The Private Eyes is a 1980 American comedy murder mystery film about two bumbling detectives investigating foul play at a mansion.
Directed and co-produced by Lang Elliott from a screenplay written by Tim Conway and John Myhers. Also produced by Wanda Dell. Roger Corman was the uncredited distribution producer via his New World Pictures.
The Tri-Star Productions production stars Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Trisha Noble, Bernard Fox, Grace Zabriskie, John Fujioka, Stan Ross, Irwin Keyes, Suzy Mandel, Fred Stuthman, Mary Nell Santacroce, Robert V. Barron and Patrick Cranshaw.
Reviews:
” …the jokes in The Private Eyes are so juvenile that only a child could appreciate them […] Aside from a few amusing scenes (one, in which Tim Conway sends a message to Scotland Yard by way of carrier pigeon and doesn’t open the window first, made me laugh), The Private Eyes is a lifeless, dreary comedy…” 2,500 Movies Challenge
“The Private Eyes isn’t trying for high art. It just wants to make you laugh. It doesn’t really even matter who the killer is – though we figure that out long before it is revealed. What works is the chemistry between the two leads, who play just as well off of each other as they did in The Prize Fighter.” 3 out of 4, Armchair Cinema
“This Don Knotts and Tim Conway comedy has its share of dumbness, but mixed in are a few comic gems. Knotts and Conway know comedy and can get laughs from even the stupidest of humor just on the strength of their delivery […] You have to be in a real silly mood to swallow this one, but if you are, a viewing might pay off.” At-a-Glance Film Reviews
“Conway’s and Myhers’ script borrows shamelessly from numerous sources, including the basic setup of the haunted mansion filled with secret passages, hidden doors and mysterious figures who may or may not be supernatural beings […] As Conway says in his commentary, kids love this movie. Put yourself in that frame of mind, and it’s a silly, fast ninety minutes.” Blu-ray.com
“Some young viewers bonded with this movie at the right age, so it’s not as if The Private Eyes lacks advocates. Moreover, the old-fashioned production values recall Universal’s horror movies of the ’30s and ’40s, which is moderately appealing. But if the best one can say about a comedy is that it has a enjoyably musty look, that tells you what you need to know.” Every ’70s Movie
” …this was actually a decent comedy, and it got more laughs from me than I ever thought it would. Much of the credit has to go to Conway and Knotts; they may be in over-familiar comic territory, but they never get desperate, overact or mug, and remain firmly confident in their abilities to mine what comic ore they can from the premise.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“I might be biased towards this film since I fell in love with it as a child and watched it a million times, but I genuinely think it’s a funny film and well worth checking out especially if you enjoy silly mystery comedies. Highly recommended.” Happyotter
“The script shamelessly cribs Young Frankenstein’s “Walk this way” joke and introduces a literal Chekhov’s (time) gun in the detectives’ first scene, so it’s perfectly suited to Conway’s and Knotts’, shall we say, less than subtle comic stylings. Spoofing both Sherlock Holmes mysteries and Old Dark House thrillers, The Private Eyes is packed with sight gags, puns, pratfalls, and other cartoon slapstick aimed at kiddies and unassuming television watchers.” Johnny LaRue’s Crane Shot
“The Private Eyes wastes two good clowns. In particular, it wastes Mr. Conway. He can look goggle-eyed, cross-eyed or wall-eyed at will, and while that can be pretty funny stuff, it needs a joke to go with it. The sole joke in this movie is that the character Mr. Conway plays is terribly stupid.” The New York Times, April 11, 1981
“Some may find their broad, family-friendly humour kind of corny but the fact remains the gags are frequently funny and endeared the lovable Knotts and Conway to a generation of children. In his first film as director, Lang Elliott, founder of TriStar Pictures, deftly mixes goofy laughs with genuine suspense (notably the torture chamber scene and a tense sequence inside a trash compactor straight out of Star Wars) that make the jokes that much funnier.”
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