Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Senteur
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Kaydan Christian
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Wizard-8
After sitting through this movie, I am at a loss to figure out why most other user comments are so positive. Don Knotts can be funny, and so can Tim Conway. But this movie didn't provoke one laugh, chuckle, or smile from me. It seems to be trying to emulate comedies from the 1940s, though throwing in some PG elements like fecal matter and blows to the crotch here and there. But the movie suffers from its lead performers giving slow and restrained performances. In fact, the entire movie crawls at a snail's pace. The movie also blows it when it comes to the murder mystery itself. The two detectives make no real progress in the case, so much so that they have to have the killer come out and freely explain everything. P.S. - The two lead characters are not private eyes - they work for the police!
gavin6942
A pair of detectives (Don Knotts and Tim Conway) are assigned the murder investigation of Lord and Lady Morley. The case involves a big dark house, ghosts, and a questionable staff. As the two investigate the murder, each of the staff, which includes a Japanese samurai caricature, a hunchback, a gypsy, and an insane butler have a part to play.This film is classically funny. Poems that do not rhyme, secret passageways, strange staff... it is Don Knotts meets slapstick meets Scooby-Doo. And it sort of anticipates "Clue" (at least enough that it reminded me of "Clue" and I watched it immediately afterwards).I must confess that I am not familiar with Tim Conway. I know he did the Dorf movies, but I have not seen them. And I know he co-wrote this script, so I suppose this is really more of a Conway film with Knotts along for the ride. (It definitely does not have the feel of Knotts' other work, with him actually playing the straight guy here.) So, you have that... and Grace Zabriskie in a very early role (who you may know from 80 other movies, but I know from "Twin Peaks").Also present is the Wookalar, a legendary half-man/half-pig creature that has done many amazing things, but may or may not exist. (I almost wonder if this was part of the inspiration for "South Park" and Al Gore's manbearpig. But that could just be a coincidence.)If you like good, clean humor and a bit of silliness, "The Private Eyes" is a good place to start. I watched it on VHS, and I am aware that at least one scene (a dinner scene) was cut but appeared on NBC... perhaps it exists on DVD or Blu-Ray as the complete film? If not, it is time for a good edition. This film has flown under the radar for far too long.
Moondog-6
I've loved this film from the moment I saw it as a kid. To this day Tim Conway's rambling "I think that someone doesn't want anyone to know that there may be someone here that might be someone that's a killer" line still gets me laughing! Highly recommended to anyone in search of a fun (and funny) film!
Raymond Valinoti, Jr.
After starring in the lackluster THE PRIZE FIGHTER, Tim Conway and Don Knotts teamed up again for THE PRIVATE EYES. Once again, Conway co-wrote the screenplay. The result is no masterpiece, but it is considerably superior to their previous film. For one thing, this film avoids the previous film's forced sentimentality, focusing exclusively on laughs and thrills. Another bonus is a consistently strong supporting cast; THE PRIZE FIGHTER had some ho-hum players, particularly Robin Clarke's dull villain. Particularly standing out in THE PRIVATE EYES are Trisha Noble as the sultry, quirky heiress whom detectives Conway and Knotts try to protect and Bernard Fox as the deranged butler Justin who goes berserk at the mention of the word "Murder."THE PRIVATE EYES is a throwback to all those old haunted house comedies like Abbott and Costello's HOLD THAT GHOST in which the comic protagonist[s] endures numerous scares while trying to figure out the mysterious goings-on. The Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina, where the film was made is an appropriate Gothic setting for the chills that Conway and Knotts experience. Peter Matz provides a lively score that conveys eeriness and mystery in a sprightly manner, appropriate for a horror comedy.Unfortunately, the horrors per se- bodies turning up and then disappearing, a masked figure stalking the mansion, etc.- are cliched and the humor is inconsistent. There are some genuine laughs, such as when Knotts explains how the heiress's parents were killed and Conway, in his enthusiasm to figure out what clues the explanation could reveal, proceeds to perform the same actions the murderer did, nearly killing Knotts in the process. But THE PRIVATE EYES is also saddled with embarrassingly childish jokes (at one point, Knotts, Conway, and Fox do the old "walk this way" routine) and repetitive gags that quickly lose steam. The final gag ending is too predictable to be funny.But for the most part, the stars shine even with substandard material. As the submissive partner, Conway projects a dimness that is both likably earnest and humorously deadpan. Knotts as the take-charge partner is reminiscent of his Barney Fife characterization, conveying an air of cockiness that is constantly punctured by his ineptitude and cowardice. With less gifted comedians, THE PRIVATE EYES would be very rough sledding.For all its faults, it's difficult to dislike THE PRIVATE EYES. The film never pretends to be anything more than an old-fashioned horror comedy and Conway and Knotts clown around with no misconceptions of profundity. THE PRIVATE EYES is not essential viewing, but it's a pleasant time killer for a rainy day.
