. He doesn't realize this until it's too late and is carried off to gangster boss Leo Smooth, who wants Ace to do a job for him. Fearing for his life, Jack plays his role, but always searching for a way out of the well-guarded house.

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Plot Keywords:

painting as art | art gallery | sculpture | champagne | cigar smoking | 

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Taglines:

They're having such a wonderful crime...it's a shame to call the police!

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Genres:

Family | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last film in which Edward G. Robinson portrayed a gangster.

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Goofs

When Smooth is showing the gang slides of the painting and museum layout, he is standing in front of the screen and uses a cane for a pointer - but no shadows are cast on the screen, nor are any of the images projected on himself or the cane. This reveals the images are being rear-projected on the screen and are not coming from the slide projector on the table in the same room. Any shadows seen on the screen are being made from a studio light coming from a different direction.

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Quotes

Jack Albany: Why'd they call a tough kid like you a sissy name like Florian?
Florian: It's a tough name!

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Alternate Versions

Original VHS by Disney is 90 minutes, whereas the film's initial release and dvd release run 99 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Getting Wasted (1980)

User Reviews

Classic Disney and Dick Van Dyke--Great Combo

Having grown up in the sixties, and having an older brother willing to take me to see the latest Disney movie, I'm surprised I never saw this one. Though it's from the late sixties, and the plot by today's standards is overdone and predicable, it's still a fun one to watch. Edward G. Robinson plays a tough mob boss, and has a gang of familiar character actors making up his mob: Mickey Shaughnessy, Henry Silva, Slim Pickens, to name a couple,who are out to steal a famous painting in order to create the heist so history will remember Robinson's character, Joe Smooth. Along comes Dick Van Dyke, mistaken for the ultimate killer, Ace Williams. A "B" actor, Van Dyke's character Jack manages to pull off the role. Throw in a captive art teacher, a sequence with Jack Elam as the real Ace Williams, and a hilarious chase in an art museum, and you've got an entertaining 99 minute film. Rated G, it's a family show, but watch it to enjoy Dick Van Dyke. He lends his talents admirably and shows why he remains one our funniest actors that came to grace both TV and the film industry. Classic Disney and Dick Van Dyke--you can't go wrong with that combo.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Never a Dull Moment

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,150,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1