"MBS.CS.DD." Master of backstabbing, corkscrewing, and dirty dealing.
Starring George C. Scott, Harry Morgan, Sue Lyon, introducing Michael Sarrazin, with a host of notable character actors, including Slim Pickens, Alice Ghostley, Jack Albertson and Strother Martin.
The Flim-Flam Man is based on the 1965 novel 'The Ballad of the Flim-Flam Man' by Guy Owen. The movie unfolds in the countryside and small towns of the American South in the mid 1960's. George C. Scott said that The Flim Flam Man was his favorite role and movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, too, having watched it on more than one occasion as a youngster.
Mordecai C. Jones (Scott) is a grifter - a drifting confidence trickster who makes his living defrauding people using such tricks as rigged punch boards, playing cards, and found wallets. He befriends a young man named Curley (Sarrazin), a deserter from the United States Army, and the two form a team to make money. In their escapades, they wreck a town during a hair-raising chase in their stolen car, steal a truck loaded with moonshine whiskey which they sell, break out of a sheriff's office, and discover a riverboat brothel.
Tony Mastroianni of the Cleveland Press reveals the thimblerig:
"Rogues and scoundrels are not really lovable except in fiction, plays and movies, and then only in proportion to the quality of the work. I am happy to report that The Flim-Flam Man, all about a confidence man, has the necessary quality."It's a lighthearted movie, yet with a powerful message. After all the never-do-well scams, close calls, and meager prospects, a stark difference between young Curley and ol' Mordecai becomes obvious: Curly has a conscience, and wants a more fulfilling life with the Bonnie (Sue Lyon).
Directed by Irvin Kershner. William Rose wrote the screenplay. Run time is 1 hour, 40 minutes
Public domain, available on Youtub.