Murder by Death (1976)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Robert Moore

Writer:

Neil Simon (written by)

Release Date:

23 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

By the time the world's greatest detectives figure out whodunnit... you could die laughing!

Plot:

Five famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Butler | Blind | Detective | Mansion

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Eileen Brennan	...	Tess Skeffington
Truman Capote	...	Lionel Twain
James Coco	...	Milo Perrier
Peter Falk	...	Sam Diamond
Alec Guinness	...	Bensonmum
Elsa Lanchester	...	Jessica Marbles
David Niven	...	Dick Charleston
Peter Sellers	...	Sidney Wang
Maggie Smith	...	Dora Charleston
Nancy Walker	...	Maid
Estelle Winwood	...	Nurse
James Cromwell	...	Marcel
Richard Narita	...	Willie Wang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fay Wray	...	Screaming door bell (voice) (archive sound) (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Moore

Writing credits
Neil Simon		(written by)

Produced by
Roger M. Rothstein	....	associate producer
Ray Stark	....	producer

Original Music by
Dave Grusin

Cinematography by
David M. Walsh		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John F. Burnett

Casting by
Jennifer Shull

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Art Direction by
Harry Kemm

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Joe DiBella	....	makeup artist (as Joseph Di Bella)
Charles H. Schram	....	makeup supervisor (as Charles Schram)
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred T. Gallo	....	assistant director
David Sosna	....	second assistant director (as David O. Sosna)

Art Department
Terry E. Lewis	....	property master

Sound Department
Jerry Jost	....	sound mixer
Joseph Kite	....	boom operator
Tex Rudloff	....	sound re-recordist
Frank E. Warner	....	sound effects editor (as Frank Warner)

Special Effects by
Augie Lohman	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Edesa	....	assistant camera
Norman Harris	....	gaffer
Richard Moran	....	key grip
Roger Shearman	....	camera operator (as Roger Shearman Jr.)
Mel Traxel	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tony Faso	....	costumer: men
Agnes G. Henry	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Margaret Booth	....	supervising editor
John Brice	....	apprentice film editor
Michael A. Stevenson	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
George Probert	....	music editor

Other crew
Charles Addams	....	title drawings
Frank Bueno	....	assistant to producer
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Shari Leibowitz	....	assistant to production manager
Mary Malin	....	assistant: Ann Roth
Vince Martinez	....	auditor
George Rondo	....	dialogue coach
Carol Shapiro	....	unit publicist
Julia Tucker	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Rastar Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (1985) (USA) (video)
• RCA / Columbia Pictures International Video (1989) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Benmil & Associates  production services
• Columbia Pictures Corporation  presents (as Columbia Pictures)

Also Known As:

Un cadavre au dessert (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Assassinato por Morte (Brazil) [pt]
Crimen por muerte (Venezuela) [es]
Eine Leiche zum Dessert (West Germany) [de]
Invito a cena con delitto (Italy) [it]
Meghívás egy gyilkos vacsorára (Hungary) [hu]
Middag med mord (Denmark) [da]
Mord med døden til følge (Norway) [no]
Murha, murha, päästäkää etsivät irti! (Finland) [fi]
Prosklisi se gevma apo enan ypopsifio dolofono (Greece) [el]
Släpp deckarna loss, det är mord (Sweden) [sv]
Un cadáver a los postres (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG (Approved No. 24496) | Portugal:M/12 | Belgium:Tous | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | Norway:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Nancy Walker's last movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Milo Perrier is in the kitchen inspecting the dead body of the butler with Jessica Marbles and Inspector Wang, he discovers a note in the butler's hand. When he removes it, it gets ripped. When we see him in the next shot with the note, it is no longer ripped.

Quotes:

Willie Wang: Who do you think is the murderer?
Sidney Wang: Must sleep on it. Will know in morning when wake up.
Willie Wang: But what if you don't wake up?
Sidney Wang: Then YOU did it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Murder by Death: A Conversation with Neil Simon (1999) (V)

Great fun

Murder by Death is a fun movie that will no doubt be more enjoyable for fans of detective fiction and detective movies. The plot is about a group of detectives that are invited to a spooky house to solve a murder that hasn't been committed yet. The cast is star studded. Peter Sellers steals the show as the Charlie Chan character Mr. Wang. David Niven is typically classy and fun as the Nick Charles ripoff and Maggie Smith is great as the Nora Charles character. Peter Falk does his best Humphrey Bogart impression as Sam Diamond and it's pretty good. Elsa Lanchester makes a decent Ms. Marbles and the age factor is nicely aped when Estelle Winwood is mistaken for her character. James Coco is great as the Poirot character and overacts brilliantly. Truman Capote is extremely annoying but funny in spots as Lionel Twain. He's given some great lines to work with. The atmosphere is thick and the music is cool. The plot meanders toward the end and some of the "solutions" are pretty ridiculous but the rest of the movie is extremely enjoyable.

6.9/10