''How to Murder Your Wife'' is a 1965 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

film from

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, produced by

George Axelrod George Axelrod (June 9, 1922 – June 21, 2003) was an American screenwriter, producer, playwright and film director, best known for his play ''The Seven Year Itch'' (1952), which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Marilyn Mon ...

, directed by

Richard Quine Richard Quine (November 12, 1920June 10, 1989) was an American director, actor, and singer. He began acting as a child in radio, vaudeville, and stage productions before being signed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in his early twenties. When his acting ...

, that stars

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...

and

Virna Lisi Verna or Virna may refer to: People * Verna Aardema (1911–2000), American author of children's books * Verna Bloom (1939–2019), American actress * Virna De Angeli (born 1976), Italian former sprinter * Virna Dias (born 1971), Brazilian retired ...

. Quine also directed Lemmon in ''

My Sister Eileen ''My Sister Eileen'' is a series of autobiographical short stories by Ruth McKenney, originally published in ''The New Yorker'', which eventually inspired many other works: her 1938 book ''My Sister Eileen'', a play, a musical, a radio play (a ...

'', ''

It Happened to Jane ''It Happened to Jane'' is a 1959 American romantic comedy film starring Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, and Ernie Kovacs, directed by Richard Quine, and written by Norman Katkov and Max Wilk. The film was co-produced by Quine and Day's husband at th ...

'', ''

Operation Mad Ball ''Operation Mad Ball'' is a 1957 military comedy from Columbia Pictures, produced by Jed Harris, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Kathryn Grant, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is by Blake E ...

'', ''

The Notorious Landlady ''The Notorious Landlady'' is a 1962 American comedy mystery film starring Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, and Fred Astaire.''Variety'' film review; June 27, 1962, page 6.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; June 30, 1962, page 98. The film was directed b ...

'', and ''

Bell, Book and Candle ''Bell, Book and Candle'' is a 1958 American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine from a screenplay by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1950 Broadway play of the same title by John Van Druten. It stars Kim Novak as a witch who c ...

''. The comic strip art featured in the film was credited to

Mel Keefer Melvyn Keefer (July 2, 1926 – February 11, 2022) was an American comics artist and illustrator. Best known for the comic strip '' Mac Divot'', he was a lifetime Inkpot Award inductee. Life and career Born in Los Angeles, California, Keefer t ...

, who drew newspaper comic strips such as ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', '' Mac Divot'' and ''

Rick O'Shay ''Rick O'Shay'' is a Western comic strip created by Stan Lynde, which debuted as a Sunday strip on April 27, 1958. The daily comic strip began on May 19 of the same year.

''. Comics artist

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...

did a teaser comic strip in Keefer's style that ran in ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' and in several newspapers promoting the film for ten days prior to its theatrical opening.

Plot

Stanley Ford is a very successful newspaper cartoonist enjoying his bachelorhood in his New York City town house, with his loyal and attentive valet, Charles Firbank. Stanley's widely syndicated comic strip, ''Bash Brannigan'', is a secret-agent thriller, and Stanley insists Brannigan will not be shown doing anything which Stanley himself has not actually done, which he ensures by enacting storylines, playing Brannigan, while Charles takes photographs which Stanley uses as visual references when drawing the comic strip. While attending a

bachelor party A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...

for his friend Tobey Rawlins, Stanley becomes very drunk and somehow ends up marrying the beautiful Italian woman who appears out of a cake, with an equally drunken judge performing the impromptu wedding. The following morning, Stanley wakes up and, even as he gazes at his naked wife sprawled on the bed, bitterly regrets it. Charles is told and storms off to start packing, as he refuses on principle to work for married couples. Stanley's attempt to discuss the situation with his new wife are frustrated when it emerges that she does not speak English. His lawyer, Harold Lampson, advises him that a divorce is not possible without legal justification. Stanley's new bride is cheerful, affectionate, sexy, and a wonderful cook, but speaks only Italian. To learn English, she spends time with Harold's manipulative, hen-pecking wife Edna, who speaks fluent Italian, but she also learns Edna's manipulative ways. Charles leaves, taking a new job with the jilted Rawlins. Stanley now finds his bathroom filled with beauty products and lingerie, and he is kept awake at night by his wife constantly watching television, which she says helps with her English. She keeps a yapping little dog, her Italian cooking causes his weight to increase, and she announces that her mother will be coming from Rome to live with them. Working at home, Stanley becomes increasingly irritated by the constant presence of his wife, and he changes his ''Bash Brannigan'' newspaper strip from the exploits of a daring secret agent to a domestic household comedy, ''The Brannigans'', but it remains wildly popular. In a bid for some privacy, Stanley calls a meeting of his associates at his all-male health club. When Edna learns of the meeting, she telephones Mrs. Ford and arouses her suspicions about Stanley's activities. Mrs. Ford sneaks into the club to confront her husband, resulting in Stanley being banned for violating its "no women" policy. Stanley concocts a plot in his comic strip for Brannigan to kill his wife by drugging her and disposing of her body in concrete on the construction site next to his townhouse, so that Brannigan can resume his career as a secret agent. As always, he enacts the events live before drawing the strip, drugging his wife during a party, but using a department-store mannequin to play out her burial in the goop from the gloppitta-gloppitta machine. Next morning, Mrs. Ford comes to, sees the finished comic strip describing Stanley's murder plan and, while Stanley sleeps, she leaves, taking only her dog. After publication of the comic strip in the newspapers and with Mrs. Ford having disappeared without explanation, Stanley is arrested and charged with murder, with his comic strips used as prosecution evidence at the trial. When it appears that a conviction is likely, Stanley takes up his own defense and pleads

justifiable homicide The concept of justifiable homicide in criminal law is a defense to culpable homicide (criminal or negligent homicide). Generally, there is a burden of production of exculpatory evidence in the legal defense of justification. In most countri ...

