Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by paroled convict Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend Velma, former seedy nightclub dancer.

Director:

Dick Richards

Writers:

David Zelag Goodman (screenplay), Raymond Chandler (novel)

Stars:

Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Mitchum	...	Marlowe
Charlotte Rampling	...	Mrs. Grayle / Velma
John Ireland	...	Nulty
Sylvia Miles	...	Mrs. Florian
Anthony Zerbe	...	Brunette
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Billy Rolfe
Jack O'Halloran	...	Moose Malloy
Joe Spinell	...	Nick
Sylvester Stallone	...	Jonnie
Kate Murtagh	...	Amthor
John O'Leary	...	Marriott
Walter McGinn	...	Tommy Ray
Burton Gilliam	...	Cowboy
Jim Thompson	...	Mr. Grayle
Jimmy Archer	...	Georgie (as Jimmie Archer)

Storyline

This, the second adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel, is much closer to the source text than the original - Murder, My Sweet (1944), which tended to avoid some of the sleazier parts of the plot - but still concerns private eye Philip Marlowe's attempts to locate Velma, a former dancer at a seedy nightclub and the girlfriend of Moose Malloy, a petty criminal just out of prison. Marlowe finds that once he has taken the case, events conspire to put him in dangerous situations, and he is forced to follow a confusing trail of untruths and double-crosses before he is able to locate Velma.

---

Plot Keywords:

jazz music | reference to joe dimaggio | boy | investigation | shot to death | 

---

Taglines:

I need another drink ... I need a lot of life insurance ... I need a vacation ... and all I've got is a coat, a hat, and a gun !

---

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adiós, muñeca

Filming Locations:

S.S. Catalina, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,360,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

EK, ITC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is set in 1941 but the Marlowe movie follow-up to this film, The Big Sleep (1978), was set in 1977, making Robert Mitchum's two Chandler pictures playing Phillip Marlowe discontinuous in their universes in time and thus separate entities.

---

Goofs

When the boat captain, Marlowe, and Malloy are negotiating about the boat rental fee, the captain's cigarette suddenly disappears between shots.

---

Quotes

Frances Amthor: I think you're a very stupid person. You look stupid, you're in a stupid business, and you're on a stupid case.
Philip Marlowe: I get it. I'm stupid.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Stepford Wives (1975)

---

Soundtracks

Sunday
Words and Music by Jule Styne, Ned Miller, Chester Cohn, and Bennie Krueger (as Bennie Krueger)

User Reviews

different to the first

The choice of Mitchum for the lead role really did work. The novel suggest a tired Marlowe, who has had enough of being "detective to the stars". He wants to get out of his seedy little life, and change things, but instead, he gets wrapped up in another case. Mitchum's hang dog expression and tired wise guy act sums up the depression of the fallen hero. This is not the smooth talking Bogart, not the finely clipped and smooth Powell, but a harder, more experienced Marlowe, a man more aware of his own downfall. As he says to knulty, what he need is a nights sleep, what he needs is another drink. After watching this truly excellent recreation of late forties LA, I'm not sure that I couldn't agree with him.

Ah yes, and Charlotte Rampling and the sometime Thelma really was "cuter than lace pants"