California Split (1974)

When a casual gambler befriends a professional one, he begins to mirror his life, sending both deeper into the sleazy gambling world where the stakes keep getting bigger.

Director:

Robert Altman

Writer:

Joseph Walsh

Stars:

George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Bill Denny
Elliott Gould	...	Charlie Waters
Ann Prentiss	...	Barbara Miller
Gwen Welles	...	Susan Peters
Edward Walsh	...	Lew
Joseph Walsh	...	Sparkie
Bert Remsen	...	Helen Brown
Barbara London	...	Lady on the Bus
Barbara Ruick	...	Reno Barmaid
Jay Fletcher	...	Robber
Jeff Goldblum	...	Lloyd Harris
Barbara Colby	...	Receptionist
Vincent Palmieri	...	First Bartender (as Vince Palmieri)
Alyce Passman	...	Go-Go Girl
Joanne Strauss	...	Mother

Storyline

A down on his luck gambler links up with free spirit Elliot Gould at first to have some fun on, but then gets into debt when Gould takes an unscheduled trip to Tijuana. As a final act of desperation, he pawns most of his possessions and goes to Reno for the poker game of a lifetime. A film set mainly in casinos and races, as the two win and lose (but mainly win), get robbed, and get blind drunk.

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Plot Keywords:

poker | casino | writer | magazine | gambling | 

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Taglines:

Now the most talked about game in town will have a seat for you. Everywhere.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Slide

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,900,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Spelling Goldberg, Won World

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Lion's Gate 8 Track Sound Systems)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actors Elliott Gould and George Segal both later appeared in The Feminine Touch (1995).

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Goofs

Some of the balls hanging from Charlie's sombrero keep changing position throughout the scene.

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Quotes

Bill Denny: Come on, Valdez! Come on, Valdez!
Charlie Waters: Who's Valdez?
Bill Denny: Valdez is the jockey!

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Alternate Versions

The DVD cuts approximately three minutes worth of incidental scenes and bits, because the distributor was either unable or unwilling to reach an arrangement for music licensing.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Robert Altman (2001)

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Soundtracks

Mean To Me
(uncredited)
Written by Fred E. Ahlert and Roy Turk

User Reviews

Loved it!

I was also lucky enough to see this one on the big screen a couple weeks ago. When I first saw Elliot Gould in The Long Goodbye I thought "This guy can't seriously be considered a great actor." However, after seeing him in M*A*SH, California Split, and again in The Long Goodbye, I realized that the lazy, slob-like attitude is what makes him such a great actor...he is a reflection of US. We are not watching some typical Hollywood actor pretending to be something he is not. Gould's acting is as real and pure as acting can be. We are watching ourselves on screen when we watch Gould.

That being said, Gould is magnificent in California Split as a sleazy gambling addict. I agree with a previous poster that the Altman/Gould combo is stellar! Go see this one if you get the chance!!