Murder by Death
1976
Burbank, California
Robert Moore
Comedy Whodunit
What’s it all about: It’s the 1970s, and no one is offended. Truman Capote gathers an all-star cast of the world’s greatest detectives to solve a murder, but it is their dinner dates (Maggie Smith, Eileen Brennan, Estelle Winwood) who kill it.
First Encounter: first viewing
Prostitute Index: low (“She’s a cocktail waitress at the waterbed motel in Carmel”)
Death By: scorpion
Relics: calligraphy party invitations
Hoops: trapped in a mansion, paintings that are watching you, a murder at midnight
Heartthrobs: Maggie Smith, David Niven
Pass/Fails the Test of Time: yellow face, blind butler gags
LoFi Magic: Nancy Walker as a deaf-mute cook
Words to live by: “You’ve all been so clever, for so long, you forget to be humble.”
Makes me want to: drive a fancy Aston Martin
Candotti Take: n/a
Worth a watch/rewatch: Yes (it sags greatly in the middle, you can skip ahead to midnight)
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