The Double McGuffin
The Double McGuffin is a 1979 American mystery film written and directed by Joe Camp.[2][3] The film stars Ernest Borgnine and George Kennedy.[3]
| The Double McGuffin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Joe Camp |
| Produced by | Joe Camp |
| Written by | Joe Camp (screenplay, story) Richard Baker (story) |
| Starring | Ernest Borgnine George Kennedy Elke Sommer Lisa Whelchel Dion Pride Greg Hodges |
| Music by | Euel Box |
| Cinematography | Don Reddy |
| Edited by | Steve R. Moore Leon Seith |
Production company | Mulberry Square Productions |
| Distributed by | Mulberry Square Releasing American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Best Film & Video Corp. |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | more than $3 million[1] |
Elke Sommer and NFL stars Ed 'Too Tall' Jones and Lyle Alzado also appear in smaller roles. The film also included a young Vincent Spano as well as Dion Pride (son of country singer Charley Pride). An opening narration is provided by Orson Welles. The cast included Chicago native Michael Gerard, and Dallas area child actors Greg Hodges and Jeff Nicholson.
Film title
At the beginning of the film, the narrator, Orson Welles, informs the audience that a McGuffin is an object that serves as the focal point of a plot and this film has two.[3]
Plot
A group of boarding school students discover, in succession, a suitcase full of money, a dead body, and a dismembered hand. They are unable to convince the local police to take them seriously, because they have not secured any evidence and because the police chief (played by Kennedy) is suspicious of them due to their past misbehavior. They follow the evidence themselves and realize that a political assassination is planned at a school event. They foil the plot themselves.
Cast
- Dion Pride as Specks
- Greg Hodges as Homer Rutledge
- Jeff Nicholson as Billy Ray Dober
- Vincent Spano as Foster Amaway
- Lisa Whelchel as Jody
- Michael Gerard as Arthur Honneycutt
- Elke Sommer as Madame Kura
- Lori Lively as Michelle Carter
- George Kennedy as Chief Arnold Talasek
- Ernest Borgnine as Mr. Firat
- Garvin Edwards as Football Player
- Anne Reilly as Cocktail Waitress
- Rod Browning as Moras
- Ed "Too Tall" Jones as Assassin 1
- Lyle Alzado as Assassin 2
- Mike Davis as Newlywed 1
- Peggy Davis as Newlywed 2
- Kit Lyons as Computer Programmer
- George Bailey as Night Watchman
- Ben Mayo as Taxi Driver
- Cyrus Newitt as Police Officer
- Daniel G. Albright as Policeman at Nightdesk
- Joe Camp as Newsstand Operator
- Don Reddy as Newsstand Customer
- Jeffrey Johnson as Hotel Desk Clerk
- Nanci Newman as Reporter
- Verne Lundquist as Radio Announcer
- Orson Welles as Narrator
- Frank Inn as Himself
- Benjean as Benji
Production
Joe Camp had a huge financial success with the film Benji, which made over $30 million on a budget of $545,000. In 1975 he announced he wanted to make The Double MacGuffin as his second feature.[4] The following year he said he would make it after Hawmps! (1976) and For the Love of Benji (1977). Camp called it a "combination of Hitchcock, The Sting and Mission Impossible set in a boarding school."[5]
The film was shot in Charleston in January 1978.[6]
References
- Regional Filmmakers: Mavericks of the Movies By KIRK HONEYCUTT. New York Times 9 Nov 1980: D19.
- "The Double McGuffiny". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- "The Double McGuffin". The New York Times.
- New era in family films? Canine star points the way By Mary Sue Best. The Christian Science Monitor 2 Apr 1975: 25.
- If You Thought Benji' Was Camp... By BARRY SIEGEL. New York Times 14 Mar 1976: D13.
- No Percy-Lance love match Daly, Maggie. Chicago Tribune 8 Dec 1977: b20.