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The Man With Bogart's Face

1980, Movie, PG, 106 mins

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THE MAN WITH BOGART'S FACE is a deliciously funny sendup of hard-boiled detective films. It stars Robert Sacchi--an actor who, when he combs his hair just right, bears a remarkable resemblance to Humphrey Bogart. Sam Marlow (Sacchi) undergoes plastic surgery so that he will look like (three guesses) Bogie, and when he opens a small detective agency, he is called upon by a goofy assemblage of clients, all of whom want him to find the Eyes of Alexander. Among those seeking these famous gems are Hakim (Nero), a Turkish mogul, Greek shipping millionaire Commodore Anastas (Buono, in a parody of Sydney Greenstreet), Mr. Zebra (Lom, doing Peter Lorre), Wolf Zinderneuf (Jay Robinson), a Nazi war criminal, and Gena (Phillips), a mysterious Mary Astor type. Action, murder, and laughs follow as the film goes from yachts to mansions and winds up on a boat docked at the island of Santa Catalina, where Marlow (his name is a combination of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe) lays bare the motives of the jewel-hungry bunch. It is all wonderfully silly, but played totally straight by everyone, and therein lies the fun. Six well-known radio and newspaper reporters play themselves in the picture, including onetime Hollywood Reporter editor Frank Barron. Former football player Joe Theismann is seen briefly. leave a comment
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