Bernard Girard, who both wrote and directed, takes an unusually wry course with this crafty heist yarn. Con man James Coburn gets an early parole from the pen after romancing his prison psychiatrist (Marian Moses). He then proceeds to cut a swath through a field of ladies, seducing and fleecing them of their wealth, all with the intention of buying up the blueprints of a bank at Los Angeles International Airport. Coburn charms the beautiful secretary (Camilla Sparv) of a rich old woman, marries her, then sends her from Boston to L.A. as his unwitting accomplice. With blueprints in hand, he recruits his team (Aldo Ray, Severn Darden and Michael Strong), planning a clever ruse of distraction to access the bank when the Soviet premier arrives from Moscow. Vintage L.A. folks will love seeing plenty of footage of LAX in its newborn infancy. Capped off by an ironic final twist that is both amusing and a bit sad. Co-starring Robert Webber and Nina Wayne, with a youthful Harrison Ford making his uncredited film debut as a bellboy.
“Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round isn’t about the crime itself, but instead seems to be about the immense effort we spend on material goals at the expense of human relationships…a very interesting and unique picture.” – Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant
“James Coburn, who successfully entered the James Bond school of daredeviltry in Our Man Flint, has another vehicle to fit his newly found, profitable talents…makes for an enjoyable spin.” – A. H. Weiler, The New York Times
Ariel Schudson discusses Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round on the New Beverly blog.
