Little Murders (1971)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Alan Arkin

Writers:

Jules Feiffer (play)
Jules Feiffer (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 February 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A girl brings home her latest boyfriend to meet her parents. This is done against the background of...

Plot Keywords:

Father Daughter Relationship | Murdered Brother | Murder Investigation | New York City | Closet

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Elliott Gould	...	Alfred Chamberlain
Marcia Rodd	...	Patsy Newquist
Vincent Gardenia	...	Mr. Newquist
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Mrs. Newquist
Jon Korkes	...	Kenny Newquist
John Randolph	...	Mr. Chamberlain
Doris Roberts	...	Mrs. Chamberlain
Lou Jacobi	...	Judge Stern
Donald Sutherland	...	Rev. Dupas
Alan Arkin	...	Lt. Practice
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Kove	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Alan Arkin

Writing credits
Jules Feiffer		(play)
Jules Feiffer		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jack Brodsky	....	producer
Burtt Harris	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Fred Kaz

Cinematography by
Gordon Willis

Film Editing by
Howard Kuperman

Casting by
Vic Ramos

Production Design by
Gene Rudolf

Set Decoration by
Philip Smith

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
John Alese	....	makeup artist
Philip Leto	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry Y. Albucher	....	second assistant director
Peter R. Scoppa	....	assistant director

Art Department
Stanley Cappiello	....	scenic artist
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master
Robert H. Klatt	....	set dresser
Thomas C. Tonery	....	second prop
Walter Way	....	constructor

Sound Department
Les Lazarowitz	....	sound recordist
Christopher Newman	....	sound
Pasquale Suraci	....	boom operator
Dick Vorisek	....	sound mixer (as Richard Vorisek)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Chapman	....	camera operator
Bob Penn	....	still photographer: special magazine assignment
Ed Quinn	....	dolly grip (as Edward Quinn)
Peter Salim	....	second assistant camera
Tibor Sands	....	assistant camera
Edward Tonkin	....	best boy
Dusty Wallace	....	chief electrician
Robert Ward	....	key grip (as Bob Ward)
Josh Weiner	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
George Newman	....	wardrobe
Marilyn Putnam	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Geraldine Fabrikant	....	assistant editor
M. Edward Salier	....	assistant editor (as Edward Salier)

Other crew
Cis Corman	....	assistant to producer
Anthony Dalvieri	....	production assistant
Barbara De Fina	....	assistant production secretary
Pearl Lavenberg	....	production secretary
Daniel Logan	....	technical advisor
Eileen Peterson	....	unit publicist
Peter A. Runfolo	....	location coordinator
Nicholas Sgarro	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Key Video (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #22727) | Sweden:15 | USA:R (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Kiamesha Lake, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Alan Arkin's feature film debut as a director.

Quotes:

Rev. Dupas: Your father in law wants me to mention the deity in the ceremony. He wants me to sneak it in. He's offered me a lot of money to do it.
Alfred Chamberlain: I don't know what to tell you, Henry.
Rev. Dupas: Well, if it's all right with you, I'd like to take the money and not mention the deity, for an existential can use the money.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Breath of Steele (#3.10)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Skating in Central Park

it'll murder you with laughs

When they were all in their heyday, Elliott Gould, Alan Arkin (who also directed) and Donald Sutherland collaborated on the over-the-top black comedy "Little Murders", in which Gould plays emotionally vacant New York photographer Alfred Chamberlain, hooking up with vivacious young Patsy Newquist (Marcia Rodd) in the midst of several hundred unsolved homicides in the Big Apple. In the process of everything, the series of events exposes the flaws in all the characters, especially Patsy's parents (Vincent Gardenia and Elizabeth Wilson).

I think that my two favorite scenes are the appearances of Sutherland and Arkin. Sutherland plays a priest who seems to be a cross between Sutherland's characters from "MASH" and "Kelly's Heroes"; Arkin plays a detective who spouts out the craziest monologue explaining why there's a conspiracy behind the murders. Overall, this is very much a New York kind of movie. I should identify that there are several very long scenes during the movie, but it's certainly not a flick that you'll forget anytime soon. Impressive.