The Long Goodbye

Returning from a late-night trip to grocery store for cat food, Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould) discovers his close friend, Terry Lennox (Jim Bouton), in his Los Angeles apartment. Lennox asks Marlowe for a ride to Tijuana as he is in a bit of trouble. Marlowe asks him about scratches on his face.

On his return from Mexico, Marlowe is met by two police detectives, who ask questions about Lennox, arresting him when he refuses to answer. During questioning, Marlowe learns that Lennox has been accused of killing his wife, Sylvia. After jailing him for three days, the police release Marlowe when they learn that Lennox has committed suicide in Mexico. Marlowe does not believe that Lennox killed either Sylvia or himself.

Eileen Wade hires Marlow to find her missing husband, Roger Wade, an alcoholic novelist with writer's block. His macho, Hemingway-like persona is proving self-destructive, resulting in days-long disappearances from their Malibu Colony home. Marlowe visits a private detoxification clinic for rich addicts. Finding Roger, he brings him home, learning that the Wades knew the Lennoxes socially. He suspects there is more to be learned about that connection.

Gangster Marty Augustine (Mark Rydell) interrogates Marlowe, demanding that he cough up the $355,000 Lennox was sent to deliver to Mexico City. Augustine destroys his girlfriend's face with a broken Coke bottle as a way of threatening Marlowe. Marlowe visits the Wades and learns from Roger that Augustine owes him $50,000.

Marlowe travels to Mexico, where officials corroborate the details of Lennox's death. He returns to a beach party at the Wade house. Doctor Verringer (Henry Gibson) shows up and demands payment of $4,400 from Roger on his bill from the clinic. The party breaks up and Roger walks into the ocean. Eileen and Marlowe chase him. Roger vanishes and is presumed to have drowned. Eileen tells Marlowe that Roger had been having an affair with Sylvia and might have killed her. Marlowe relays this to the police, who tell him that they already know that Roger met with Sylvia before going to the clinic.

Marlowe receives a goodbye letter signed "Terry" with a $5,000 bill in it. He is brought to a meeting with Augustine, who asks everyone to strip. Marlowe's wallet falls out, revealing the $5,000 note, which Augustine assumes must come from his loot. The missing money is then delivered to Augustine, who returns the $5,000 bill to Marlowe. Exiting, Marlowe sees Eileen driving away in her open-topped Mercedes-Benz 450SL. While running after her, he is struck by a car and hospitalized. Waking up, he is given a miniature harmonica by a heavily bandaged patient in the next bed. Returning to Malibu, he finds the Wade house being packed up by a real estate company and Eileen gone.

Marlowe returns to Mexico, where he attempts to bribe a local official with the $5,000 bill. The Mexican admits they were paid to fake Terry Lennox's suicide. Marlowe finds Terry in a Mexican villa. Terry admits killing Sylvia and that he is having an affair with Eileen. Roger had discovered the affair and disclosed it to Sylvia, after which Terry killed her in the course of a violent argument. Terry gloats that no one cares about the case anymore since he is legally dead and the $350,000 has been returned to Augustine.

Marlowe fatally shoots Terry. As he walks away, he passes Eileen, driving to meet Terry. She turns her head to look at him. Marlowe pulls out the harmonica and plays it while strolling down the road.