... All the Marbles Reviews

Veteran action director Robert Aldrich's last film, this curious mixture of mildly sexual comedy and sports (well, professional wrestling, anyway) is uneven but occasionally very funny and compelling. Peter Falk gives a strong performance as Harry, the scheming, penny-pinching manager of the California Dolls (Vicki Frederick and Laurence Landon), a second-rate women's tag team. The three rumble from one industrial town to another as the Dolls try to claw their way into the pro wrestling spotlight. Harry secures a nontitle match against the world champion Toledo Tigers, whom the Dolls defeat. A rematch ends up with the Tigers on top, but they give the Dolls a shot at their championship in Reno. The 20-minute wrestling finale is a wild and woolly affair, with the Dolls battling not just the Tigers but also the referee, who has been bribed by a mobster Harry crossed.