How to Murder Your Wife is a 1965 film directed by Richard Quine. It is a black comedy that revolves around a married man who finds himself caught up in a series of absurd situations. PlotThe film follows the life of Stanley Ford (played by Jack Lemmon), a famous comic strip cartoonist who lives a bachelor's life and shares his elegant res... (Read the full Tiiip)
How to Murder Your Wife is a 1965 film directed by Richard Quine. It is a black comedy that revolves around a married man who finds himself caught up in a series of absurd situations. PlotThe fil ...
How to Murder Your Wife is a 1965 film directed by Richard Quine. It is a black comedy that revolves around a married man who finds himself caught up in a series of absurd situations.
Plot
The film follows the life of Stanley Ford (played by Jack Lemmon), a famous comic strip cartoonist who lives a bachelor's life and shares his elegant residence with his butler Charles (played by Terry-Thomas). Stanley is known for his successful comic strip called "Bash Brannigan," which tells the adventures of a super-secret agent.
One day, Stanley wakes up after a night of revelry and discovers that he has been drunkenly married to an Italian woman named Virna Lisi (played by Virna Lisi), who doesn't speak English. Initially, Stanley tries to get rid of his new wife, but things take a complicated turn when she decides to move in with him and disrupt his bachelor life.
Desperate to return to his former life, Stanley begins to devise absurd plans to get rid of his wife without actually killing her, drawing inspiration from the plots of his comic strips. His actions lead to a series of comedic and chaotic situations.
Complete Cast:
Jack Lemmon as Stanley Ford
Virna Lisi as Mrs. Ford
Terry-Thomas as Charles Firbank
Eddie Mayehoff as Harold Lampson
Claire Trevor as Edna Lampson
Sidney Blackmer as Judge Blackstone
Max Showalter as Tobey Rawlins
Jack Albertson as Dr. Bentley
Mary Wickes as Harold's Housekeeper
Director: Richard Quine
Producer: George Axelrod
Writer: George Axelrod
Music by: Neal Hefti
Cinematographer: Harry Stradling Sr.
Production Cost: Not publicly disclosed.
Box Office: Not publicly disclosed, but considered a commercial success for its time.
Awards: It did not receive any notable awards.
Critics' Reception: "How to Murder Your Wife" received mixed reviews upon its release, with some appreciating its humor and satire of marital relationships, while others criticized its take on the genre.
My opinion. Little humor and a lot of Jack Lemmon. This film stands only on the performance of the two leads, but the plot is flimsy and there are few jokes, gags, or truly comic situations.
Good music, decent direction, that's all, too bad.