Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film The Last of Sheila. The TCM television channel played The Last of Sheila as part of their 'Overnight Features' lineup on July 11. Enjoy!
The Last of Sheila
The Last Sheila is a 1973 American whodunnit mystery film directed and produced by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim. It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane and Raquel Welch.
The film was released to positive reviews and has garnered a solid following over time. The script by Perkins and Sondheim was later novelized by Alexander Edwards.
Plot: A year after Sheila is killed by a hit-and-run driver, her wealthy husband invites a group of friends to spend a week on his yacht playing a scavenger hunt mystery game. The game turns out to be all too real and all too deadly.
Acting: Richard Benjamin played Tom Parkman. His four most notable titles are Westworld, The Sunshine Boys, The Last of Sheila and Catch-22. My favorite Richard Benjamin film is Marci X.
Dyan Cannon played Christine. Her four most notable titles are Deathtrap, The Last of Sheila, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Heaven Can Wait. Sound familiar? I recently reviewed Deathtrap is still my favorite, but The Last of Sheila is a good second.
James Coburn played Clinton Greene. His four most notable titles are The Great Escape, Charade, The Magnificent Seven and Cross of Iron. He's been in so many things. How do I choose? And his voice, I just love it. I guess Monsters, Inc. is my top pick out of all of them.
Joan Hackett played Lee Parkman. Her most notable titles are Support Your Local Sheriff!, the Group, The Last of Sheila and Only When I Laugh. The Last of Sheila is my favorite of her movies.
James Mason played Philip Dexter. His four most notable roles are Lolita, A Star is Born, North by Northwest and Odd Man Out. Sound familiar? I recently reviewed the A Star is Born film collection. I liked The Last of Sheila better than A Star is Born.
Ian McShane played Anthony Wood. His four most notable titles are the Deadwood television series, Kung Fu Panda, John Wick and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I don't even have to look at his work history to know Kung Fu Panda is my favorite. Now, after looking, I can add Coraline to that list.
Raquel Welch played Alice Wood. Her three most notable titles are The Three Musketeers, Fantastic Voyage, Fathom and Myra Breckinridge. I haven't seen any of her other work.
Technical Aspects: The movie was inspired by an irregular series of elaborate, real-life scavenger hunts Sondheim and Perkins arranged for their show business friends (including Lee Remick and George Segal) in Manhattan in the late 1960s. Herb Ross also took part in the treasure hunts with his wife, Nora Kaye. Ross said one of the clues was spelled out by icing on a cake which had been cut up into different pieces.
Stephen Sondheim said he and Perkins "thought of the secrets before the characters". The character of Christine, played by Dyan Cannon, was based on talent agent Sue Mengers.
James Mason played a washed-up film director who was reportedly based on a composite of two real-life directors.
Raquel Welch played a movie starlet and Ian McShane her manager-husband. Welch claimed the two were based on Ann-Margaret and her husband, Roger Smith. Sondheim later said the part was actually based on Welch herself and her one time husband Patrick Curtis.
The movie was shot in the south of France. In an interview for a fortieth-anniversary screening of the film, Cannon said that filming on an actual yacht proved to be too difficult, and so production was halted, stranding the cast on location.
The shoot was not easy; according to Cannon, the first cameraman was fired and the yacht sank. This required reshooting early in the process. There were also complains about Welch's behavior. In turn, she announced she was suing Herbert Ross for assault and battery as a result of an accident in her dressing room. She claimed she had to flee to London during the shoot "to escape physical harm". However, she then returned to Nice to shoot the film's final scenes, although she was provided with a bodyguard. Warner Bros. later issues a statement supporting Ross and criticizing Welch for her "public utterances". Mason told a newspaper at the time that Welch was "the most selfish, ill-mannered, inconsiderate actress that I've ever had the displeasure of working with."
Final Thoughts: I like a good whodunnit movie, and this is a good whodunnit. I think the whole point of a whodunnit is that you don't know who did the crime and you have to figure it out. In this movie's case, you're trying to figure out multiple mysteries, including identities. The characters are also trying to solve these mysteries.
Just like any good whodunnit, there's a lot of twists and unexpected turns. It is a good mystery movie to watch. Good luck figuring it all out! I certainly didn't.
Where to watch it: According to Google, The Last of Sheila is not currently available on any streaming services. But, you can purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
