The King of Marvin Gardens is a 1972 film written by Bob Rafelson and Jacob Brackman and directed by Rafelson.
David Staebler (Jack Nicholson) lives with his grandfather in Philadelphia, where he hosts the late-night radio talk show Etcetera, which seems to consist mostly of made-up stories about his past. His older brother Jason (Bruce Dern) is a con man living in Atlantic City with former beauty queen Sally (Ellen Burstyn) and her stepdaughter Jessica (Julia Anne Robinson), working for the crime lord Lewis (Scatman Crothers). Then one day Jason contacts David out of the blue, asking him to help with his scheme founding a casino in Hawaii.
The King of Marvin Gardens contains examples of:
- '70s Hair: Lewis's goon Rosko (Arnold Williams) has a rather impressive afro with sideburns.
- Affably Evil: Lewis is a gangster who sends his thugs to intimidate Jason and David, and (if Jason's version is to be believed) set him up to face grand theft auto charges. One on one with David, Lewis is friendly and quite reasonable.
- Blatant Lies: Almost everything that comes out of Jason's mouth, most notably the claim that he owns the hotel that they're staying in (only to have management come in and tell him that he owes them for the room).
- Burn Baby Burn: Jason and Sally gleefully throw all their winter wear into a bonfire, reasoning that they won't need it in Hawaii.
- Bystander Syndrome: The film opens with David telling a story on Etcetera about his grandfather, who used to choke on fish bones during dinner. His mother would send him or Jason into the kitchen for a heel of bread, which would help their grandfather swallow the bone and start breathing again. One day, the brothers were eating alone with their grandfather when he started to choke. Without anyone to give them orders, David and Jason sat in silence while he turned red. Eventually David went into the kitchen for a heel of pumpernickel, but instead of giving it to their grandfather, he and Jason passed it back and forth until their grandfather died.
- Character Tics: David twitches his upper lip.
- Chekhov's Gun: Jason asks David to hold onto his illegally purchased revolver. It plays an important role in several scenes involving David's interactions with Lewis and his thugs. Towards the end, Sally shoots Jason to death with it.
- Con Man: Jason's MO consists of promising a lot in return for a cut or commission on a deal, then delivering little to nothing after he gets his hands on your money.
- Deadpan Snarker: David's usual reactions to his brother's Get Rich Quick schemes are quietly dismissive and sarcastic.
- Dies Wide Open: After Sally shoots Jason three times, he lies with his eyes open.
- Disappeared Dad: After Jessica's dad walked out on her, she spent the rest of her childhood tagging along with Sally, who worked as a prostitute, eventually becoming a prostitute herself.
- The Eeyore: David comes across as depressed and hangdog most of the time, as lampshaded by Sally in a later scene. Though it's easy to see why David would be skeptical and unhappy given his family situation.
- Groin Attack: When Rosko sees the gun in David's pocket, he tells him a story about a man who used to carry his gun the same way until it went off between his legs.Rosko: It changed his life.
- Happier Home Movie: David's grandfather watches a film of him and Jason as boys after Jason's death.
- Hates Being Nicknamed: David corrects anyone who calls him Davey.
- Nerd Glasses: Worn by David, and a definitive part of his personal style.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: As a late night New York radio host whose show seems to consist of monologues about his past, David is pretty similar to Jean Shepherd, except his stories seem to be mainly Played for Drama.
- One-Book Author: Jessica was Julia Anne Robinson's only significant film role. She'd previously had bit parts in two other films. She would die tragically in an apartment fire in 1975.
- Pun: Rosko tells David he doesn't like dirty double-crossers, which he defines as people who cross the Atlantic Ocean both ways without taking a bath.
- Really Moves Around: It's mentioned that Sally and Jessica have lived in hundreds of places.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni:
- Outgoing, ambitious Jason and cautious, depressive David.
- Sally, who experiences wild mood swings and spends much of the time screaming at people, and Jessica, who is much more relaxed.
- Shout-Out: When Jason proposes his latest pipe dream business venture (opening an island resort) with his brother as a partner, a skeptical David snarks back with an obvious reference to Of Mice and Men:David: I get to feed alfalfa to the rabbits, right?
- Two Words: I Can't Count: Sally complains of David, "He's got only one thing. That's depression, suspicion, and mistrust," while counting to three on her fingers.
