Mysterious Orfamay Quest hires Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe to find her missing brother. Though the job seems simple enough, it leads Marlowe into the underbelly of the city, turning up leads who are murdered with ice picks, exotic dancers, blackmailed television stars, and self-preserving gangsters. Soon, Marlowe's life is on the line right along with his case.
Acting
Garner's wry Marlowe winks at the genre itself.
Production
Sixties LA locations that feel accidentally documentary.
Director
Paul Bogart
James Garner
Philip Marlowe
Gayle Hunnicutt
Mavis Wald
Carroll O'Connor
Lt. Christy French
Rita Moreno
Dolores Gonzáles
Sharon Farrell
Orfamay Quest
William Daniels
Mr. Cromwell
H.M. Wynant
Sonny Steelgrave
Jackie Coogan
Grant W. Hicks
Christopher Cary
Chuck
Bruce Lee
Winslow Wong
Kenneth Tobey
Fred Beifus
George Tyne
Oliver Hady
Corinne Camacho
Julie
Paul Stevens
Dr. Vincent Lagardie
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Bruce Lee's two-minute cameo as Winslow Wong was so electrifying that audiences reportedly missed the rest of the scene. He destroys Marlowe's office with choreographed perfection.
This adaptation of 'The Little Sister' was Chandler's least favorite of his own novels, and he died before seeing Garner's playful interpretation—which critics found too charming for true noir.
US
