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This crime movie was only "fair," not worth owning if you are a collector, but worth checking out if you are a James Coburn fan. The title is a lot better than the story.

This is another of those mid-60s films that was Hollywood-in-transition, meaning it was just a year or so away from abolishing any moral codes. Here, we see casual sex accepted as okay and the bank robbers portrayed as the good guys, even though they are anything but good.

The female lead, Camilla Sparv, was a strange-looking lady who never really made it as a star. One can see why. It's also interesting to hear the language of the period with the police being called "the fuzz," etc.

James Coburn is fun to watch, but the rest of the cast is unmemorable, except that it marked the film debut of Harrison Ford, who plays a messenger boy in one quick scene. Other than that, the film provides few noteworthy memories which is probably one reason why there are so few reviews of this here.

FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Titles's Content and Context....´

In retrospect, I'll bet that when I bought this on DVD a few years ago, it had been re-released because of Harrison Ford's uncredited screen debut as a Bellboy (Although he was 23 when DEAD HEAT was filmed, he does look like a 19 year old "boy"!)

Ahhhh, There's the Rub! The FORD debut is precisely the reason I decided to purchase it! Well, also because I had seen it twice during its theatrical release at the age of 18 and enjoyed it immensely. Recently, I began compiling a list...."Movies that stand the test of time!", and I can assure you, most whole-heartedly, DEAD HEAT won't be on it!!!

This film is extremely dated, both in thematic and in stylistic terms. Even the dialog is peppered with terms you probably haven't heard in ages, like "The FUZZ", for example! (For those of you under 50, "The Police") Although, as usual, James Coburn's screen persona is delightful to watch, there are quite a few occurrences depicted here that stretch suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. Perhaps not so much way back in 1966, but certainly now, half a century later! Coburn's character, Eli Kotch, seems to be 100% impervious to Murphy's Law. Everything goes exactly his way, every single time! In Spanish we say, "Mucha Pelicula!", ...."Just TOO much Movie"!

Despite some real heavyweight talent in the cast, like Aldo Ray, Robert Webber and Rose Marie, the mostly lackluster dialog makes for rather non-memorable performances all around. DEAD HEAT does have a number of interesting moments sprinkled throught its 100+ minute duration, but for a 2015 viewing, I would hesitate to recommend it other than to viewers pining for a little mid-60's Nostalgia!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

"Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" is a fun film, especially if you remember the '60s. It looks just like a movie from the '60s too - beautiful women, casual sex, calling the cops "the fuzz," and as everyone else has mentioned, Harrison Ford as a messenger. Blink and you miss him.

James Coburn plays a man of many names and professions who needs to raise $90,000 to buy building plans of a bank next to the airport so that he can commit a robbery.

He gets it by seducing women, making copies of their keys, and then robbing them. Once he has the plans, he and his cronies decide to rob the bank the day the Soviet premier is due at the airport.

This film really held my interest, and it had some very tense moments toward the end of the film. James Coburn does a wonderful job in the lead, and there's nice acting in a supporting role by Robert Webber as the self-important head of the security force at the airport.

Camilla Sparv, as one of Coburn's women, received some big publicity in the '60s, but her U. S. career never went anywhere.

Great twist ending. Baby boomers will get a kick out of this one.

"Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" is probably mostly of interest to us nowadays due to Harrison Ford's bit part as a bellhop. Apparently, after the movie bombed, a producer told Ford: "Kid, you ain't got it." Of course, Ford went on to star in the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" trilogies, so he clearly had lots of "it".

Anyway, the movie casts James Coburn as ex-con Eli Kotch, plotting a heist in LAX while the Russian prime minister is visiting. Coburn seems to be mirroring his Derek Flint character, right down to being surrounded by hot babes (specifically Camilla Sparv and Nina Wayne). The good ol' Cold War, when the US and USSR could play all sorts of tricks on each other, and there were plenty of beauties to go around.

Overall, "DHOAMGR" isn't a great movie, but it's worth seeing. You may notice that playing Mrs. Kirby is Rose Marie, better known as Sally on "The Dick Van Dyke Show".

