''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 *

as Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman *

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

. Actor

, 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 *

for Best Motion Picture — Harold Becker

References

External links

* * * * {{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