Dated black comedy has Jackie Mason the perennial loser who's manipulated by detectives to conspire in the capture of his brother, a shady character involved in criminal activity. Mason pulls a swifty on the detective coercing him and takes off with a bundle of cash and an unmarked police car. He soon ditches the vehicle and tries to hire another, but typically, is declined. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, and little incentive or direction, he takes a limousine to the most expensive hotel by the sea, checks into the executive suite and quickly sets about enjoying his one and only stroke of luck - but hard luck has a habit of hanging around and it's not long before both he and his new romantic interlude discover that their stolen cash is tainted and the owners are in pursuit.
Mason cuts a depressing figure, shunned by every woman (with one exception) he attempts to hit on, and with zero prospects - heck, you can certainly sympathise with his motives. The movie itself is based around situational comedy, occasional slapstick and some melancholy moments designed to stir the emotions. I found Mason's character hopelessly pathetic and in every sense of the word, a stool pigeon - unnoticed and barely tolerated, until everybody wants him for the wrong reasons.
Thayer David (later to co-star in director Avildsen's "Rocky") and Marcia Knight playing the blonde who snubs Mason in the limousine, are perhaps the only other recognisable faces in a cast of unknowns, although that didn't dampen the appeal. A rare, insightful drama-cum-comedy, probably difficult to source, but worth a look.
Mason cuts a depressing figure, shunned by every woman (with one exception) he attempts to hit on, and with zero prospects - heck, you can certainly sympathise with his motives. The movie itself is based around situational comedy, occasional slapstick and some melancholy moments designed to stir the emotions. I found Mason's character hopelessly pathetic and in every sense of the word, a stool pigeon - unnoticed and barely tolerated, until everybody wants him for the wrong reasons.
Thayer David (later to co-star in director Avildsen's "Rocky") and Marcia Knight playing the blonde who snubs Mason in the limousine, are perhaps the only other recognisable faces in a cast of unknowns, although that didn't dampen the appeal. A rare, insightful drama-cum-comedy, probably difficult to source, but worth a look.