Murder By Death (1976)

Murder by Death (1976), written by Neil Simon, directed by Robert Moore and starring Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, and Estelle Winwood.

Murder by Death is a Locked House mystery in the style of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

It’s a parody of the mystery that sits comfortably on the shelf next to Clue and Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. The sheer acting talent of the cast is nearly overwhelming, and the loving homage to the five mystery millieux (Charlie Chan, Sam Spade, Miss Marple, Dan and Dora, and Hercule Poirot) are spot-on, both in similarities and in critique of their failings.

From the slapstick to the surreal, goaded by Capote and Neil Simon’s sense of the weirdly funny, the action rises until a standard mystery reveal, subverted in that each detective unveils another startling truth, escalating in unbelievability, until it’s all over and the audience is left with a bemused “huh?” — exactly the sort of ending Capote railed against in his fun rant.

It’s also fun to see some actors early in their careers being goofier than they became generally known for. And Eileen Brennan, of course, who was also in Clue.

This is Scix in the back Row, cheating my readers.

Clue (1985)

Clue (Cluedo outside North America) (1985) directed by Jonathan Lynn, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Madeline Kahn, and Lee Ving. Based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name.

Pretty much everything Tim Curry does is good fun, from The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Stephen King’s It and everywhere in between. Casting him as the butler, who holds the cast together, was the right choice.

Not that he’s the only one pulling his weight! Comedy greats Madeline Kahn (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles), Eileen Brennan (Laugh-In, Murder by Death), Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley, Spinal Tap), Christopher Lloyd (Taxi and Back to the Future) and Martin Mull (Roseanne, Family Guy and his own comedy records) in particular kept the energy high and the laughs frequent and frenetic.

It’s smart, highbrow comedy mixed liberally with pratfalls, raspberries, puns and hysteria. Makes one think of a Stephen Sondheim comedy, perhaps A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Like the game it is oh, so loosely based on, this film is timeless. Notionally it’s set in the 50’s, but beyond some reference to the Red Scare, it could be any time at all. It ages well, and I think it will continue to do so for generations.

The multiple endings is not something that has been done, or done well, very often in film. The nature of the movie makes it possible, as if it is showing the ending of three different plays of the game.

You know, I’ve never gone back to see if all three make sense. Not sure I’d want to breach that mystery.

This is Scix in the Back Row, with the candlestick.

Clue (1985)

-I hate her SO much, it-it-fla-flames, flames on the side of my face, hea-heaving, heaving breaths, heav- … (animated gif)

(Cluedo outside North America) (1985) directed by Jonathan Lynn, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Madeline Kahn, and Lee Ving. Based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name.

Clue (1985)

-I! am! your singing telegram! *bang*

Clue (Cluedo outside North America) (1985) directed by Jonathan Lynn, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Madeline Kahn, and Lee Ving. Based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name.

Clue (1985)

That’s some Scooby Doo shit right there.

Clue (Cluedo outside North America) (1985) directed by Jonathan Lynn, starring Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Madeline Kahn, and Lee Ving. Based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name.