Dace-El's Weekend Movie Post: The Thief Who Came to Dinner

Sadly on this day last year, the world lost actor Ryan O'Neal.  O'Neal had a recurring role on Bones playing Dr. Brennan's dad. 

And we covered his slapstick comedy film What's Up Doc? in a movie post from May 8, 2022.  

Today's movie post is another comedy, a comic crime caper film from 1973.  Directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Ryan O'Neal with a super hot Jacqueline Bisset, here is The Thief Who Came to Dinner.    

Ryan O'Neal is Webster McGee, a computer programmer in Houston, TX who just ups and quits his job for a new career: jewel thief.  

For his first job he robs rich businessman Gene Henderling, stealing not only money and jewels but files with information that could destroy Henderling's career. 

McGee blackmails Henderling but not for money but for "friendship".  McGee wants to be Henderling's best pal and get invited to all the high society soirees and stuff so McGee can case his next targets for burglary.   

McGee meets Laura at a society function hosted by Henderling. Like McGee, Laura is not who she appears to be. She falls in love with McGee and becomes his partner in crime burglarizing several friends of Henderling.

This rash of home burglaries has not escaped the notice of insurance investigator Dave Reilly who is not a cop but the way he throws his weight around during his investigations, one might wonder if Dave has delusions of police authority. 

Anyway, Webster McGee is not quite as clever as he thinks he is as Dave Reilly readily identifies the former computer programmer as his prime suspect in the jewelry thefts. 

Well, knowing something is one thing. 

Proving it, well, that is quite another.  

For his part, McGee is having fun winding up Reilly at every opportunity to stay just a few steps ahead of the insurance man. 

A sort of begrudging friendship forms between the two men. 

Can McGee make one last big score before he and Laura book it out of Houston?  

What choice will Reilly make when he finally catches McGee in the act of larceny? 

The Thief Who Came to Dinner is a pleasant enough diversion but the movie is not quite as funny and clever as it wants to be. It lacks the charm and wit of such other comic crime capers that I've covered in this space such as The Sting, Trouble in Paradise, Facade and others I've posted about before.  

What spark The Thief Who Came to Dinner has owes a lot to Ryan O'Neal who portrays Webster McGee with an easy going congeniality even while doing illegal things like stealing and blackmailing. 

Ryan O'Neal himself did not care The Thief Who Came to Dinner, writing in his memoir that this film was among those he said he should not have done.  

Even director Bud Yorkin could only muster up this endorsement: "I don't think it's the greatest picture in the world but it is very entertaining."  

Well, I don't know about "very" but it does OK in a pinch.   

Jacqueline Bisset said her role as Laura was "undeveloped" which I think is a very good assessment of the film as a whole.  

Bisset did enjoy shooting in Houston saying "I thought it would be ghastly. But the people were so terribly nice to us. Their houses were just unreal."

Filming took place on location in Houston. Locations included 

• the Johnson Space Center
• the Astrodome
• the Museum of Fine Arts
• Rice University
• the Mecom Fountain
• the Alley Theatre
• River Oaks
• Buffalo Bayou
• West University Place
• the Bob Lanier Public Works Building
• the El Paso Energy Building
• St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church
• the former Houston Independent School District (HISD) headquarters
• the former Trail Drive-In
• an area by the Houston Ship Channel.

The Thief Who Came to Dinner may not have been the greatest movie or even well liked by it's star but it is a good vehicle that demonstrates the charm and talent of the late Ryan O'Neal.