IMDb RATING
6.8/10
5.8K
YOUR RATING
A former intelligence officer is tasked by the heir to the Gleneyre estate to investigate the unusual deaths of a disparate group of eleven men on a list.A former intelligence officer is tasked by the heir to the Gleneyre estate to investigate the unusual deaths of a disparate group of eleven men on a list.A former intelligence officer is tasked by the heir to the Gleneyre estate to investigate the unusual deaths of a disparate group of eleven men on a list.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Tony Huston
- Derek Bruttenholm
- (as Walter Anthony Huston)
Ronald Long
- Carstairs
- (as Roland Long)
Alan Caillou
- Insp. Seymour
- (uncredited)
Constance Cavendish
- Maid
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn an article for Video Watchdog magazine, actor Jan Merlin reports playing several of the star cameos in the movie, primarily Kirk Douglas when he is disguised in his various make-up. According to Merlin, Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra (doubled by actor Dave Willock), and Burt Lancaster never appeared in the film proper and only shot close-ups for an epilogue peeling off their heavy make-up. Merlin used his experiences as the basis of a thinly-veiled novel about the filming of the movie titled 'Shooting Montezuma'.
- GoofsWhen Derek rides Avatar for the first time, the horse has no reins or bridle. When he returns, it has both.
- Quotes
Adrian Messenger: There's nary a conspiracy. And if I'm right about this, it's a far older sin than politics.
- Crazy creditsThe characters played by Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis in the film are never identified by name.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 54th Annual Academy Awards (1982)
- SoundtracksA Wand'ring Minstrel, I
from the operetta "The Mikado"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Played by the orchestra as Tony Curtis removes his makeup
Featured review
An annoyingly smug mystery which isn't a tenth as clever as it seems to think it is. A "master of disguise" (who always looks exactly like the famous star portraying him no matter how much makeup he's under) is killing persons whose names appear on a secret list. It's up to dapper detective George C. Scott to solve the case, a task made relatively easy by a script filled with shameless contrivance and jaw dropping leaps of logic reminiscent of the way Adam West used to solve the Riddler's clues on Batman. In an attempt to lure audiences to this artificial, parlor-game excrement, the film-makers included the gimmick of having 4 other famous stars appear in cameos under heavy makeup and daring the viewer to identify them. The only one who speaks in his own voice is instantly recognizable, while two others cheat by being dubbed and one simply keeps his mouth shut. When the whole mess has come to a merciful end, the stars rip off their bad latex Halloween mask makeup and wink at the camera as if to say, "Wasn't that clever?" If you're still awake, your answer will be, "No."
When you take into account the enormous amount of talent involved on both sides of the camera, this is surely one of the most inexcusably bad films of all time.
When you take into account the enormous amount of talent involved on both sides of the camera, this is surely one of the most inexcusably bad films of all time.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) officially released in India in English?
Answer