Dortmunder and his pals plan to steal a huge diamond from a museum. But this turns out to be only the first time they have to steal it...
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert Redford | ... | Dortmunder | |
| George Segal | ... | Kelp | |
| Ron Leibman | ... | Murch | |
| Paul Sand | ... | Greenberg | |
| Moses Gunn | ... | Dr. Amusa | |
| William Redfield | ... | Lt. Hoover | |
| Topo Swope | ... | Sis | |
| Charlotte Rae | ... | Ma Murch | |
| Graham Jarvis | ... | Warden (as Graham P. Jarvis) | |
| Harry Bellaver | ... | Rollo the Bartender | |
 |
Seth Allen | ... | Happy Hippie |
| Robert Levine | ... | Cop At Police Station | |
|
|
Lee Wallace | ... | Dr. Strauss |
| Robert Weil | ... | Albert | |
|
|
Lynne Gordon | ... | Miasmo |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Dr. Amusa approaches Dortmunder about a valuable gem in a museum that is of great signifigance to his people in Africa, stolen during colonial times. Dortmunder assembles a crack team of cat burglars and hatches an elaborate plan for stealing the gem. Despite their care and experience, circumstances and plain bad luck keep the gem just out of their reach. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>
Taglines:
A New Kind of Movie. No Sex. No Blood. No Perversion. Just Good Honest Crime. See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
26 January 1972 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
How to Steal a Diamond in Four Uneasy Lessons See more »Filming Locations:
Brooklyn Museum - 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Dortmunder: Keep goin' to church and maybe God'll reward you.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In the Dortmunder novels by Donald E. Westlake, Kelp always steals cars owned by medical doctors. In the movie, the license plates of the stolen cars have the letters "MD" as part of the plate number. (Kelp's reason is that doctors have expensive tastes, and their cars are usually loaded with the best options - leather seats, stereo, etc..) See more »Goofs
During the initial conversation between Dortmunder and Kelp in the car, when the camera is on Dortmunder, his window is rolled up and no wind is apparent. Whenever the camera cuts to Kelp, however, Dortmunder is seen in the foreground with his hair being blown vigorously by an obviously open window. See more »Quotes
Mugger: Gee, that's a nice watch. I'd really like that watch.Dortmunder: Keep goin' to church and maybe God'll reward you.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The 20th Century Fox logo is erased away via a "snake effect". See more »Contribute to This Page
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This was my introduction to my favorite author and his prized creation (under his name anyway) Donald Westalke's John Dortmunder and crew make for a great book, so far thirteen and counting. This movie is based on the first book and one of the best.
I won't get into the plot because it's been gone over before, but Peter Yates and William Goldman crafted a pretty fine entertaining film, it may not be as good as the book (in fact it's not) but it doesn't stray too far, you got Robert Redford who's good in about everything. When i was reading the books at first i pictured him as Dortmunder, but my mental image soon switched to Walter Matthau. Then George Segal is a pitch perfect Andy Kelp, i don't think anyone could have been better. As a gearhead, my favorite character of the series is the driver Stan Murch, and Ron Leibman embodies him perfectly.
Overall the film is much better then other adaptations like "Bank Shot" with George C. Scott, and "What's the Worst that Could Happen?" with Martin Lawrence, and only slightly better than "Why Me?" with Christopher Lambert, and if you haven't read any Donald Westlake, you should. You really should, start with any of the Dortmunder books, and you'll get hooked.