The nicest movie you'll ever see about murder and blackmail.
An over-the-hill gumshoe in Los Angeles seeks to avenge the killing of an old pal, another detective who was involved in a case concerning a murdered broad, stolen stamps, a nickel-plated handgun, a cheating dolly, and a kidnapped pussycat.
The Late Show (1977) is a mystery, crime, comedy and thriller film directed by Robert Benton, released on February 10, 1977 with a runtime of 1h 33m. It stars Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy and Eugene Roche. Viewers rate it 6.3 out of 10 across 69 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Late Show before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Late Show.
Trailer
Featurette
Art Carney
as Ira Wells
Lily Tomlin
as Margo
Bill Macy
as Charlie Hatter
Eugene Roche
as Ron Birdwell
Joanna Cassidy
as Laura Birdwell
John Considine
as Lamar
Ruth Nelson
as Mrs. Schmidt
John Davey
as Sergeant Dayton
Howard Duff
as Harry Regan
Ray Pourchot
as Theatre Patron (uncredited)
Linn Zuckerman
as Hippie Gardener (uncredited)
Directed by Robert Benton, written by Robert Benton, produced by Robert Altman.
Average viewer score of 6.3/10 from 69 ratings.
When “Charlie” (Bill Macy) turns up to talk to his old PI pal “Ira” (Art Carney) about helping “Margo” (Lily Tomlin) to track down her kidnapped cat, then he gets short shrift. He is far more concerned with finding the people who recently murdered his partner and thinks she ought to just pay the “ransom”. She’s not got two cents to rub together, however, and so uses her wits to intrigue the man into following up…
Reviewed on June 19, 2025
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The Late Show (1977) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Late Show (1977) includes Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy, Eugene Roche and Joanna Cassidy. The film was directed by Robert Benton. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Late Show was released on February 10, 1977 and runs for 1h 33m.
The Late Show (1977) holds an average rating of 6.3 out of 10 from 69 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy mystery, crime and comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Late Show trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
