‘The Wheeler Dealers’ Blu-Ray Review – Lee Remick & James Garner Charm In ’60s Rom-Com

Henry Tyroon likes what wealth can bring, but that isn’t why he spends so much time pursuing it. “You do it for fun,” he explains. “Money’s just the way you keep score.” James Garner scores big as Henry, a flimflammer who lands in New York City after his Texas oil well comes up a duster. He needs a million or so in pocket money to pay his debts. Soon, he also hopes to land a blue-eyed blue chip: a stock analyst (Lee Remick) pressured by her firm to unload a worthless stock. Can Henry come up with a plan to turn what’s worthless into the hottest thing on Wall Street? The market for wit and charm is a sure thing in this mix of romantic comedy and business-world satire. Thirty years later, Garner would play a wheeler-dealer of another era to award-winning effect as the CEO in Barbarians at the Gate.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive provided The Wheeler Dealers with a top-tier 1080p master transfer in 2.35:1 when it was released in 2017 sourced from a new 2K scan of the Interpositive. The label has eliminated nearly all imperfections with no lingering instances of damage or dirt detected. Outside of some optical transitions, you are graced with a transfer rich with lush detail and clarity. The natural film grain brings out the nuances of the Charles Lang cinematography. The film delivers bold colors within the costumes and production design. This transfer delivers the foremost accuracy when it comes to the hues. Highlights stay firm during the runtime and black levels are primarily deep. Compression artifacts, banding, and other such issues do not arise as an issue in this transfer. Warner Archive has done great work. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a solid DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track that holds up as well as one might hope. The spritely score from Frank De Vol establishes a lighter tone while avoiding unwanted anomalies. There is no egregious damage to the track such as hissing, dropouts, or popping. Dialogue and environmental sounds work together with the score so everything has a determined presence in the mix. Exchanges come through crisp and clear with no elements stealing focus. The more bustling moments are handled well and give the track a bit of personality. Warner Archive has delivered the goods here. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included for the feature film.

Special Features

• Trailer (2:57)

Final Thoughts

The Wheeler Dealers is a lighthearted comedy that avoids going too far into dated territory that can make these types of films something of a minefield from a modern perspective. As a matter of fact, there are some fairly progressive notions regarding women in business that the movie handles well enough for the time. James Garner wields enough charm to make you forgive some of his more sleazy characteristics, but it is Lee Remick who sparkles the brightest. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that sports a fetching A/V presentation but nearly nothing in the way of special features. If you typically enjoy ‘60s romantic comedies, this should do the trick. Recommended 

The Wheeler Dealers can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.