| Lady In Cement | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster |
|
| Directed by | Gordon Douglas |
| Produced by | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Written by | Marvin H. Albert Jack Guss |
| Starring | Frank Sinatra Raquel Welch Richard Conte |
| Music by | Hugo Montenegro |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Editing by | Robert L. Simpson |
| Studio | Arcola Pictures |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | November 20, 1968 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,585,000[1] |
Lady In Cement is a 1968 detective film, directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Frank Sinatra, Raquel Welch, Dan Blocker, Martin Gabel and Richard Conte.
A sequel to the 1967 film Tony Rome, and based on the novel by Marvin H. Albert, Lady In Cement was released on November 20, 1968.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
While diving off the Miami coast seeking one of the eleven fabled Spanish Galleons sunk in 1591, private investigator Tony Rome discovers a dead blonde, her feet encased in cement, at the bottom of the ocean.
Rome reports this to Lieutenant Dave Santini and thinks little more of the incident until man-mountain Waldo Gronski hires him to find a missing woman, Sandra Lomax. Gronski has little in the way of affluence, so allows Rome to pawn his ring to retain his services.
After investigating the local hot-spots and picking up on a few names, Rome soon comes across Kit Forrester, whose party Sandra Lomax was supposed to have attended. Rome’s talking to Forrester raises the ire of racketeer Al Mungar, a supposedly reformed gangster who looks after Kit’s interests.
Rome, thinking there may be a connection between Lomax, Forrester and Mungar, starts probing into their backgrounds and begins a romantic relationship with Kit. With both cops and crooks chasing him and the omnipresent Gronski breathing down his neck, Rome finds himself deep in a case that provides few answers.
Cast [edit]
- Frank Sinatra as Tony Rome
- Raquel Welch as Kit Forrester
- Dan Blocker as Waldo Gronski
- Richard Conte as Lt. Dave Santini
- Martin Gabel as Al Mungar
- Richard Deacon as Arnie Sherwin
- Lainie Kazan as Maria Baretto
Critical reception [edit]
Opening to mixed reviews, Lady In Cement is generally considered to be a middling sequel to Tony Rome. Critic Roger Ebert gave faint praise in a generally scathing review by commenting: “In the movie's few good scenes, Sinatra once again painfully reminds us what a controlled, effective actor he is.” Variety noted that “Dan Blocker is excellent as a sympathetic heavy,” whilst John Maloney liked the “fresher script” and “sharp direction.”
Trivia [edit]
In Lady In Cement, director Gordon Douglas, and star Frank Sinatra dropped a few inside references, including an instrumental of the Sinatra song "You Make Me Feel So Young" during one scene. A clip of the TV series Bonanza was used in one scene, on which co-star Dan Blocker played Hoss Cartwright. There is also a reference to Sinatra's ex-wife Ava Gardner during a scene in which Rome comments on knowing a girl who used to date bullfighters.[citation needed]. Rome rides in a taxi which bears an advertisement for Dean Martin's Restaurant & Lounge on its rear fender.
DVD release [edit]
Lady In Cement was released on DVD on May 24, 2005 as part of a boxed set along with Tony Rome and The Detective, both also directed by Douglas. No bonus features were included.
References [edit]
- ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p255
External links [edit]
- Lady in Cement at the Internet Movie Database
- Roger Ebert’s Review
- Variety’s Review
- Review of the DVD Release by DVD Times
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