The Late Show (1977) Blu-ray Review | Warner Archive Delivers a Neo-Noir Classic to a new generation

Art Carney and Lily Tomlin. These two performers are known for being amazing character actors. Carney was on The Jackie Gleason Show and best known for the character Ed Norton and Lily Tomlin was on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In and her iconic character Ernestine had people rolling in laughter.

In 1977 three-time Oscar winner Robert Benton produced and directed a neo-noir film entitled The Late Show and put these two comedy geniuses together to bring this fun little comedy noir to the big screen. Now it is time for an HD release of this film. Enter Warner Archive Collection.

Synopsis: Aging private eye Ira Wells (Art Carney) agrees to help a Hollywood kook named Margo (Lily Tomlin) locate her missing cat. Little does he know he's got a tiger by the tail. . Like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, gimpy-legged Ira's one of the great ones. Will this one last case-and this one flaky lady-give him one last chance to prove it?

The Late Show is a true homage to those 40s detective film noirs. Art Carney could have fit in right alongside some of your favorite noir detectives. But what makes this film stand out is that it is not just an action-packed thriller. This film has a lot of heart and is funny. That makes this film truly stand out. And don't forget to watch out for Bill Macy, Walter on the TV series Maude.

Warner Archive Collection has restored and released this film on Blu-ray and is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. There are also English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Warner Archive's restoration of this film doesn't clean it up too much. The film still looks gritty and raw, just like a neo-noir should. Yet there is no dirt or debris or audio anomalies I witnessed while watching this film. It truly is a wonderful experience watching this film on Blu-ray.

Warner Archive added two bonus features to this Blu-ray. The original Theatrical Trailer of The Late Show and an almost 5-minute segment of Lily Tomlin from the TV talk show Dinah! That is a nice bonus feature. But in all honesty, the bonus features leave a lot ot be desired on this release.

All in all Warner Archive's Blu-ray of The Late Show is a fun little release. Could it have been made better with more bonuses? Yes! But this will still make a great addition to anyone's home video library.

So, if you would like to add the Blu-ray of The Late Show to your library, head over to MovieZyng or Amazon and order your copy today.


Out of 4 film reels (4 being the best) The Blu-ray of The Late Show receives.....