The Thief Who Came to Dinner
| The Thief Who Came to Dinner | |
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| Directed by | Bud Yorkin |
| Produced by | Norman Lear Bud Yorkin |
| Written by | Terrence Lore Smith (novel) Walter Hill |
| Starring | Ryan O'Neal Jacqueline Bisset Warren Oates Jill Clayburgh Ned Beatty Charles Cioffi Austin Pendleton Michael Murphy Gregory Sierra |
| Music by | Henry Mancini |
| Cinematography | Philip H. Lathrop |
| Editing by | John Horger |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 1, 1973 |
| Running time | 104 min. |
The Thief Who Came to Dinner is a 1973 comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and based on the novel by Terrence Lore Smith. The film stars Ryan O'Neal and Jacqueline Bisset, with Charles Cioffi, Warren Oates, and in an early appearance, Jill Clayburgh.
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[edit] Plot summary
Webster McGee (Ryan O'Neal) is a computer programmer who abruptly quits his job and adopts a life of crime as a jewel thief in Houston, Texas.
For his first job he robs rich businessman Henderling (Charles Cioffi), stealing from him not only money, but also files with information that could destroy Henderling's career. McGee uses them to blackmail him but instead of money he asks for introduction into high society -- aiming to find a way to rob other rich houses.
He soon meets Laura (Jacqueline Bisset) at a society function hosted by Henderling. She falls in love with McGee and then helps him to burglarize several friends of Henderling.
Insurance investigator Dave Riley (Warren Oates) is intent on identifying Webster as the jewel thief, but in the course of investigation Riley and McGee develop a sort of friendship. Riley must decide whether to be loyal to his job or his new friend.
[edit] Cast
- Ryan O'Neal as Webster
- Jacqueline Bisset as Laura
- Warren Oates as Dave
- Jill Clayburgh as Jackie
- Charles Cioffi as Henderling
- Ned Beatty as Deams
- Austin Pendleton as Zukovsky
- Gregory Sierra as Dynamite
- Michael Murphy as Ted
- John Hillerman as Lasker
- Alan Oppenheimer as Insurance Man
- Margaret Fairchild as Mrs Donner
- Jack Manning as Tom Preston
- Richard O'Brien as Sergeant Del Conte
- George Morfogen as Rivera
[edit] Production
Actual filming took place in Houston. Director Bud Yorkin is known for his association with Norman Lear who together collaborated on All in the Family and Maude for broadcast television. Following this film, Yorkin turned to TV completely, along with Lear and writer Aaron Ruben.
[edit] Differences between the novel and the movie
- Webster is not a computer programmer in the novel.
- In the Terrence L. Smith novel, Webster meets his love in the Chicago metropolitan area, where all the thefts and almost all of the story take place. (Smith was a native of northern Illinois, and the Chicago area was the setting for most of his books.)
- In the novel, Webster starts the story with a scarred face and broken nose, having been a football star in college (Northwestern). Over the course of the novel, he uses his earnings to finance a set of plastic surgeries to make himself more conventionally handsome. With Ryan O'Neal in the lead, the movie drops this plotline entirely.
[edit] External links
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