ragmatic Sgt. Natalie Zimmermann of the LAPD is paired with Sgt. Valnikov, a romantic detective of Russian origin who is going through a midlife crisis. They fall in love while solving the case of the kidnapping of a socialite's valuable pet dog. While containing more humorous elements than most of Joseph Waumbaugh's stories, it continues to explore Waumbaugh's common theme of the psychological burdens of police work.

A comedic highlight of the film is a slow-motion chase sequence through a very messy dog kennel.

The title of the film comes from a phrase used by Sgt. Zimmermann. The term black marble is synonymous to choosing the short straw or having bad luck. She states that she is always picking the black marble and does not want to anymore. She initially considers Sgt. Valnikov a 'black marble', but by the end of the film no longer believes this to be true or does not think this is important.


Alcoholic police sergeant A.M. Valnikov is transferred from a homicide case to a burglary detail. Valnikov and his new partner Natalie are opposites, and initially do not get along. But as they overcome their differences to help solve the case, they find that they are attracted to each other.

Adapted for the screen by novelist Joseph Wambaugh himself, The Black Marble stars Robert Foxworth as a burned-out, hard-drinking cop who is teamed with idealistic lady officer Paula Prentiss. These two polar opposites wade their way through a seamy urban world of corruption and hopelessness. The film is peppered with supporting players, of which include Harry Dean Stanton, James Woods, John Hancock and Barbara Babcock. ~