Justin Case
Variety
With George Carlin, Molly Hagan, Gordon Jump, Timothy Stack, Kevin
McClarnon, Douglas Sills, Paul Sand, Valerie WIldman, Todd Susman, Rod
McCary, Phillipe Denham, Richard McGonagle, Jay Thomas, Kenneth Tigar, Kay
Perry, John Lavachielli, Dotty Colorso, Reed McCants, Joe Mays, Lily Mariye,
Andrew Nadell, Nina Mann, Jerry Martin, Seurat Tanney. Exec.
Producer/Writer/Director: Blake Edwards; Music: Henry Mancini. Aired May 15,
1988.
Wisely boiled down from a 2 part telefilm to a 90 minute single stand, Blake
Edwards' droll "Justin Case" involves a bright-eyed Molly Hagen as a
would-be actress who gets tied up with the detective ghost of the title as
played with admirable control by George Carlin. Telefilm has the good grace
to be funny.
Applying for a job at the Case Detective Agency, Jenny Spalding (Hagan) runs
across the body of Justin Case, just mowed down, and disconcertingly, bumps
into his ghost (Carlin), who's as surprised as she is. The point of the
story is finding out who killed Case and why; the getting there uses trick
camera work, slapstick, a disappearing secretary, pair of less-than-effective
police detectives (Timothy Stack, Kevin McClarnon), a woman in black
(Valerie Wildman) and a psychic (Gordon Jump) whose parrot speaks to him
from beyond.
Douglas Sills gets in some good touches as a paramedic who helps the
starving Jenny when she's looking for a job, and Paul Sand makes the most of
a cameo as cab driver.
Relationship between Case and Jenny has been neatly played out, and the
ghost sight gags, not overused, are amusing. The involved and involving
lightweight tale has been considerably helped both by Edwards' direction and
by Hagan, who has an appealing comedic touch.
Edwards has written some witty dialog and situations, and the characters,
though often stock, come together with a surprising freshness in this family
fare. Slight and scarely demanding, "Justin Case" is as pleasing as its gag
title, which promises the 90 minute diversion it delivers.
-Variety, May 18, 1988
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