Family Plot (1976)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Victor Canning (novel)
Ernest Lehman (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

You must see it twice!

Plot:

Lighthearted suspense film about a phony psychic/con artist and her taxi driver/private investigator boyfriend who encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Diamond | Heir | Medium | Chance Meeting

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Barbara Harris	...	Blanche Tyler
Bruce Dern	...	George Lumely
William Devane	...	Arthur Adamson
Karen Black	...	Fran
Ed Lauter	...	Maloney
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Julia Rainbird
Katherine Helmond	...	Mrs. Maloney
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Grandison
Edith Atwater	...	Mrs. Clay
William Prince	...	Bishop
Nicholas Colasanto	...	Constantine
Marge Redmond	...	Mrs. Hannagan
John Lehne	...	Bush
Charles Tyner	...	Wheeler
Alexander Lockwood	...	Parson

Also Known As:

Deceit (USA) (working title)
Missing Heir (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Spain:18 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Angeles Crest, Angeles National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Karen Black initially wanted the role of Blanche.

Goofs:

Continuity: The amount of beer in George's glass at the diner while waiting for Maloney, increases after he takes a drink.

Quotes:

Blanche: Don't start to fret, George, or our waterbed will be no fun at all tonight; as an actor, you should know that fretting will ruin a performance.
George: You don't have to worry about my performance tonight, honey - as a matter of fact, this very evening, you're gonna see a standing ovation!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dallas: Family Plot (#13.24)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

A most enjoyable film

I really like this movie. It's a great little story that's fun to watch. This is Hitchcock's last movie and I think it's as good as any. I guess you could call this a mystery with a little humor injected into it. Does it have suspense? I don't know. But what else would you call it? I think it's a pretty good mystery and all the characters are quite believable. I think the choice of actors for each part was good. I give this movie an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. I'd rate it higher, but it's got some mild swearing and a bit of sexual innuendo. But all in all it's worth seeing next time you find it on TV.