dizzhrt I haven't seen this movie since it came out, and I sure would like to see it again -- whole & unedited, of course. It was a lot of fun and very 60's. Raymond Burr was great, Gayle Hunnicutt was very sexy, and George Peppard was at his most flippant. I still remember the scene where Orbison orders his long-suffering secretary to type all letters using a half inch margin in future, and do a study for him on the savings over using the prior margins. I have worked for guys who would have done that. I can even remember the calypso welcoming song the hopeful residents did for Orbison when he and his entourage arrived on the island. Bright, beautiful scenery, snappy dialog -- just a really entertaining movie.What's up at Universal? They have treasures in the vault like this that are totally unavailable.

HOWARD SMITH This was the first 'X' certificate film I was able to see, under the UK title 'New Face In Hell' (at 103 minutes as opposed to the original 109 minutes). I've never forgotten it and have been searching for a copy of it for years. Can anyone explain why it's disappeared and has never been available? It was an exciting, smart, brutal thriller with a great cast, very slickly put together by a respected director. Here are some of the things I remember: a slow tracking shot going up to a white-haired Raymond Burr sitting at a desk as he explains to George Peppard what he wants him to do for him; George Peppard saying there'll be a "New face in hell for breakfast" when threatening somebody; a man being killed, very messily, under an underground train - a guard shouts "Somebody get a first-aid kit", to which George Peppard replies, "You're gonna need a big one"; and a huge splatter of blood when somebody's shot dead in the final scene. Not to mention various vicious fist-fights ... and the gorgeous young Gayle Hunnicutt. This was 'sex and violence' at its best! Come on, Universal, find it in your archives and get it released!

Palomar68 This Private Eye drama, set mostly in New York City in 1968, is an above-average film which is largely (and unfortunately) passed over by both network television and the movie rental industry. The low-key acting by Mr. Peppard is superb; indeed, he is probably at his best in this gritty PI flick which takes one from the dark subway stations of 1968 New York, to the glamour of a Carribean island, and back again. All the while, there is fantastic music, from the opening score to the recurring theme of "P.J." Raymond Burr is interesting and convincing as William Orbison, a rich, arrogant, scheming tycoon who hires P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) to protect his mistress Maureen Preble (Gayle Hunnicutt), but whom we always suspect of having other, darker motives. Coleen Grey, in a somewhat lesser role, is excellent as Orbison's bitter, scornful wife. Overall a very good, well acted drama, with plot twists, catchy music, and of course, a bit of Peppard's trademark dry humour.

c532c If you've only seen PJ on Television, you haven't really seen it. In the late 60s, censorship was temporarily relaxed: Ratings were "G" for Nothing Offensive, and "M" in case there was anything objectionable. With the wisdom of their breed, Studio execs quickly realized they should try to get away with as much as possible, and films like GUNN, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE and NIGHT OF THE FOLLOWING DAY were filled with raunchy (for those days) sex and violence. However, with an eye to TV showing, the studio execs also had alternate scenes shot for these films and the resulting Tv showings were tepid at best. The movie version of PJ has a seamy, tasteless feel totally appropriate to a cheap Private Eye film.