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IMDbPro

The Drowning Pool

  • 19751975
  • PGPG
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,022
1,289
Paul Newman in The Drowning Pool (1975)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:26
1 Video
76 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery
Harper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him.Harper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him.Harper's a big-city PI, who travels to Louisiana to help an old girlfriend who's worried her husband will find out she's been cheating on him.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
9,022
1,289
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Stuart Rosenberg
    • Writers
      • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
      • Lorenzo Semple Jr.(screenplay)
      • Walter Hill(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Paul Newman
      • Joanne Woodward
      • Anthony Franciosa
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Stuart Rosenberg
    • Writers
      • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
      • Lorenzo Semple Jr.(screenplay)
      • Walter Hill(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Paul Newman
      • Joanne Woodward
      • Anthony Franciosa
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 44User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
    • 48Metascore
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Drowning Pool
    Trailer 2:26
    The Drowning Pool

    Photos76

    Paul Newman and Anthony Franciosa in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    "The Drowning Pool" Paul Newman, Warner Bros. 1975. Modern silver gelatin, 14x11,signed $600 © 1978 Mel Traxel MPTV
    Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Paul Newman in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956)
    Paul Newman and Gail Strickland in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Gail Strickland in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Gail Strickland in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Linda Haynes in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Paul Newman and Linda Haynes in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Linda Haynes in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Paul Newman and Andrew Robinson in The Drowning Pool (1975)
    Coral Browne in The Drowning Pool (1975)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Paul Newman
    Paul Newman
    • Lew Harper
    Joanne Woodward
    Joanne Woodward
    • Iris Devereaux
    Anthony Franciosa
    Anthony Franciosa
    • Chief Broussard
    • (as Tony Franciosa)
    Murray Hamilton
    Murray Hamilton
    • J. Hugh Kilbourne
    Gail Strickland
    Gail Strickland
    • Mavis Kilbourne
    Melanie Griffith
    Melanie Griffith
    • Schuyler Devereaux
    Linda Haynes
    Linda Haynes
    • Gretchen
    Richard Jaeckel
    Richard Jaeckel
    • Lt. Franks
    Paul Koslo
    Paul Koslo
    • Candy
    Joe Canutt
    Joe Canutt
    • Glo
    Andrew Robinson
    Andrew Robinson
    • Pat Reavis
    • (as Andy Robinson)
    Coral Browne
    Coral Browne
    • Olivia Devereaux
    Richard Derr
    Richard Derr
    • James Devereaux
    Helena Kallianiotes
    • Elaine Reavis
    Leigh French
    Leigh French
    • Red Head
    Peter Dassinger
    • Peter
    James Fontenot
    • Bartender
    Tommy McLain
    • Nightclub Band
    • (as Tommy McLain and his Mule Train Band)
    • Director
      • Stuart Rosenberg
    • Writers
      • Tracy Keenan Wynn(screenplay)
      • Lorenzo Semple Jr.(screenplay)
      • Walter Hill(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On the set, Joanne Woodward told the then 17-year-old Melanie Griffith, who was playing her daughter, that she had three goals in life: Marry a movie star (Paul Newman), have beautiful babies (she had three), and win an Oscar (which she did in 1958). Melanie said that she adopted those goals for herself by marrying a movie star (Antonio Banderas), having beautiful babies (she also has three), but expressed frustration that she hasn't won an Oscar, even though she was nominated in 1989 for the Best Actress Academy Award for Working Girl (1988).
    • Goofs
      The crew added a lot of air into the water coming out of the pipe in the floor to make it visible to the audience that water was flowing out of said pipe.
    • Quotes

      Schuyler Devereaux: How do you do Mr Harper?

      Lew Harper: Oh sometimes I do better than others.

      Schuyler Devereaux: Well I hope so.

    • Connections
      Edited into La Classe américaine (1993)
    • Soundtracks
      Killing Me Softly With His Song
      By Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox

      Scored and conducted by Charles Fox

    User reviews44

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Better With Every Viewing
    The Drowning Pool is Paul Newman's second and last time as private detective Lew Harper. The plot takes him to the Louisiana bayou country where an old flame Joanne Woodward has hired him to trace and find out who's been sending her nasty notes about her sex life.

    The investigation quickly centers around recently fired chauffeur Andy Robinson, but before long Newman gets himself immersed in the local politics of the area with a slick oil millionaire (Murray Hamilton), Woodward's nymphomaniac daughter (Melanie Griffith), an obsessed police lieutenant (Anthony Franciosa) and various and sundry other bayou characters. Quite a few of the characters are killed off before the climax.

    The Drowning Pool goes somewhat astray in its development, but the ends are nicely tied together at the climax.

    The hit song made popular by Helen Reddy in the seventies, Killing Me Softly With His Song, comes from The Drowning Pool. It was a mega hit back in the day and to my amazement I discovered it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar.

    Of course my favorite here is Anthony Franciosa. He had an incredible ear for dialect and he really got the Cajun speech patterns down to perfection.

    But the real reason I love The Drowning Pool is the scene where Paul Newman and Gail Strickland are locked in a hydrotherapy room by Murray Hamilton. Strickland is Hamilton's wife. Why they are both there I won't say, but their escape from the room is one of the most spectacular ever put on film.

    You should see The Drowning Pool for that alone.
    helpful•29
    9
    • bkoganbing
    • Jun 22, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 18, 1975 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Ryan's the Name
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • First Artists
      • Coleytown
      • Turman-Foster Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,700,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 48 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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