# The Drowning Pool (film)

The Drowning Pool is a 1975 American mystery thriller film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, and based upon Ross Macdonald's novel of the same name. The film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Anthony Franciosa, and is a loose sequel to Harper. The setting is shifted from California to Louisiana.

## Plot

Lew Harper, a private investigator from Los Angeles, flies to Louisiana to do a job for his former lover, Iris Devereaux, who believes her family's ex-chauffeur, Pat Reavis, is blackmailing her with the knowledge that she cheated on her husband. While Iris's closeted husband James does not care, her tyrannical mother-in-law, Olivia Devereaux, is much less forgiving. In his motel room, Harper is propositioned by Iris's teenaged daughter, Schuyler. He soon attracts the attention of Police Chief Broussard and Lieutenant Franks, the former of whom has a personal interest in the Devereaux family.
Harper is abducted by two hoods working for oil magnate J. Hugh Kilbourne, who thinks Harper might be useful in his efforts to seize ownership of Olivia's oil-rich properties, which she is content to maintain as bird sanctuaries. Harper is noncommittal towards Kilbourne, and the hoods return him to his car. On his return, Harper learns that Olivia has been murdered and Reavis is the prime suspect. While searching for Reavis, Harper is abducted again, this time by hoods working for Kilbourne's wife, Mavis; she demands the whereabouts of an account book documenting her husband's illicit dealings.
Harper tracks down Reavis, whom he believes was paid to kill Olivia. Reavis denies involvement in either the murder or blackmailing Iris, claiming he was only at the scene of Olivia's death because he had been having an affair with Schuyler. However, he admits to having information that he expects will yield a lot of money and offers Harper a share if he will let him go. The car they are riding in is forced off the road by masked gunmen; they shoot Reavis dead but miss Harper, who wounds one of the gunmen. The next day, Harper is informed by Broussard that, mysteriously, there was no report made to the police of any gunfight, but that Franks has been injured in a "hunting accident."
Iris pleads with Harper to give up on the case, but he continues investigating. He correctly deduces that Reavis came into possession of the account book and gave it to his girlfriend, Gretchen, for safekeeping. Knowing that Franks was involved in the killing of Reavis, Harper ambushes him in his own home and forces him to admit that he works for Kilbourne. When Harper later confronts Kilbourne, the oil magnate admits to having hired Reavis, but insists it was only to spy on Olivia, not to kill her. When Harper tells Kilbourne he knows about the account book, Kilbourne offers him a fortune for its return; but Harper walks away.
Harper finds that Iris has committed suicide. A devastated Broussard admits that the two were having an affair. Harper confronts Schuyler and lays out how she engineered the entire situation. Schuyler insists that "they really did a job on" her father before admitting that she hated both Iris and Olivia. Harper then reveals that Broussard has been listening in on their conversation the whole time. Broussard lets Schuyler go, tearfully confirming that he is Schuyler's real father. Harper visits Gretchen, giving her what's left of Reavis' money and telling her to send the account book to "the biggest newspaper in New Orleans."

## Cast

* Paul Newman as Lew Harper
* Joanne Woodward as Iris Devereaux
* Richard Derr as James Devereaux
* Anthony Franciosa (credited as Tony Franciosa) as Chief Broussard
* Murray Hamilton as J.Hugh Kilbourne
* Gail Strickland as Mavis Kilbourne
* Melanie Griffith as Schuyler Devereaux
* Linda Haynes as Gretchen
* Andre Trottier as Hydrotherapist
* Richard Jaeckel as Lieutenant Franks
* Paul Koslo as Candy
* Joe Canutt as Glo
* Andrew Robinson (credited as Andy Robinson) as Pat Reavis
* Coral Browne as Olivia Devereaux
* Helena Kallianiotes as Elaine Reavis

