| The Flim-Flam Man | |
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Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Irvin Kershner |
| Produced by | Lawrence Turman |
| Written by | Guy Owen William Rose |
| Starring | George C. Scott Sue Lyon Michael Sarrazin |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | August 22, 1967 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Flim-Flam Man is a 1967 American film directed by Irvin Kershner, starring George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin and Sue Lyon, based on the novel The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man by Guy Owen. The film boasts a cast of well-known character actors in supporting roles, including Jack Albertson, Slim Pickens, Strother Martin, Harry Morgan and Albert Salmi. The movie is also noted for its jovial musical score by composer Jerry Goldsmith. It was shot in the Lexington, Kentucky area.
The derivation of the term flim-flam man (con artist) is debated, but may come from the 1930s law firm of Flam & Flam, lawyers of less-than-sterling repute in the immigrant neighborhood of 165 East 121st St. in New York City.
Scott plays Mordecai C. Jones (self-styled "M.B.S., C.S., D.D. — Master of Back-Stabbing, Cork-Screwing and Dirty-Dealing!"), a drifting confidence trickster who makes his living defrauding people in the southern United States. One of his specialties is rigged punchboards. He befriends a young man named Curley (Michael Sarrazin), a deserter on the run from the United States Army, and the two become a team to make money and keep out of reach of the law.
The car chase scene was filmed in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and the courthouse scene at the Anderson County courthouse.
The Pigeon Drop scene with Slim Pickens as Jarvis Bates was filmed in Winchester, Kentucky during September 8-10, 1966.
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