The President’s Analyst
Directed by Theodore J. Flicker
Written by Theodore J. Flicker
1967/USA
IMDb Link
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Dr. Sidney Schaefer: If I was a psychiatrist, which I am, I would say that I was turning into some sort of paranoid personality, which I am![/box]
This dated spy spoof was really not my cup of tea.
Dr. Sidney Schaefer (James Coburn) is plucked from all the analysts in New York City to become the President’s analyst. We never glimpse the President or his therapy sessions. We only know that Schaefer must be ready the instant his patient calls. This puts a damper on his sex life.
The main plot is that the CEA and FBR are very worried a foreign power will get hold of the President’s secrets. And, indeed, the Russians, British, and even the Canadians are scheming to kidnap him. The CEA wants him dead. Schaefer escapes to a musical hippy commune where he tries to avoid the bad guys. With Godfrey Cambridge as a patient.
The plot summary does not sound all that funny and neither is the picture despite all the gags and one-liners. Coburn was not cut out to do broad comedy like this. The jokes are very dated. I hated Lalo Schifrin’s score. And whose idea was it to have Canadians speak with Cockney accents? To me the whole thing was just a bunch of silly chaos.