Nina Wayne. Hubba hubba...

For quite some time, this movie has held a place on my list of quintessential 60s guilty pleasure; it's a mini-super-light heist flick variation on some of the same themes in John Boorman's masterpiece, POINT BLANK - with its consistent visual chronicling of a transient American culture made anonymous by its materialistic-quack preoccupations (and thus,easily vulnerable to chameleon criminality). James Coburn, who plays DEAD HEAT'S hero shares some of Lee Marvin's traits in POINT BLANK. Both men move, mysteriously, like the wind, "beat the system," "win out" as anti-heroes but, in the process,they negate themselves out of existence ( they are, literally, "gone with the wind" at their respective pictures' fade-outs). On this last go-round, having just recently watched it again (via TCM), I'm prepared to give it a less qualified, more hearty endorsement. Writer-director, Bernard Girard makes the best case for modern international airports to be THE stage for absurdist comedy of any film I can think of. It begins with a mock-dramatic monologue by Coburn that keys the unique tongue-in-cheek tone of the film brilliantly and is probably the best acting he ever did on film. Stu Philips' catchy theme music maintains the puckish spirit of the piece in a way that few American movie scores of the 60s ( or movie scores of any other period for that matter) have been able to do as successfully or as memorably.

Handsomely-produced, location-rich crime-drama with a light touch concerns a recently-paroled crook who gets right down to business upon his release: using a variety of aliases across the US while masterminding a complicated heist on the bank at Los Angeles International Airport. In the flashy leading role, James Coburn never resorts to mugging or other outrageous tactics; he's dry as a martini, but not above a little wily interplay with the ladies. Director Bernard Girard's own screenplay is complicated enough without the asides to the surveillance team surrounding the visiting Russian Premier, and a romantic subplot involving Camilla Sparv (which ties in to the finale) is as obtuse as the film's unwieldy title. Still--for Coburn buffs especially--there are several strong sequences building up to the tightly wrought finish, and the well-chosen supporting cast is solid. ** from ****

This film deals with a con-man named Eli Kotch, (James Coburn) who just gets out of prison and decides to lay out his ground work for a large bank robbery at the Los Angeles, California airport. Eli also knows that a Russian Prime Minister will be visiting Los Angeles and flying into the same airport which will distract the police force away from a bank holdup. Eli also meets up with a very sexy blonde named Inger Knudson, (Camilla Spary) who works for very rich people and cons her into doing all kinds of things, Eli even marries her with a fake ID. There is plenty of comedy and some tense moments in a police station. You will never be able to figure out how this picture will end. It will definitely surprise you. Enjoy.

This film is all in the how. Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round casts James Coburn as one ruthless and amoral ex-convict who has no plans to go straight by any means. In fact he's got a score lined up on the outside that some like James Westerfield thinks he's absolutely nuts to even try. Coburn's so anxious to get out he successfully uses and seduces his prison psychiatrist Marian McCargo to get an early release.

In earlier times the lead in a film like Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round would have been played by a charming rogue type like Tyrone Power, Robert Montgomery, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., even Errol Flynn whose real life persona as a seducer would have worked in the lead. One of the elements I found interesting was that James Coburn who has played some really deadly killers on the big and small screen only broke hearts in this film. But he's just as deadly with them as with heads.

Coburn's scheme is to rob the bank at Los Angeles International Airport while the Russian premier was arriving for a state visit. I believe the premier would have been Alexei Kosygin at the time of Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round. Of course that's going to bring law enforcement on all levels out in force at the airport. But that's the whole idea, Coburn's going to make all the extra security precautions work for him.

The whole last half of the film is the caper itself and it's one intricately plotted affair. Here's one big hint as far as the film goes. Remember some of James Coburn's early roles. As part of the plan he has to adopt the accent of a foreigner, a nationality he had played successfully on the screen before. He pulls it off beautifully.

I would also note the performance of Carmilla Sparv, the beautiful woman he actually marries and who he uses unwittingly to help case the airport before robbing it and of Robert Webber the very nervous State Department official who is truly relieved that its only a robbery taking place and not some incident involving a visiting head of a foreign government.

