Saturday 9 August 2014

1976, Film: “Murder by Death”

On 23 June 1976 the American mystery comedy film "Murder by Death" is released by Columbia Pictures. The film featured an impressive cast with amongst others Truman Capote, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Peter Sellers and Maggie Smith. It was written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore.

The film is a spoof of the traditional whodunit such as Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" with the cast playing parodies of fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, and Sam Spade.


Alec Guinness
Peter Sellers
Truman Capote
Synopsis
The world's most famous detectives are invited to a "dinner and murder" by the wealthy Lionel Twain (Truman Capote). The invitees are: New York amateur detectives Dick (David Niven) and Dora Charleston (Maggie Smith), Belgian detective Milo Perrier (James Coco) accompanied by his chauffeur Marcel (James Cromwell), Chinese Inspector Sidney Wang (Peter Sellers) accompanied by his Japanese adopted son Willie Wang (Richard Narita), British Miss Jessica Marbles (Elsa Lanchester) accompanied by her invalid nurse Miss Withers (Estelle Winwood) and San Francisco detective Sam Diamond (Peter Falk) accompanied by his sidekick Tess Skeffington (Eileen Brennan)...
Left to right: James Coco, James Cromwell, Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk, Richard Narita,
Estelle Winwood, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Sellers, David Niven and Maggie Smith

Eileen Brennan, David Niven and Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith, David Niven and Eileen Brennan
Main Cast
  • Eileen Brennan as Tess Skeffington
  • Truman Capote as Lionel Twain
  • James Coco as Milo Perrier
  • Peter Falk as Sam Diamond
  • Alec Guinness as Bensonmum
  • Elsa Lanchester as Jessica Marbles
  • David Niven as Dick Charleston
  • Peter Sellers as Sidney Wang
  • Maggie Smith as Dora Charleston
  • Nancy Walker as Yetta
  • Estelle Winwood as Miss Withers
  • James Cromwell as Marcel
  • Richard Narita as Willie Wang
Left to right: Richard Narita, Eileen Brennan, James Cromwell, James Coco,
Elsa Lanchester, Estelle Winwood, Peter Falk, David Niven and Maggie Smith
Left to right: Maggie Smith, James Coco, David Niven,
Elsa Lanchester, Peter Falk and Estelle Winwood

"Murder by Death" Trailer

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