The Great Ice Rip-Off

The Great Ice Rip-Off is a 1974 American made-for-television crime comedy film directed by Dan Curtis. It premiered on ABC as the ABC Movie of the Week on November 6, 1974.^[1]

The Great Ice Rip-Off
DVD cover
Genre	Crime Comedy
Written by	Andrew Peter Marin
Directed by	Dan Curtis
Starring	Lee J. Cobb Gig Young Matt Clark Grayson Hall
Music by	Bob Cobert
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Dan Curtis
Production locations	Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California
Cinematography	Paul Lohmann
Editor	Richard A. Harris
Running time	74 min.
Production companies	ABC Circle Films Dan Curtis Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	November 6, 1974 (1974-11-06)

Synopsis

The Great Ice Rip-Off a comedic heist film about a group of diamond thieves who use a bus headed from Seattle to San Diego for their getaway.^[1][2]

Primary cast

• Lee J. Cobb as Willy Calso
• Gig Young as Harkey Rollins
• Matt Clark as Georgie
• Grayson Hall as Helen Calso
• Robert Walden as Checker
• Geoffrey Lewis as Archie
• Hank Garrett as Sam

Production

The working title for the film was A Break in the Ice.^[3]

Critical response

Variety reviewed the film as having "enough sharp corners to keep viewers alert, and Curtis' eye for human foibles manages to get laughs. Curtis picks up credit for being able to derive amusement from a caper film after the onslaught of the genre in recent years."^[1]