How to Murder Your Wife (1965)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writer:

George Axelrod (written by)

Release Date:

26 January 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Bring The Little Woman...Maybe She'll Die Laughing!

Plot:

A man who has set up the perfect lifestyle for himself makes the mistake of marrying while drunk... and his fantasies of murder are used against him.

Plot Keywords:

Italian Woman | Comic Strip | Beautiful Woman | Courtroom | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	Stanley Ford
Virna Lisi	...	Mrs. Ford
Terry-Thomas	...	Charles
Eddie Mayehoff	...	Harold Lampson
Claire Trevor	...	Edna
Sidney Blackmer	...	Judge Blackstone
Max Showalter	...	Tobey Rawlins
Jack Albertson	...	Dr. Bentley
Mary Wickes	...	Harold's Secretary
Alan Hewitt	...	District Attorney
Barry Kelley	...	Club Member in Steam Room
William Bryant	...	Construction Worker
Charles Bateman	...	Club Member in Steam Room
Edward Faulkner	...	Club Member in Steam Room / Party Guest
Lauren Gilbert	...	Men's Club Manager

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (certificate #20436)

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Murder Inc.

Trivia:

During a taping of "The Tonight Show", 'Jack Lemmon' told this story. Prior to filming How to Murder Your Wife (1965), co-star Virna Lisi's husband made her promise that she would not be talked into doing a nude scene in her first American film. She assured him that she would not, signed the contract and traveled to Hollywood. While filming the 'revelation' scene, where Lemmon awakes to discover in horror that he got married at the bachelor party, Virna had to disrobe and lay in the bed nude but discreetly covered with a bedsheet. However, it was this day that her husband, an architect, arrived unannounced at the set to surprise his wife. When he walked into the scene, he became very upset. He focused his anger toward her co-star. Lemmon, realizing that discretion was the better part of valor, exited the set at full run with Virna's husband in tow. Running past several sound stages on the MGM lot, he quickly found a garbage dumpster, jumped in and closed the cover. He waited there until security officers found him.

Quotes:

Stanley Ford: Good evening, Judge Blackstone. I'm afraid this is a mournful occasion.
Judge Blackstone: Not at all, my boy, not at all. Been married 38 years myself. And I don't regret one day of it. The one day I don't regret was... August 2, 1936. She was off visiting her ailing mother at the time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Illustrated Steele (#3.19)" (1985)

Soundtrack:

Happy Days Are Here Again

Fantasyland of the 1960's

I enjoyed "How to Murder Your Wife" immensely. The ordered, luxurious single world enjoyed by Jack Lemmon as Stanley Ford is forever altered by his inebriated marriage to absolutely gorgeous Virna Lisi, the most stunningly beautiful actress of her era. Their love-at-first-sight eye contact scene at a bachelor party is outstanding. The score is fantastic (I have recently purchased a mint LP) and provides the perfect accompaniment to the film. I stumbled upon this gem via DVR last month- see it if you can.

The closing scene is certainly dated and not politically correct, but suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride.