Tony Rome

Plot

Tony Rome is an ex-cop turned private investigator who lives on a powerboat in Miami called the Straight Pass. This a reference to the fact that Tony also has a gambling problem.

He is asked by his former partner, Ralph Turpin (Robert J. Wilke), to take home a young woman who had been left unconscious in a hotel room.

The woman, Diana (née Kosterman) Pines (Sue Lyon), is the daughter of rich construction magnate Rudolph Kosterman (Simon Oakland), who subsequently hires Rome to find out why his daughter is acting so irrationally.

After regaining consciousness, Diana discovers a diamond pin, which she had been wearing the night before, has gone missing.

Diana and her stepmother Rita (Gena Rowlands) also hire Rome, in this instance, to find the lost pin.

Rome is chloroformed and beaten by a pair of thugs, and Turpin is found murdered in Rome's office. Lt. Dave Santini (Richard Conte) of the Miami police investigates the crime scene and demands information from Rome, who's an old friend.

Preferring to work on his own, Rome gets help from a seductive divorcee, Ann Archer (Jill St. John).

An attempt is made on Kosterman's life, and a jeweler is found murdered.

Rome discovers that Diana has been selling her stepmother's jewels and giving the money to Lorna, her real mother.

The trail leads to Rita's dead ex-husband and Adam Boyd, a doctor, who ordered the killings.

The case solved, Rome invites Ann for a romantic getaway on his boat, but, she has decided to go back to her husband.

Cast

Deanna Lund plays a lesbian stripper but, embarrassed by the role, she asked for her name to be removed from the credits. She also appears in the film's poster.

Production

Filming took place on location in Miami, Florida, with some scenes being shot during the day at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, where Sinatra was performing in the evenings. Other scenes were filmed at the Corsair Hotel at 101 South Ocean Drive, Miami Beach.

It was partially filmed on the property that novelist Douglas Fairbairn was renting at the time.

Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank, sang the film's eponymous title track which then appeared on her album, Nancy Sinatra, The Hit Years (Rhino Records).

Critical reception

Tony Rome was met with good reviews upon release, although not quite the best notice Sinatra had in his career.

Nevertheless, it was thought by many that he eased well into the kind of role in which his late friend Humphrey Bogart specialized.

Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars.