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IMDbPro

Murder by Death

  • 19761976
  • PGPG
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
38K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,450
8
Murder by Death (1976)
Trailer 1
Play trailer3:14
2 Videos
57 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Mystery
Five famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.Five famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.Five famous literary detective characters and their sidekicks are invited to a bizarre mansion to solve an even stranger mystery.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
38K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,450
8
  • Director
    • Robert Moore
  • Writer
    • Neil Simon
  • Stars
    • Peter Falk
    • Alec Guinness
    • Peter Sellers
Top credits
  • Director
    • Robert Moore
  • Writer
    • Neil Simon
  • Stars
    • Peter Falk
    • Alec Guinness
    • Peter Sellers
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 209User reviews
    • 62Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Murder by Death
    Trailer 3:14
    Murder by Death
    Murder by Death
    Trailer 3:08
    Murder by Death

    Photos57

    Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Elsa Lanchester, and James Coco in Murder by Death (1976)
    Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, and Richard Narita in Murder by Death (1976)
    "Murder by Death," Peter Sellers 1976 Columbia
    "Murder by Death," Peter Falk 1976 Columbia
    "Murder by Death," Truman Capote 1976 Columbia
    "Murder by Death," Peter Sellers 1976 Columbia
    "Murder by Death," Maggie Smith 1976 Columbia
    "Murder By Death," Alec Guinness. 1976 /Columbia
    Peter Sellers, Peter Falk,  MURDER BY DEATH, Columbia, 1976, I.V.
    "Murder by Death," Truman Capote 1976 Columbia
    "Murder by Death," Truman Capote 1976 Columbia
    Murder by Death (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Peter Falk
    Peter Falk
    • Sam Diamondas Sam Diamond
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Bensonmumas Bensonmum
    Peter Sellers
    Peter Sellers
    • Sidney Wangas Sidney Wang
    Eileen Brennan
    Eileen Brennan
    • Tess Skeffingtonas Tess Skeffington
    Truman Capote
    Truman Capote
    • Lionel Twainas Lionel Twain
    James Coco
    James Coco
    • Milo Perrieras Milo Perrier
    Elsa Lanchester
    Elsa Lanchester
    • Jessica Marblesas Jessica Marbles
    David Niven
    David Niven
    • Dick Charlestonas Dick Charleston
    Maggie Smith
    Maggie Smith
    • Dora Charlestonas Dora Charleston
    Nancy Walker
    Nancy Walker
    • Maidas Maid
    Estelle Winwood
    Estelle Winwood
    • Nurseas Nurse
    James Cromwell
    James Cromwell
    • Marcelas Marcel
    Richard Narita
    Richard Narita
    • Willie Wangas Willie Wang
    Myron
    • Myron the Dogas Myron the Dog
    • (uncredited)
    Fay Wray
    Fay Wray
    • Screaming Door Bellas Screaming Door Bell
    • (archive sound)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Robert Moore
    • Writer
      • Neil Simon
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The screaming woman sound used as a doorbell is Fay Wray's screams from King Kong (1933).
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 14 mins) Milo Perrier tells Sam Diamond, "I'm not a Frenchy... I'm a Belgie", referring to the fact he is from Belgium and not France. However, in discussing Twain's annual poodle hunt in France, he implies that's his home country, and later he says, referring to himself, that you should "never underestimate a Frenchman's nostrils."
    • Quotes

      Sam Diamond: The last time that I trusted a dame was in Paris in 1940. She said she was going out to get a bottle of wine. Two hours later, the Germans marched into France.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits: Starring (In Diabolical Order)
    • Alternate versions
      The original ABC Network broadcast of the film contained four additional scenes not found in the theatrical or DVD version. 1. Jessica Marbles' taxi driver (played by Peter Sellers) requests a large fare. 2. Dick and Dora Charleston narrowly avoid running over Tess Skeffington, who is walking back to Sam Diamond's car from a service station because she and Sam ran out of gas. Satisfied that Tess is all right, the Charlestons simply drive off, leaving her there. 3. When Willie Wang covers up the body of Twain, he finds a note in Twain's hand and smugly announces this to the others. 4. As the detectives drive away from Twain's house at the end of the film, Inspector Wang and Willie pass another car carrying Sherlock Holmes (Keith McConnell) and Dr. Watson (Richard Peel) heading towards the Twain home. When Willie asks his father "Why didn't you warn them?" Wang replies "Let idiots find out for themselves."
    • Connections
      Featured in The 52nd Annual Academy Awards (1980)

    User reviews209

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A hilarious whodunit spoof
    This is an utterly hilarious parody, spoofing detective stories. Much of the humor is verbal, some of it relies on stereotypes and such related (mainly) to the crime story genre. Some of the humor is a tad dirty, and a bit of it is quite dark. Personally, I loved it, but if you have anything against such humor, you may want to skip this one. It doesn't try too hard to make you laugh. The laughs roll in quite naturally, as it parodies a few of the most well-known fictional detectives; Agatha Christie's Mrs. Marble, among others. The setting is one typical to detective stories, and the atmosphere is simply perfect. The plot is very good, and develops nicely while still remaining interesting. The pacing is mostly flawless, but it seemed to lose momentum some, around the last third. The acting is all good, especially from Alec Guinness, Peter Falk and Peter Sellers. One wouldn't expect particularly good performances in a comedy, but this manages. The film is well thought out and equally well-executed. The only thing I didn't like, was that the ending, or maybe the entire third half of the film seemed a bit anticlimactic. At this point, all the action is done, and we're just waiting to find out who's behind it all. The very end is quite good though, a very funny and entertaining twist to say the least. And everything leading up to it is incredibly funny. The characters, while admittedly based somewhat on stereotypes, are all entertaining and each have their own shtick; among them are Milo Perrier, the perpetually hungry and ridiculously sensitive Frenchman, and the *very* British Dick Charleston, played to perfection by David Niven, and last but most definitely not least, Sam Diamond(Peter Falk, doing his Columbo thing), borrowing from noir and Bogart, complete with nonsensical, lengthy rants. I recommend this to anyone into detective movies and/or spoofs. Do keep the humor I mentioned early in the review in mind when considering whether or not to watch. 8/10
    helpful•38
    13
    • TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
    • Jan 23, 2004

    FAQ1

    • Whom are the characters based upon?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 23, 1976 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Sony Movie Channel (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Neil Simon's Murder by Death
    • Filming locations
      • Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Rastar Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $38,200
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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