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The Private Eyes

  • 1980
  • PG
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
The Private Eyes (1980)
Scotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
77 Photos
Bumbling DetectiveParodyComedyMystery

Scotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.Scotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.Scotland Yard sends a goofy pair to check on foul play at a mansion outside 1920s London.

  • Director
    • Lang Elliott
  • Writers
    • Tim Conway
    • John Myhers
  • Stars
    • Tim Conway
    • Don Knotts
    • Trisha Noble
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    3.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lang Elliott
    • Writers
      • Tim Conway
      • John Myhers
    • Stars
      • Tim Conway
      • Don Knotts
      • Trisha Noble
    • 46User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:09
    Official Trailer

    Photos77

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Tim Conway
    Tim Conway
    • Dr. Tart
    Don Knotts
    Don Knotts
    • Inspector Winship
    Trisha Noble
    Trisha Noble
    • Mistress Phyllis Morley
    Bernard Fox
    Bernard Fox
    • Justin
    Grace Zabriskie
    Grace Zabriskie
    • Nanny
    John Fujioka
    John Fujioka
    • Mr. Uwatsum
    Stan Ross
    Stan Ross
    • Tibet
    Irwin Keyes
    Irwin Keyes
    • Jock
    Suzy Mandel
    Suzy Mandel
    • Hilda
    Fred Stuthman
    Fred Stuthman
    • Lord Morley
    Mary Nell Santacroce
    • Lady Morley
    Robert V. Barron
    Robert V. Barron
    • Gas Station Attendant
    Patrick Cranshaw
    Patrick Cranshaw
    • Roy
    Russi Taylor
    Russi Taylor
    • Doll Voice
    • (voice)
    Barney Rosner
    Barney Rosner
    • Wookalar
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Lang Elliott
    • Writers
      • Tim Conway
      • John Myhers
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews46

    6.53.8K
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    Featured reviews

    Amber-McKinstry

    VERY funny!

    This is a wonderfully silly movie with just the right amount of "eek!" to delight even the youngest viewer. Don Knotts and Tim Conway are perfect as the bumbling detectives sent to crack the case, and the "Wookilar" is beyond funny. Truly a masterpiece....maybe. If you like them silly this is the movie for you.
    7Mister-6

    Elementary, Don and Tim....

    Any movie that features Don Knotts as a brilliant detective and Tim Conway as his faithful assistant certainly has courage going for it.

    But "Private Eyes" is better than you might expect; the setting (Biltmore Castle) is beautiful, the supporting cast (Fox in particular) is hilarious and a lot, if not all, of the gags are priceless.

    Then again, what would you expect from Knotts' above-it-all air of pseudo-intelligence and Conway's endless pratfalls and an overcoat full of pigeons (don't ask)? They're two of the old-school comedians who know what's funny and never try to go further than the jokes will go.

    "Private Eyes" works because Knotts and Conway are, more or less, just being themselves. Definitely a film worth seeking out.

    You'll laugh. Trust me.

    Seven stars. And don't drink the ink.
    lee_eisenberg

    Barney Fife goes to England

    OK, so maybe "The Private Eyes" is sort of a rehash of "Murder by Death", but it's still a laugh riot. It's essentially what would happen if Laurel & Hardy or Gilligan & the Skipper were detectives investigating a murder in an English mansion. In this case, Don Knotts is the irascible straight man and Tim Conway is his dimwitted assistant, looking into the killing of some aristocrats in a possibly haunted estate. The entire movie is basically an excuse for a series of gags, some clever and some cheap. It certainly made me laugh. As for the obvious plot holes...well, it's just a movie.

    Yes, there's nothing special about the movie, but I still liked it. Also starring Trisha Noble, Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay on "Bewitched"), Grace Zabriskie, Irwin Keyes and Suzy Mandel.
    8Ed-Shullivan

    What a FUN movie to watch!

    To get Don Knotts and Tim Conway together in a haunted horror movie spoof was just a great treat to sit back, laugh, and enjoy the memorable interaction between these two kings of slap stick comedy. Both have great timing for slap stick comedy, and you just know that they are going to play off each others stupidity.

    No disappointment here, just plenty of laughs and good memories. I can't wait to have grand children and sit them down to be entertained without the use of any computer graphics, violence, or blood and gore.

    Don Knotts and Tim Conway remind me a lot of Abbot and Costello in their prime. The Private Eyes is a fun loving movie, with an endless reel of gag after gag, slap stick accident after accident, and you will probably shed a few tears of laughter before the movie ends. A must see for any age if you like two great comedians who make any scene special.
    mhyson

    sad to see people not seeing a goofy classic

    Growing up it was Andy and Three's company and so on that had campy humor. It was the same case that was "funny" for the slap stick type of humor of what was considered funny "in the 70's and 80's" and so on for other TV shows for their time. In my opinion watching this movie reflecting back to the time it was and remembering it as kid to now was just great. The humor that made me smile was nice and made me think back to the days when i watched those shows, as i often do on nick at night, to laugh as I did then and still do even on reruns. Tim Conway and Don Knotts do a great job of muddling thru trying to solve a mystery with a great supporting cast.

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There was a sequel planned, which would have centered around Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart trying to find the Wookalar that appears at the end of the film.
    • Goofs
      When Dr. Tart reads the line "By the way, you're standing in bull ca-ca," the dialogue is clearly dubbed in, and one can tell by watching his lips that Dr. Tart was saying "you're standing in bullsh..." (it's not clear whether he finished the swear or broke off).
    • Quotes

      Dr. Tart: [reading the tombstone engraved by Tibet's killer] To dig your own grave, is quite a sight. But to bury yourself, is not very bright. There are more to kill, and the job'll be done. Now there are five, soon there'll be a lot less.

    • Crazy credits
      During the main title sequence, the cartoon version of Inspector Winship (the Don Knotts character) is blowing on a tuba when the music credit comes up. The director of photography's name appears when two flashlight beams cross.
    • Alternate versions
      The television version which first aired in the early '80s included an extra scene, set in the dining room of Morley Manor. Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart switch identities trying to fool Mistress Phyllis and her staff.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The Postman Always Rings Twice/All Night Long/Galaxina/Back Roads/Private Eyes (1981)

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Detectives casi privados
    • Filming locations
      • Biltmore Estate - 1 Approach Road, Asheville, North Carolina, USA(Morley Manor)
    • Production companies
      • Tri Star Productions
      • Private Eyes Partners
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross US & Canada
      • $18,014,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 31m(91 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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