If you like intricately plotted caper films you will absolutely adore Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round.

Between Flint and others interesting projects like this almost unknown one which gave to James Coburn a fast improvement of his career before to raise highest flights, this picture has a bit confusing screenplay to starts, too many travels to several places without a purpose easily clarified, little coups here and there, until to planning a big one, the airport heist, a bolder plain to take forward, he wisely grasp the opportunity allowed by visit of the URSS's primer minister with the stronger security around to easy up their plans, the heist itself was quite simple, the escape was resourceful and well-crafted, Coburn plays an overwhelming lover, three love affairs with some girls anchored in improper cunduct, he strikes their hearts among them the Nordic beauty Camilla Sparv using her for dual purposes only, but in the end has a great unexpected surprise, enjoyable to watch, l realized a bit bad humor from IMDB's user here without a suitable reasons, unless that I missing something!!

Resume:

First watch: 2007 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

"Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round" is a lot like its title: looks and sounds good, but means nothing and ultimately is of no real value. It's a glossy production with a fine music score by Stu Phillips, but it's neither funny enough, nor suspenseful enough, nor clear enough, to work as a heist comedy-thriller. It's made in an deliberately obscure style that is far too pretentious for what is essentially just another bank robbery yarn. James Coburn is ideal for these cocky, cynical roles, but this particular character invokes little sympathy or interest. In fact, the only character with any life here is the quirky, flaky girl played by Nina Wayne; I wouldn't mind it at all if the film abandoned all the other characters and told us her story instead. As it is, "Dead Heat On A Merry-Go-Round" is deadly boring and doesn't spin fast enough. * out of 4.

We all recognize Harrison Ford in this famous no credit bit part (bell boy).

Is that David Jannsen in a bit part (larger than Ford's), playing one of the uniformed police officers (he says a few lines) in the security area when Coburn's character "picks up" a prisoner? It really looks like Jannsen, but of course he doesn't have a credit that I could find. Between 1963 and 1967, Jannsen doesn't have any TV/movie credits listed on IMDb. This movie is 1966 (and before his famous Fugitive TV series), so I guess it's possible that he did some work for pay, but no credit.

Does anyone else think it's David Jannsen?

I saw this film at the cinema in the 1960's and years later, although I had never forgotten the title of the film, I could not remember anything else about it. I decided, therefore, to buy the DVD and pay a long time return visit to this film. In it James Coburn plays a con-man and is at times quite amusing, but I must say, however, that the movie is rather tame and slow and pretty much forgettable. Still it brought back memories of a time now gone, but a time I often wish would return. If you are wanting thrills and excitement, then this film is not for you. However, for those of you who enjoy watching 1960's films then this rather overlooked movie is worth a look.

The 60s was the golden age of the heist genre and this is James Coburn's entry. It's like Michael Caine's "The Italian Job" without the mighty minis. Or Sinatra's "Ocean's 11" without the star studded comradery. Or Steve McQueen's "The Thomas Crown Affair" without the distinctive, tricksy style of direction and McQueen's personal touches (such as the dune buggy sequences) In other words it's lacking some magic spark. Coburn bangs more women than Bond in the first half, as he goes about getting the money together for the job. And a teenage Harrison Ford turns up in a small speaking role as a bell boy.

To call this would-be 'with it' caper comedy muddled is a gross understatement – indeed, Bernard Girard the director should have fired Bernard Girard the writer because an admittedly ingenious premise has only resulted in a relentlessly dull movie! Hero James Coburn, with a permanent grin on his face, is involved in so many schemes on his way to rob Los Angeles' LAX airport (which brought back memories of my stay in the city three years ago, extending to the similarity of hotel interiors): in fact, he dupes a variety of people during the course of the narrative – including lovely leading lady Camilla Sparv (already ex-Mrs. Robert Evans by the time the film was released and who won a Golden Globe for Best Newcomer, over Candice Bergen and Lynn Redgrave[!], even if her career seemed to wither soon after); consequently, it's all needlessly (indeed painfully) stretched to 107 minutes!