, appealing to the all-male jury's frustrations regarding their own wives and marriages. He is acquitted unanimously, and the men in the courtroom applaud wildly and carry Stanley out on their shoulders. Accompanied by a joyful Charles, Stanley goes home and sees traces that his wife has returned and is in their bedroom. Charles reminds him that killing her now would not have any legal consequences, since Stanley has been acquitted of her murder and trying him again would constitute

double jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare case ...

. However, when he enters their bedroom, he finds her naked under the covers, and she silently invites him to join her, which he does. Charles enters what used to be his bedroom and finds Mrs. Ford's mother who has arrived with her daughter and is unpacking. Like Charles, she has a prominent tooth gap, and there is instant chemistry between them. Looking through

the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they canno ...

, Charles closes the door ...

Cast

as Stanley Ford *

as Mrs. Ford *

Eddie Mayehoff Edward Mier Mayehoff (July 7, 1909 – November 12, 1992) was an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Harold Lampson, the henpecked husband and incompetent lawyer in ''How to Murder Your Wife'' (1965). Mayehoff could also be s ...

as Harold Lampson, Ford's lawyer *

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

as Edna Lampson *

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of th ...

as Charles Firbank (and as the narrator) *

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina, t ...

as Judge Blackstone *

Jack Albertson Harold Albertson (June 16, 1907 – November 25, 1981), known professionally as Jack Albertson, was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in variety. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor. For his perfor ...

as Dr. Bentley *

Max Showalter Max Gordon Showalter (June 2, 1917 – July 30, 2000), sometimes credited as Casey Adams, was an American film, television, and stage actor, as well as a composer, pianist, and singer. He appeared on more than 1,000 television programs. One ...

as Tobey Rawlins *

Alan Hewitt Alan Hewitt (January 21, 1915 – November 7, 1986) was an American film, television, and stage actor. His most prominent TV roles were Detective Brennan in ''My Favorite Martian'' and the district attorney in ''How to Murder Your Wife''. Earl ...

as District Attorney *

Mary Wickes Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...

as Harold's secretary *

Barry Kelley Edward Barry Kelley (August 19, 1908 – June 5, 1991) was an American actor on Broadway in the 1930s and 1940s and in films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. The heavy-set actor created the role of Ike in ''Oklahoma!'' on Broadway. His lar ...

as Club Member (Steam Room) * William Bryant as Construction Worker * Charles Bateman as Club Member (Steam Room) *

Edward Faulkner Fielden Edward Faulkner II (born February 29, 1932 in Lexington, Kentucky) is an American film and television character actor. He is most known for his roles in John Wayne films, including ''Hellfighters'', ''The Green Berets'', ''Rio Lobo'', ...

as Club Member/Party Guest * Lauren Gilbert as Men's Club Manager *

Howard Wendell Howard David Wendell (January 25, 1908 – August 11, 1975) was an American actor. Wendell's Broadway credits include ''Make a Wish'' (1951), ''The Curious Savage'' (1950), ''Arms and the Man'' (1950), ''The Show Off'' (1950), and ''The Great ...

as the Judge *

Khigh Dhiegh Khigh Alx Dhiegh ( or ; born Kenneth Dickerson; August 25, 1910 – October 25, 1991) Includes short biographical summary of Khigh Dhiegh. was an American television and motion picture actor of Anglo-Egyptian Sudanese ancestry, noted for portr ...

as Thug in Ford's photoshoot

Awards

* Jack Lemmon won the Golden Laurel for Male Comedy Performance at the

Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the e ...

. * Claire Trevor was nominated for Golden Laurel for Female Supporting Performance. * Jack Lemmon was also nominated for

BAFTA Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

for Best Foreign Actor.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for ''The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in his ...

Reception

The film holds a 64% "Certified Fresh" rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2 out of 10. ''Variety'' states “Finesse and desire aren't enough to overcome the fact that Axelrod's script doesn't make the most of its potentially antic situations.”

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

’s opinion was that “Never have I seen a movie, serious, comic or otherwise, that so frankly, deliberately and grossly belittled and ridiculed wives” and “this stuff is funny just so long as one can go with the sour joke- -and that depends upon one's tolerance of trivia and also, perhaps, upon whether one is a fellow or a girl.”

Cultural references

* The film is referenced in ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television ...

'' in the episode " The Wedding Party". Basil Fawlty says, “yes, awfully good, I saw it six times”. In the Italian version of the film, both Stanley's wife and mother-in-law are Greek.

References

External links

* * * * *
Mel Keefer

at th
filmstreaming
{{Richard Quine 1965 films 1960s black comedy films 1960s English-language films 1965 comedy films American black comedy films Films about comics Films about fictional painters Films directed by Richard Quine Films produced by Gordon Carroll Films scored by Neal Hefti Films set in New York City Films with screenplays by George Axelrod United Artists films 1960s American films

Plot

Cast

Awards

Soundtrack

Reception

Cultural references

See also

References

External links