The Double McGuffin
Encyclopedia
The Double McGuffin is a 1979 children's film directed by Joe Camp
. It starred Ernest Borgnine
and George Kennedy
, alongside a group of young actors, some of whom later became quite famous, including Lisa Whelchel
, who would go on to star in the sitcom The Facts of Life
. Elke Sommer
and NFL stars Ed 'Too Tall' Jones and Lyle Alzado
also appear in smaller roles. The film also included a young Vincent Spano
as well as Dion Pride (son of country singer Charley Pride
). An opening narration is provided by Orson Welles
. The cast was rounded out by Chicago native Michael Gerard, and Dallas area child actors Greg Hodges and Jeff Nicholson.
At the beginning of the film, the narrator (Welles) informs the audience that a MacGuffin
(or McGuffin) is an object that serves as the focal point of the plot in the thriller genre. This film has two such objects.
The plot follows a group of boarding school students who discover, in succession, a suitcase full of money, a dead body, and a dismembered hand. They are unable to convince the local police to take them seriously, because they have not secured any evidence, and because the police chief (played by Kennedy) is suspicious of them due to their past misbehavior. They follow the evidence themselves and realize that a political assassination is planned at a school event. They foil the plot themselves.
Joe Camp
Joe Camp is a motion picture director and writer. He is best known as the creator and director of the Benji films. He currently resides in Bell Buckle, Tennessee with his wife Kathleen. They also own property in Valley Center, California.Camp is also known for his work with horses...
. It starred Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine
Ernest Borgnine is an American actor of television and film. His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning turn in the 1955 film Marty...
and George Kennedy
George Kennedy
George Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
, alongside a group of young actors, some of whom later became quite famous, including Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Whelchel
Lisa Diane Whelchel is an American actress, singer, ventriloquist, and writer best known for her role in the television series The Facts of Life as the preppy and wealthy Blair Warner.-Life and career:...
, who would go on to star in the sitcom The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
. Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer
Elke Sommer , born Baroness Elke Schletz, is a German actress, entertainer and artist.-Career:Sommer was born in Berlin to a Lutheran minister and his wife...
and NFL stars Ed 'Too Tall' Jones and Lyle Alzado
Lyle Alzado
Lyle Martin Alzado was a professional American football defensive lineman of the National Football League famous for his intense and intimidating style of play....
also appear in smaller roles. The film also included a young Vincent Spano
Vincent Spano
Vincent M. Spano is an American stage, film and television actor, and film director and producer. He received a Cable Ace Award nomination in 1988 for his role as Mark Ciuni in Il cugino americano.-Backround:...
as well as Dion Pride (son of country singer Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
). An opening narration is provided by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. The cast was rounded out by Chicago native Michael Gerard, and Dallas area child actors Greg Hodges and Jeff Nicholson.
At the beginning of the film, the narrator (Welles) informs the audience that a MacGuffin
MacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
(or McGuffin) is an object that serves as the focal point of the plot in the thriller genre. This film has two such objects.
The plot follows a group of boarding school students who discover, in succession, a suitcase full of money, a dead body, and a dismembered hand. They are unable to convince the local police to take them seriously, because they have not secured any evidence, and because the police chief (played by Kennedy) is suspicious of them due to their past misbehavior. They follow the evidence themselves and realize that a political assassination is planned at a school event. They foil the plot themselves.