User Reviews

Richard Benjamin is Harold Weiss, the epitome of a useless knowledge obsessed professor who goes off the deep end when President Kennedy announces his reaction to Russian involvement in the Cuban Missle Crisis. Even though he's married to a wonderful woman (Cloris Leachman), he sets off on a trip of denial and fantasy, seducing women from right outside LaGuardia Airport to Las Vegas and ends up in Los Angeles where he assists a has-been western actor (Chill Wills) in destroying a movie studio set. There's reference to obscure past stars like Winifred Shaw, and a sequence where he claims to be Robert Hardy, the inspiration for Andy Hardy.

Diane Ladd has an amusing cameo as a Marilyn Monroe knock-off, and Leachman is hysterically funny even by being serious while wearing net-covered curlers and glasses in bed. Unfortunately, this nostalgic craze obsessed black comedy is lacking in a linear plot and is more about moments than substance. Chill Wills adds some laughs as the embittered actor obsessed with Bogart after losing a part in "The Petrified Forest" who carries around a statue of "The Maltese Falcon" and makes references to other Bogart films. Character actor Ivor Francis is profound as a nervous minister who goes on a rampage of sin and debauchery when he encounters Benjamin and expresses his fear over the state of the world.

In spite of these few plusses, the ultimate conclusion is pointless and indicates that there was desperation behind the writing, especially in the mostly sexually needy women Benjamin encounters (including the daughter of a former flame) and may offend most women. Fortunately, Leachman (wasted here) found greater success the same year with a major movie (and Oscar!) and a certain T.V. character named Phyllis. And as for the title, you might ask, what is "The Steagle"? Well, let me not spoil it for you, but just say that ultimately it is only something that football historians will be interested in, and nothing more.

The Steagle (1971) is the movie that put the skids under Avco- Embassy. I remember seeing this one on first release. I was alone in the theater – one of the largest in the city – with the usherettes. The movie cost over two million dollars (including print and advertising costs) and returned less than two thousand to Avco- Embassy on first release. Of course, it has since picked up a bit of money on TV and DVD sales but nothing much. The problems are (1) the title: Nobody (including IMDb itself) knows what a steagle is, and (2) the cast: Richard Benjamin is a very capable actor, but he lacks charisma and never had much of a fan following, let alone a BIG fan following. Chill Wills has a bit of appeal, but he doesn't come on until the final segment, and by that time everyone has left the theater. But the biggest problem of all is that the movie itself is just so utterly incomprehensible – unless you read the Synopsis here at IMDb first. The movie itself explains nothing and the actions of the central character are just so weird that most viewers will leave the theater or take the excellent Mill Creek DVD off the machine after battling with the what-the-hell-is-going-on plot for ten or twenty minutes.