How to Murder Your Wife

1965

1h 58m

IMDb RATING

6.3/10

127

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34 Images

Comedy

Stanley Ford leads an idyllic bachelor life. He is a nationally syndicated cartoonist whose Bash Brannigan series provides him with a luxury townhouse and a full-time valet, Charles. When he wakes up the morning after the night before - he had attended a friend's stag party - he finds that he is married to the very beautiful woman who popped out of the cake - and who doesn't speak a word of English. Despite his initial protestations, he comes to like married life and even changes his cartoon character from a super spy to a somewhat harried husband.

Directors

Richard Quine

Writers

George Axelrod(writer by)

Stars

Jack Lemmon

Virna Lisi

Terry-Thomas

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Videos2

Trailer
Watch How to Murder Your Wife (1965) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Featurette
Watch Dr. Z on HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE

Photos34

Top cast

Stanley Ford

Mrs. Ford

Charles

Harold Lampson

Edna

Judge Blackstone

Tobey Rawlins

Dr. Bentley

Harold's Secretary

District Attorney

Club Member

Club Member

Club Member

Club Member

Men's Club Manager

The Trial Judge

Bald Actor Playing Thug

K.C. Townsend

Party Girl

Directors

Richard Quine

Writers

George Axelrod(writer by)

All cast & crew

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Review

Featured review

4/10

Lemmon unable to save this from averageville. Cartoonist Stanley Ford loves bachelorhood, he enjoys his life, he has a butler to serve him, he can get girls, and he likes a drink or two. Then one night he's at a bachelor party and the beautiful Virna Lisi pops up out of the cake, his life is about to change. For when he wakes up in the morning, he finds he has married her, and to compound his problems, she doesn't speak any English. As a big Jack Lemmon fan I have to say I'm very disappointed in this picture, it's essentially a two joke movie that wastes Lemmon and Terry-Thomas' talent. The first half of the picture plays heavy on the fact that the new Mrs Ford only speaks Italian, this sets us up for a number of funny sequences, particularly when Claire Trevor enters the fray as Edna, but on it goes, and on it goes... We then get to watch as Stanley gains weight due to Mrs Ford's willingness to cook for her new husband, with Lemmon reduced to playing Stanley as an exasperated buffoon, henpecked within an inch of his manhood. The second half of the picture, as the title suggests, sees Stanley grow a spine and decide to deal with his problem by killing the wife. You would think that this sets the picture up for a number of riotous sequences as Stanley tries to do away with her, but sadly no, it's just the one joke that fails to light up the picture in any shape or form. The run in to the finale is marginally saved by the always reliable Eddie Mayehoff, but come the credits you wonder if the film ever meant to be a full blown comedy in the first place? 4/10 for Mayehoff and Terry-Thomas' opening scenes.

John Chard05 Oct, 2015