Directed by: Robert Altman
Produced by: Joseph Walsh, Robert Altman
Written by: Joseph Walsh, Starring George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss, Gwen Welles
Music by: Phyllis Shotwell
Cinematography: Paul Lohmann
Editing by: O. Nicholas Brown, Lou Lombardo
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release date: August 7, 1974
Running time: 108 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

California Split is a 1974 film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama movie to use eight-track stereo sound.

Plot

The film is less concerned with plot than behavior as a friendship develops between Bill Denny (George Segal) and Charlie Waters (Elliott Gould) over their mutual love of gambling. Charlie is a wisecracking joker and experienced gambler constantly looking for the next score. Initially, Bill isn’t as committed a gambler (he works at a magazine during the day) but he’s well on his way.

As the film progresses and the two men hang out more, Bill starts to become more addicted to the gambling lifestyle. He goes into debt to his bookie, Sparkie (Joseph Walsh). Eventually, Bill hocks some of his possessions to fund a trip to Reno, where Bill and Charlie pool their money to stake Bill in a poker game (where one of the players is former world champion “Amarillo Slim”, portraying himself). Bill wins $18,000, but doesn’t quit; he is convinced he is on a hot streak. He plays blackjack, then roulette and finally craps, winning more and more money, eventually cashing out $82,000.

But something happens at the craps table. When he finally stops, he is drained, almost apathetic. After they split their winnings, he tells Charlie he’s quitting and going home. Charlie doesn’t understand it, but sees that his friend means what he says, and they go their separate ways.

Cast

George Segal as Bill Denny
Elliott Gould as Charlie Waters
Ann Prentiss as Barbara Miller
Gwen Welles as Susan Peters
Edward Walsh as Lew
Joseph Walsh as Sparkie
Bert Remsen as Helen Brown
Jeff Goldblum as Lloyd Harris

Trivia

• In the bar scene where Charlie and Bill first share a drink, Charlie overhears a conversation during which a man wonders if the Knicks will win the NBA finals. Charlie butts in and says the Celtics are going all the way. Charlie’s prediction comes true, the Celtics were the NBA champions in 1974. Since the movie was filmed in early 1974 and the finals weren’t until June, Charlie really does pick the winner ahead of time.
• The original ending actually spilled outside the casino. Bill leaves Charlie and hails a cab when Charlie suddenly comes out and decides to go with him so as to prove that he can walk away from gambling. However, a couple of people climb out of the waiting cab and ask Charlie how the action is, and he is drawn right back in and thus Bill leaves alone.

The DVD

The film was released on DVD in 2004, but music rights problems forced Sony/Columbia to exclude almost three minutes of footage and make several soundtrack changes. The DVD is already out of print, leading to speculation that a re-release is imminent with the missing footage restored.

Links

• California Split at the Internet Movie Database
• California Split at Allmovie
• California Split at Rotten Tomatoes

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.