''The Black Marble'' is a 1980 mystery/
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film directed by
Harold Becker
Harold Becker (born September 25, 1928) is an American film and television director, producer, and photographer from New York City, associated with the New Hollywood movement and best known for his work in the thriller genre. His body of work ...
and starring
Robert Foxworth,
Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss (née Ragusa; born March 4, 1938) is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in '' Where the Boys Are'' (1960), ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), ''Catch-22'' (1970), '' The Parallax View'' (1974), and '' The Stepf ...
and
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
. It is based on the 1978 novel by
Joseph Wambaugh.
Plot
Pragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman of the
LAPD is paired with Sgt. Valnikov, a romantic detective of
Russian descent who is going through a midlife crisis and who drinks heavily due to the pressures of his job. Together they investigate the kidnapping of a Beverly Hills socialite's valuable pet dog. It was carried out by sleazy gambler Philo Skinner, who runs a beauty parlor for pets and is desperately in need of cash to cancel his debts.
The teaming of the officers not only helps Valnikov to put himself together, but the pair also falls in love. While containing more humorous elements than most of Joseph Wambaugh's stories, it continues to explore Wambaugh's common theme of the psychological burdens of police work.
The title of the film comes from a phrase used by Natalie. The term "black marble" is synonymous to choosing the short straw or having bad luck. She states that she is always picking the black marble and does not want to anymore. She initially considers Valnikov a "black marble," but ultimately no longer believes this to be true.
Cast
*
Robert Foxworth as Sgt. A.M. Valnikov
*
Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss (née Ragusa; born March 4, 1938) is an American actress. She is best known for her film roles in '' Where the Boys Are'' (1960), ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), ''Catch-22'' (1970), '' The Parallax View'' (1974), and '' The Stepf ...
as Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman
*
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroes ...
as Philo Skinner
*
Barbara Babcock
Barbara Babcock (born February 27, 1937) is an American actress who played Grace Gardner on ''Hill Street Blues'', for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress—Drama Series in 1981, She played Dorothy Jennings on ''Dr. Quinn, ...
as Madeline Whitfield
*
John Hancock
John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...
as Clarence Cromwell
*Raleigh Bond as Capt. 'Hipless' Hooker
*
Judy Landers
Judy Landers (born October 7, 1958) is an American film and television actress.
Early years
Landers is the daughter of Ruth Landers, and is the younger sister of actress Audrey Landers. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
C ...
as Pattie Mae
*
Pat Corley
Pat Corley (June 1, 1930 – September 11, 2006) was an American actor. He was known for his role as bar owner Phil on the CBS sitcom '' Murphy Brown'' from 1988 to 1996. He also had a recurring role as Chief Coroner Wally Nydorf on the tel ...
as Itchy Mitch
*Paul Henry Itkin as Det. Bullets Bambarella
*Richard Dix as Alex Valnikov
*Jorge Cervera Jr. as Dr. Rivera
*
Marilyn Chris
Marilyn Chris (born May 19, 1938) is an American actress, possibly best known as Wanda Webb Wolek on the ABC soap opera, '' One Life to Live''.
Education
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Chris attended the High School of Performing Arts and City ...
as Marvis Skinner
*
Doris Belack
Doris Belack (February 26, 1926 – October 4, 2011) was an American character actress of stage, film and television.
Life and career
Belack was born in 1926 in New York City, the younger daughter of Isaac and Bertha Belack, Jewish immigrants ...
as Married Woman
*
Michael Dudikoff
Michael Joseph Stephen Dudikoff Jr. (born October 8, 1954) is an American actor and martial artist. Born in New York City, his family later moved to Los Angeles. Dudikoff did different jobs to pay for his education, during this time he became a mo ...
as Millie's houseboy
*
Lou Cutell as Mr. Limpwood
*
Anne Ramsey
Angelina Anne Ramsey-Mobley (March 27, 1929 – August 11, 1988) was an American actress. She is best known for her film roles as Mama Fratelli in ''The Goonies'' (1985) and as Mrs. Lift in ''Throw Momma from the Train'' (1987), the latter of wh ...
as Bessie Callahan
*
Michael D. Gainsborough as Capt. John "Jack" Packerton
*
Robin Raymond
Robin Raymond (born Rayemon Robin, October 4, 1916 – June 20, 1994) was an American film actress.
Early life
Raymond graduated from Northwestern University with a BA degree and worked as a press agent in Chicago.
Personal life
Ray ...
as Millie
*
Billy Beck
Billy Beck (born Frank Billerbeck; May 26, 1920 – June 29, 2011) was an American clown and character actor.
Career
Beck began his career as a clown at the legendary Cirque Medrano in Paris, France, in the late 1950s, and appeared in sm ...
as Man at Cemetery
*
Herta Ware
Herta Ware (June 9, 1917 – August 15, 2005) was an American actress and activist.
Early life
Ware was born Herta Schwartz in Wilmington, Delaware, the daughter of Helen Ware, a musician and violin teacher, and Laszlo Schwartz, an actor wh ...
as Grand Duchess
*
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...
as Arnold's Collector
*Adele Malis-Morey as Woman at Cemetery
*
James Woods
James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his work in various film, stage, and television productions. He started his career in minor roles on and off- Broadway. In 1972, he appeared in ''The Trial of the ...
as The Fiddler
*
Jane Daly as Bullets' Girlfriend
Production
After the success of ''
The Onion Field'' in 1979, writer Wambaugh joined producer
Frank Capra Jr. to make this dramatic comedy. Both films conform a diptych about the private lives of police officers, under the direction of
Harold Becker
Harold Becker (born September 25, 1928) is an American film and television director, producer, and photographer from New York City, associated with the New Hollywood movement and best known for his work in the thriller genre. His body of work ...
. Actor
James Woods
James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for his work in various film, stage, and television productions. He started his career in minor roles on and off- Broadway. In 1972, he appeared in ''The Trial of the ...
, the protagonist of ''The Onion Field'', also appears in this one, in a cameo as a fiddler.
The producers wanted actress Paula Prentiss for the role of Natalie Zimmerman. After the release of ''
The Stepford Wives'' in 1975, she had decided to raise her children and thereafter only made television movies, such as ''Having Babies II'' and ''Friendships, Secrets and Lies''. For her comeback to films, Prentiss was asked to gain weight to play Zimmerman's character.
Reception
Roger Ebert, in his ''
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 ...
'' review, which was written on February 22, 1980, gave the film three-and-a-half of a possible four stars. Ebert described it as an "unusual and distinctive comedy," and concluded: "This isn't a seamless piece of work, but it's infectious and charming."
Although ''The Black Marble'' was not a commercial hit, it won the
Edgar Allan Poe Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for film given by the association
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Awa ...
.
''The Black Marble'' holds a 36% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews.
[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_black_marble]
Awards
;1981 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
*
Edgar Allan Poe Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
for Best Motion Picture — Harold Becker
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Marble, The
1980 films
American crime drama films
Embassy Pictures films
1980s English-language films
Films based on American novels
1980s crime drama films
Films directed by Harold Becker
1980 drama films
1980s American films