Hickey. Boggs. On the Big Screen.

Last summer I went all crazy for Hickey & Boggs, the Robert Culp/Bill Cosby neo-noir from 1972. And you know? I'm still crazy for it. I've watched it a few more times over the past year, and it remains one of my favorite crime films, part of an unofficial quadrilogy of downbeat L.A. P.I. movies (the others being Night Moves, The Long Goodbye and Chinatown).

So when Ed Pettit, a.k.a. the Philly Poe Guy, asked me to kick off a new series of Philly authors introducing their favorite films, only one movie that came to mind:

The Great Muppet Caper.

No, no, I'm being silly. I'll be introducing/talking about Hickey & Boggs! Fred Kaplan-Mayer at the Hiway Theater in Jenkintown, PA even tracked down an honest-to-God print, so we'll be seeing it as nature (and Robert Culp) intended.

The event also doubles as an Expiration Date book appearance -- I'll be signing copies before and after the movie. There are other ties, too: Expiration is partially set in 1972, just like the movie. It's kind of a private eye story, just like Hickey & Boggs. And of course, it stars Philly legend Bill Cosby, which is about as Philly as you can get despite this being an L.A. neo-noir flick.

If you're at all curious about this movie, I hope you'll be able to join us. And please, spread the word. The fun starts Wednesday, April 14, at 8 p.m. at the Highway Theater, 212 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA (215-886-9802). For more info, click here or drop me an email.

(Image from Obscure One-Sheet.)