The Black Marble

The Black Marble is a 1980 mystery/comedy film directed by Harold Becker, based on a novel by Joseph Wambaugh. It stars Robert Foxworth, Paula Prentiss and Harry Dean Stanton.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Plot  ==Plot[ edit] == Pragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman of the LAPD is paired with Sgt. Valnikov, a romantic detective of Russian origin who is going through a midlife crisis and driven to drink by the pressures of his job. Together they investigate the kidnapping of a Beverly Hills socialite's valuable pet dog. It was carried out by sleazy gambler Philo Skinner, who runs a beauty parlor for pets and is desperately in need of cash to cancel his debts. The teaming of the officers not only helps Valnikov to put himself together, but the pair also falls in love. While containing more humorous elements than most of Joseph Waumbaugh's stories, it continues to explore Waumbaugh's common theme of the psychological burdens of police work.
 * 2 Production, reception, and the Edgar award
 * 3 Cast
 * 4 Notes
 * 5 Awards
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

A comedic highlight of the film is a slow-motion chase sequence through a very messy dog kennel.

The title of the film comes from a phrase used by Natalie. The term "black marble" is synonymous to choosing the short straw or having bad luck. She states that she is always picking the black marble and does not want to anymore. She initially considers Valnikov a 'black marble', but by the end of the film she no longer believes this to be true or does not think this is important. ==Production, reception, and the Edgar award[ edit] == After the success of The Onion Field in 1979, writer Wambaugh joined producer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Capra_Jr. Frank Capra Jr.], and made this dramatic comedy. Both films conform a diptych about the private lives of police officers, under the direction of Harold Becker. ActorJames Woods, the protagonist of "The Onion Field" also appears in this one, in a cameo as a fiddler.

The producers wanted actress Paula Prentiss for the role of Natalie Zimmerman. After the release of The Stepford Wivesin 1975, she had dedicated to raise her children and only made the television movie "The Couple Takes a Wife" in 1972. For her comeback to films, Prentiss was asked to gain extra weight.

Although "The Black Marble" was not a commercial hit, it received good reviews and won the Edgar Allan Poe award for film, given by the association Mystery Writers of America, and it has slowly acquire cult status.

 ==Cast<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;"> ==Notes<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Awards<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * Robert Foxworth as Sgt. A.M. Valnikov
 * Paula Prentiss as Sgt. Natalie Zimmerman
 * Harry Dean Stanton as Philo Skinner
 * Barbara Babcock as Madeline Whitfield
 * John Hancock as Clarence Cromwell
 * Raleigh Bond as Capt. 'Hipless' Hooker
 * Judy Landers as Pattie Mae
 * Pat Corley as Itchy Mitch
 * Paul Henry Itkin as Det. Bullets Bambarella
 * Richard Dix as Alex Valnikov
 * Jorge Cervera Jr. as Dr. Rivera
 * Marilyn Chris as Marvis Skinner
 * Doris Belack as Married Woman
 * Michael Dudikoff as Millie's houseboy
 * Lou Cutell as Mr. Limpwood
 * Anne Ramsey as Bessie Callahan
 * Michael D. Gainsborough as Capt. Jack Packerton
 * Robin Raymond as Millie
 * Billy Beck as Man at Cemetery
 * Herta Ware as Grand Duchess
 * Christopher Lloyd as Arnold's Collector
 * Adele Malis-Morey as Woman at Cemetery
 * James Woods as The Fiddler
 * The film is rated   R13   in New Zealand for violence and offensive language.
 * 1981 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
 * Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture — Harold Becker<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[1]