Mastermind (1976 film)
Mastermind is a Charlie Chan spoof feature film. Filmed in 1969, it sat on the shelf for seven years before receiving a limited theatrical release in 1976. It has developed a cult following since its release on home video.
| Mastermind | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Alex March |
| Produced by | Malcolm Stuart |
| Written by | William Peter Blatty Ian McLellan Hunter |
| Starring | Zero Mostel |
| Music by | Fred Karlin |
| Cinematography | Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Edited by | John C. Howard |
Release date | 1976 |
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.5 million[1] |
The second of producer Malcolm Stuart's two-picture deal with screenwriter, William Peter Blatty, the project was inspired by the success of the 1964 Peter Sellers comedy A Shot in the Dark which Blatty had co-written with producer/director Blake Edwards. Blatty's script was drastically revised by Ian McLellan Hunter prior to production, and the disgruntled screenwriter chose the pseudonym Terence Clyne for his screen credit. By 1973 it had recorded a loss of $2.9 million.[1] Blatty's original screenplay was published as part of a limited edition collection by Lonely Road Books in 2013 as Five Lost Screenplays by William Peter Blatty.
Plot and setting
Zero Mostel plays an inspector on the trail of criminals who have captured a robot called Schatzi played by Felix Sillas. The inspector has delusions that he is a great Samurai warrior and the film flashes back and forth between present day and ancient times.
Cast
- Zero Mostel as Inspector Hoku Ichihara
- Keiko Kishi as Nikki Kono
- Gawn Grainger as Nigel Crouchback
- Bradford Dillman as Jabez Link
- Frankie Sakai as Captain Yamada
- Sorrell Booke as Max Engstrom
- Felix Silla as Schatzi
- Jules Munshin as Israeli Agent
- Phil Leeds as Israeli Agent #2
References
- "ABC's 5 Years of Film Production Profits & Losses". Variety. 31 May 1973. p. 3.
External links
- Mastermind on IMDb