''Jake Spanner, Private Eye'' is a 1989 American television
crime film
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
written and directed by
Lee H. Katzin
Lee H. Katzin (12 April 1935 - 30 October 2002) was an American film director.
Early life and education
He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and became a TV director in the late 1960s, including episodes for ''Bonanza, Mission: Impossible ''and '' ...
and starring
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
and
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...
.
The supporting cast features
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens (born Estelle Eggleston; October 1, 1938) is a American former actress. She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' (1962), '' The Nutty Professor'' (1963), ''The Courtship of ...
,
Sheree North
Sheree North (born Dawn Shirley Crang; January 17, 1932 – November 5, 2005) was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.
Early life
North was born Dawn Shirley C ...
,
John Mitchum
John Mitchum (September 6, 1919 – November 29, 2001) was an American actor from the 1940s to the 1970s in film and television. The younger brother of the actor Robert Mitchum, he was credited as Jack Mitchum early in his career.
Early years ...
,
James Mitchum
James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941) is an American actor.
Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembles) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he i ...
,
Edie Adams
Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman. She earned the Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Adams was well known for her impersonation ...
,
Terry Moore,
Nita Talbot
Nita Talbot (born Anita Sokol) (born August 8, 1930) is an American actress. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the 1967–68 season of '' Hogan's Heroes''.
Film
Born in New York City on Aug ...
and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
.
Plot
Cast
*
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
as Jake Spanner
*
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine (; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perfor ...
as Sal Piccolo
*
Stella Stevens
Stella Stevens (born Estelle Eggleston; October 1, 1938) is a American former actress. She began her acting career in 1959 and starred in such popular films as '' Girls! Girls! Girls!'' (1962), '' The Nutty Professor'' (1963), ''The Courtship of ...
as Sandra Summers
*
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...
as The Commodore
*
Sheree North
Sheree North (born Dawn Shirley Crang; January 17, 1932 – November 5, 2005) was an American actress, dancer, and singer, known for being one of 20th Century-Fox's intended successors to Marilyn Monroe.
Early life
North was born Dawn Shirley C ...
as Mrs. Bernstein
* Laurie Lathem as Toni New
*
John Mitchum
John Mitchum (September 6, 1919 – November 29, 2001) was an American actor from the 1940s to the 1970s in film and television. The younger brother of the actor Robert Mitchum, he was credited as Jack Mitchum early in his career.
Early years ...
as J.P. Spanner
*
Richard Yniguez
Richard Yniguez (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor and director mainly known for ''Boulevard Nights'', ''What's Cooking?'' and ''The Deadly Tower
''The Deadly Tower'' (also known as ''Sniper'') is a 1975 American made-for-television a ...
as Ben Nunez
*
James Mitchum
James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941) is an American actor.
Mitchum was born in Los Angeles, California, the elder son of actor Robert Mitchum (whom he closely resembles) and his wife, Dorothy Spence. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he i ...
as Lieutenant Kevin Spanner
*
Edie Adams
Edie Adams (born Edith Elizabeth Enke; April 16, 1927 – October 15, 2008) was an American comedian, actress, singer and businesswoman. She earned the Tony Award and was nominated for an Emmy Award.
Adams was well known for her impersonation ...
as Senior Club Member
*
Terry Moore as Sally
*
Clive Revill
Clive Revill is a New Zealand actor, best known for his performances in musical theatre and the London stage. A veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he has also starred in numerous films and television programmes, often in character parts. ...
as Herbert Soames
*
Nita Talbot
Nita Talbot (born Anita Sokol) (born August 8, 1930) is an American actress. She received an Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the 1967–68 season of '' Hogan's Heroes''.
Film
Born in New York City on Aug ...
as Nurse
* Kenneth Kimmins as Wellington Warren
*
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran.
Given name Karim
* Karim A ...
as Man at Sal's House
*
Julius Carry
Julius John Carry III (March 12, 1952 – August 19, 2008) was an American actor. He made his acting debut in the 1979 film ''Disco Godfather'' starring Rudy Ray Moore. He played Sho'Nuff in the martial arts film ''The Last Dragon''. He also act ...
as Lenny
*
Edy Williams
Edwina Beth "Edy" Williams is an American television and film actor who is best known for her acting work in the films of Russ Meyer, to whom she was married from 1970 to 1975.
Early years
Williams was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in ...
as Sun Haven Lady
Reception
''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
critic Daniel Ruth referred to the film as "far from a perfect movie", "marred by modest production" and with a fairly predictable plot, but praised the performance of Mitchum, writing he delivered " a marvelous performance", appearing "rejuvenated, sprightly and animated in a comfortable role".
[
]
References
External links
*
1989 television films
1989 films
1980s crime films
American crime films
American detective films
American television films
Films directed by Lee H. Katzin
Films scored by Jimmie Haskell
1980s English-language films
1980s American films
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