Midas Run [A Run on Gold] ** (1969, Fred Astaire, Richard Crenna, Anne Heywood, Ralph Richardson, Roddy McDowall, Adolfo Celi, Maurice Denham, Cesar Romero) – Classic Movie Review 10,682

Director Alf Kjellin’s 1969 Midas Run [A Run on Gold] stars Fred Astaire as a devious veteran British secret service agent called John Pedley, who plots with duped professor Mike Warden (Richard Crenna) to steal a $15 million government gold shipment when the government fails to make him a knight. He embroils Sylvia Giroux (Anne Heywood) and Euro pilot General Ferranti (Adolfo Celi) in his scam.

Midas Run is a predictable B-movie-style caper thriller with some bouncy scenes, good playing and an intermittently sprightly step. It is made memorable by Astaire’s nimble performance as the ageing agent, and there is a quick blink-and-you’ll-miss-him appearance by his son, Fred Astaire Jr, as Co-Pilot.

Also in the cast are Ralph Richardson, Roddy McDowall, Adolfo Celi, Maurice Denham, Cesar Romero, John Le Mesurier, Jacques Sernas, Karl-Otto Alberty, George Hartmann and Carolyn De Fonseca.

Midas Run [A Run on Gold] is directed by Alf Kjellin, runs 106 minutes, is made by American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Motion Pictures International and Selmur Productions, is released by Cinerama Releasing Corporation (1969) (US) and Cinerama Releasing UK (1969) (UK), is written by James D Buchanan, Ronald Austin and Berne Giler, based on a story by Berne Giler, is shot in Technicolor by Ken Higgins, produced by Selig J Seligman (executive producer), Raymond Stross and Leon Chooluck and scored by Elmer Bernstein, with Art Direction by Ezio Cescotti and Arthur Lawson.

Anne Heywood performs the title song The Midas Run written by Elmer Bernstein and Don Black.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,682

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