## Production

The novel was published in 1950. The New York Times called it one of the best mysteries of the year.
In 1966, a film was made of a Lew Archer novel called Harper, starring Paul Newman. The character of Archer was renamed "Harper" for the movie. It was based on a script by William Goldman, who then wrote a follow-up Archer adaptation, based on The Chill, but that movie was never made.
In April 1973, producers David Foster and Lawrence Turman announced they had optioned the rights to the novel The Drowning Pool for director Robert Mulligan and had hired Walter Hill to adapt it. Hill did a draft, saying he "tried to toughen up the material and put a little more muscle in Lew Archer's pants, which was probably a mistake. Certainly, the studio and the producers ended up feeling that way; their main criticism was MacDonald's fans don't respond to physical action. They may have been right, but I thought going in the direction they wanted with the script was a highway to dullsville." Hill said this prompted him to "more or less jump ship" to go and make his directorial debut Hard Times.
Hill says that when he became involved, Paul Newman was not attached to the film, and that when Hill left the project, so did Mulligan.
Eventually, Paul Newman agreed to star. This meant the film was co-produced by First Artists at Warner Bros. By July 1974, Joanne Woodward had agreed to co-star and Lorenzo Semple had rewritten the script. Producer Foster says it was Woodward's suggestion to relocate the story from California to Louisiana, as she felt it would offer a point of difference.
By September 1974, Tracy Keenan Wynn, who had earned a strong reputation writing TV movies, was working on the screenplay. Hill said that later Eric Roth did some writing on it.
Jack Garfein said his agent pitched Garfein to direct the movie and Newman was agreeable, but then Stuart Rosenberg approached Newman asking for the job, saying he was going through personal problems and was "desperate" for the job, so Newman chose Rosenberg.
Originally, the plan was to call the lead character "Dave Ryan" so the film would not be confused as a sequel to Harper. Then a few weeks before preproduction, it was decided that it was "foolish to make this change" (Foster) and the character ended up being called "Harper".
Newman said, "a character like Harper is very easy. It's great fun to get up in the morning and play Harper."
The film was shot in late 1974. Location filming occurred in Lake Charles, Lafayette and New Orleans. The melody to the international hit song "Killing Me Softly with His Song" is heard playing in the background of several scenes in the film.
At the time the film was being made, Paramount was producing a TV series based on the Lew Archer novels starring Brian Keith.
Before the movie came out, a film buyer said, "You're sure it's going to be a disaster because Stuart Rosenberg — ooh! What has Stuart Rosenberg got on Paul Newman? I mean, after WUSA, how could anyone...? This man has got to be the Otto Preminger of grade-B movies. He just hasn't made a commercial movie in years, and people still give him big properties."
Hill later estimated that only two minor scenes in the film were true to his adaptation and said he "wasn't too crazy about the movie."
The voiceover for the trailer was done by Lynda Carter, a rarity for a female actress.

## Reception

The movie was nominated as best picture of the year by the Edgar Allan Poe Awards.
A.H. Weiler of The New York Times said in the review: "Under Stuart Rosenberg's muscular but pedestrian direction, the script, adapted from (Ross Macdonald's) 1950 novel, transports our hero from his native California to present-day New Orleans and its bayou environs. ... Of course, Mr. Newman's Harper survives beatings, traps, and a variety of enticing offers with quips, charm, and inherent decency projected in underplayed, workman-like style. If his performance is not outstanding, it is a shade more convincing than the characterizations of the other principals, who emerge as odd types and not as fully fleshed, persuasive individuals. ... Unfortunately, the performances and such authentic facets as Cajun talk, bayous, New Orleans and an imposing, white-pillared, antebellum mansion set amid wide lawns and ancient live oaks, serve only to make The Drowning Pool a mildly interesting diversion."
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars. He wrote that the basic premise of The Drowning Pool was "straightforward thriller material, and could have made a decent B movie, but since The Drowning Pool is a Paul Newman vehicle, it goes first class, and that turns out to be fatal. So much attention is given to making the movie look good visually that the story gets mislaid."
Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic described The Drowning Pool as a "rotten thriller".
The film was a box-office disappointment in the United States and Canada, earning rentals of $2.6 million. However, it performed better abroad — especially in Italy, France, Spain and South Africa — earning $8 million worldwide.

## Home media

The Drowning Pool was released on November 14, 2006, as part of the Paul Newman Collection DVD box set. The film made its Blu-ray debut in 2018.