To add to the confusion (not to say dejection), we get a dreary subplot revolving around the visit of a Russian official to the United States and the elaborate (though not always successful) security measures American agencies – led by Robert Webber and assisted by an impossibly youthful Todd Armstrong (from the Ray Harryhausen opus JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS [1963]!) – have to undertake for this purpose. As with many films of its ilk from this 'anything goes' era, the title is a reference to nothing in particular – to be sure, it surfaces in the plot as the name of a book ostensibly written by Coburn (under one of the innumerable aliases he hides behind); again, typically, the criminals (also including Aldo Ray in an underwritten part) are allowed to get away with it…though there's a nice ironic final twist when the author – who has unaccountably gone 'missing' but, apparently, truly existed – is found to have left his vast fortune to bewildered 'bride' Sparv!

This was my third effort from its little-known director in a relatively brief period of time – the first was intriguing but invincibly low-key, THE MIND SNATCHERS (1972), the second a Godawful (and barely-released) Western spoof called GONE WITH THE WEST (1975); the "Leonard Maltin Film Guide", then, awards DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND a very respectable *** – hence, it ranks as yet another disappointment! Incidentally, the star made innumerable films in this vein during the 1960s and 1970s – where his narcissistic and arrogant personality comes off as overbearing and, therefore, alienating: up next, in fact, is DUFFY (1968) which, despite rating an even lower *1/2, it's one I'd long been curious about in view of its rather interesting credentials

Seeing this heist film made me yearn for the no-nonsense efficiency of Kubrick's classic The Killing (1956). I can't recall any other heist film that generated absolutely no tension or suspense the way this one does. Instead the screenplay is cluttered with parts that fit together about as well as a bombed-out house. Writer Girard treats connecting threads as a needless distraction, which I guess we're supposed to take as the mark of European sophistication, 1960's style. Instead, we're treated to the wolfish Coburn's irresistible way with women, something about a Soviet premier on a visit, nameless guys who sort of appear and reappear leaving few tracks, and something about getting money from a bank after it's closed. The idea is to toss them all into the air and see how they come down.

Now, it might be argued that the movie is not really a heist film at all. That it's really not a genre film despite superficial appearances. Rather, the robbery and its planning are merely events leading up to some kind ironic point in the end about Eli outsmarting himself. Or some such more general point than merely a heist film. Okay. But the same general problem remains—the movie's just too slow and disjointed to hold interest regardless how it's defined.

Despite all, there are several redeeming features. There's ditzy Nina Wayne (Frieda) looking and sounding like her sexy sister Carol doing one of her hilarious bits on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Then there's the LA airport looking like a giant spider that's decide to squat on the city. And for old movie fans, it's an easy gig for Aldo Ray who gets marquee billing and about three lines of dialog. And finally, there's the neat twist ending—too bad this flash of inspiration is so slow in coming. In my book, it's one of the disappointing crime films of its time.

James Coburn plays an ex-con planning a complicated bank job. For some reason he keeps changing his name and stated occupation and even his accent though none of these lies seem to matter to the goal of robbing the bank. Meanwhile there's a subplot involving the arrival of a Russian big-shot but again, that has nothing to do with robbing the bank!

But Coburn is always watchable with his strange face and gangly body and deep voice and disarming smile. He is probably the greatest scene-stealer in film history though it doesn't happen here since he's the star. His co-star is the beautiful Camilla Sparv. She doesn't really do much, but she is a great beauty and you have to wonder what ever happened to her career.

A great movie to see while knowing nothing much about it. (Stop here if this is you, and watch it!)

A marvelous script, and Coburn is fantastic. The rest of the cast does a great job with their material, too. Good to very good direction and good to very good production values.

Cute sub-plot, and a nice ironic twist at the very end.

This has long been one of my favorite movies.

Weak plot. Scenes without purpose and connection to the overall story. Inconsistent story line. The surprise ending was flat and uneventful. No need to watch this one even though Coburn smiled, laughed, and changed his voice 7 times.