''The Escape Artist'' is a 1982 film starring

Griffin O'Neal Griffin Patrick O'Neal (born October 28, 1964) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as '' The Escape Artist'', ''April Fool's Day'', '' The Wraith'', ''Assault of the Killer Bimbos'', and '' Ghoulies III''. Early life and career O' ...

and

Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

. It was based on a book by David Wagoner, and was the directorial debut of

Caleb Deschanel Joseph Caleb Deschanel, (born September 21, 1944) is an American cinematographer and director of film and television. He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography six times. He is a member of the National Film Preservat ...

. It was the final film of Joan Hackett,

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom '' I Love Lucy'', in which he c ...

, and

Gabriel Dell Gabriel Dell (born Gabriel Marcel Dell Vecchio; October 8, 1919 – July 3, 1988) was an American actor and one of the members of what came to be known as the Dead End Kids, then later the East Side Kids and finally The Bowery Boys. Acting car ...

, and the film debut of

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series ''Night Court''. He later starred in the si ...

. It was also the final film performance of

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Charlie Chaplin's film classic '' The Kid'' (1921) made him one of the first child stars in t ...

, though one film he had shot earlier ('' The Prey'', which was shot in 1979) was not released until 1983.

Plot

Young and self-confident Danny Masters is the teen-aged son of the late Harry Masters, the "greatest escape artist except for

Houdini Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...

". Danny himself is an accomplished magician and escape artist. He leaves home to join Uncle Burke and Aunt Sibyl in their magic/mentalist act; Sibyl welcomes him, but Burke is unenthusiastic. Danny soon finds himself embroiled with Stu Quiñones, corrupt son of Mayor Leon Quiñones. The quest for a missing wallet (pick-pocketed by Danny) leads to the comeuppance of the crooked mayor, and separately of his vindictive and out-of-control son. Along the way, Danny comes to terms with the death of his father, the circumstances of which he did not previously know.

Cast

as Stu Quiñones *

as Danny Masters *

as Mayor Leon Quiñones *

Teri Garr Teri Ann Garr (born December 11, 1944) is an American former actress, dancer, and comedian. She frequently appeared in comedic roles throughout her career, which spans four decades and includes over 140 credits in film and television. Her accola ...

as Arlene * Joan Hackett as Aunt Sibyl *

as Uncle Burke * John P. Ryan as Vernon *

Elizabeth Daily Elizabeth Ann Guttman, (born September 11, 1961) better known as E. G. Daily and Elizabeth Daily, is an American actress and singer. Daily is best known for her animation voice roles as Tommy Pickles on '' Rugrats'' and its spin-off ''All Grow ...

as Sandra *

M. Emmet Walsh Michael Emmet Walsh (born March 22, 1935) is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 films and television series, including small but important supporting roles in dozens of major studio features of the 1970s and 1980s. He starred in '' B ...

as Fritz *

as Magic Shop Owner *

Hal Williams Halroy Candis Williams (born December 14, 1938) is an American actor, best known for his recurring roles as Police Officer Smith ("Smitty") on ''Sanford and Son'' (1972–1976), Harley Foster on ''The Waltons'' (1973-1980), and as the patriarch Le ...

as Cop At Mayor's Office * Helen Page Camp as Neighbor *

David Clennon David Clennon (born May 10, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Miles Drentell in the ABC series '' thirtysomething'' and ''Once and Again'', as well as his role as Palmer in the John Carpenter film '' The Thing''. He ...

as Newspaper Editor *

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular " Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later " Bowery ...

as Turnkey *

as Harry Masters *

Carlin Glynn Carlin Glynn (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer and retired actress. She is the mother of actress Mary Stuart Masterson. Life and career Glynn was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School in Houston, Texas ...

as Treasurer's Secretary *

Margaret Ladd Margaret Ladd (born November 8, 1942) is an American actress, best known for her role as Emma Channing in the CBS primetime soap opera, ''Falcon Crest'' (1981–90). Life and career Ladd was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She began acting on ...

as Reporter *

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play '' The Odd C ...

as Drummer *

Doug McGrath Doug McGrath (born April 13, 1935) is a Canadian actor whose most notable role was that of "Peter" in the acclaimed Canadian film ''Goin' Down the Road'' (1970) and its sequel ''Down the Road Again'' (2011). He also played in acclaimed Canadia ...

as The Photographer * Richard Bradford as Sam City Treasurer (uncredited)

Production notes

This film was shot in 1980, but remained unreleased for two years as it underwent extensive re-editing. The cast includes two members of the 1930s troupe the

Dead End Kids The Dead End Kids were a group of young actors from New York City who appeared in Sidney Kingsley's Broadway play '' Dead End'' in 1935. In 1937, producer Samuel Goldwyn brought all of them to Hollywood and turned the play into a film. They prov ...

: Gabriel Dell and Huntz Hall.

Reception

The film received mixed to poor reviews, with critics generally praising the performances, but finding the script elements unfocused.

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of the ''New York Times'' noted that the finished film "represents a lot more talent than is ever demonstrated on the screen."

References

External links

* * * 1982 films 1982 drama films American independent films Films based on American novels Films shot in Cleveland American Zoetrope films Orion Pictures films Warner Bros. films Films about magic and magicians Films directed by Caleb Deschanel American drama films Films with screenplays by Melissa Mathison Films scored by Georges Delerue 1982 directorial debut films 1982 independent films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{indie-drama-film-stub