In 1977, Kaplan directed Mr. Billion. Noted for bringing Terence Hill to American movie-goers for the first time, it was also the last screen appearance of William Redfield. Hill was a huge star in Europe at the time and this was his stateside intro.
Billion also features Valerie Perrine, Jackie Gleason, Slim Pickens, and Chill Wills. How did Slim Pickens and Chill Wills end up in the same movie? Didn't SAG have some kind of rule against such an occurrence? Character Actor Overload? I guess not, because this was the second time for that Character Actor Lightning to strike. Trivia buffs know that the first was in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
The story smacks a bit of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Guy inherits a ton of money but has to meet a deadline in order to claim it. Gleason and Perrine stand in his way. Let the comedic action begin.
Mr. Billion flopped like Gleason doing the cannonball. Kaplan considered it his career low point. Can we enjoy it today, despite all the negativity? Sure we can. Along with some bubbly.
A Champagne from the François Billion winery almost seems like low-hanging fruit for this pairing. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier grapes are the fruit in question for Le Mesnil-sur-Oger Brut. You may have to pay $200 for it, but at least you don't have to beat the clock.
In 1951's The Prowler, a sleazebag cop has to find a peeping Tom who is harassing a beautiful woman. Van Heflin is our policeman with a broken moral compass. The needle points to where the trouble is. I'm reminded of Double Indemnity while watching his infatuation with the victim turn into a murder plot.
By the way, if you're wondering what connection Kaplan has to The Prowler, Heflin was his uncle. I sure hope that when Uncle Van came to visit young Jonathan, he was more like 3:10 to Yuma Heflin than The Prowler Heflin. The latter would be one creepy uncle.
A dirty cop might dress himself in dirty laundry, both literally and metaphorically. That sets up my reach for this wine pairing. Dirty Laundry Winery of British Columbia makes a red blend called Dangerous Liaison, which goes for $25 in the Great White North. Your tariff mileage may be higher.
Kaplan's The Slams, from 1973, features former NFL star Jim Brown in what might be seen as a "Shaft goes to prison" tale. Brown's character is in the hoosegow for pulling a million-dollar job. Some of his fellow inmates want him to give up the location of the cash, and they want it badly. At the same time, he needs to get over the wall in a hurry because the place where he hid the loot is about to be demolished.
It's not a stretch to figure that there's a lot of sweating, a lot of fighting and a lot of pruno drinking in this film. Actually, I don't think there's even a mention of pruno, but I always think of it while watching prison movies. Just think it, don't drink it.
Okay, prepare for more low-handing fruit. Let's pair The Slams with the wine known as The Prisoner. I don't know how high the security is in Napa Valley's stony lonesome, but it is said to be relatively easy to smuggle a bottle or two of The Prisoner out of your local wine shop. Less than $50 bucks is all it takes to grease the warden's palm.
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