NOTHING SAYS GOODBYE LIKE A BULLET.

Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt) hires L.A. private eye Philip Marlowe (Elliott Gould) to find her husband (Sterling Hayden), but the case is also connected to the death of a friend.

On paper, perhaps neither Robert Altman nor Gould were the right people to make a Philip Marlowe movie, but the odd choices here helped make the film a minor classic. We’re always a little uncertain of when the story takes place, with its ’40s and ’50s details and contemporary hippie California atmosphere.

Gould’s laidback detective and the shocking ending are contrasts in a story that doesn’t make much sense, but it’s worth a look.

1973-U.S. 112 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Robert Altman. Screenplay: Leigh Brackett. Novel: Raymond Chandler. Cast: Elliott Gould (Philip Marlowe), Nina van Pallandt (Eileen Wade), Sterling Hayden (Roger Wade), Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, David Arkin. Cameos: David Carradine, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

Trivia: The novel was previously filmed for television in 1954. Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich were offered to direct, but declined; Lee Marvin and Robert Mitchum were reportedly considered for the lead role.