Murder by Death is a 1976 satire/Black comedy of how five of the world greatest fictional detectives are invited to a spooky mansion by egomanic millionaire Lionel Twain to solve a murder ...his own...
Cast
- The Blind butler Jamessir Bensonmun.....Alec Guinness
- Yenta the mute and deaf maid/fake Lionel Twain....Nancy Walker {Yenta is a nickname for a overtalkitive female}
- Sam Diamond.....Peter Falk a spoof of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade
- Inspector Wang...Peter Sellers a spoof of Warner Orland's Charlie Chan
- Nick Charleston...David Niven a spoof of Nick Charles of Nick and Nora Charles
- Milo Perrier..James Coco a spoof of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
- Jessica Marbles...Elsa Lanchester a spoof of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple
Supporting cast:
- Willie Wang aka No 1 adopted son....Richard Narita
- Dora Charleston....Maggie Smith a spoof of Nora Charles of Nick and Nora Charles
- Marcel Cassette...James Cromwell
- Tess Skeffington...Eileen Brennan
- Miss Withers.......Estelle Winwood
- Sherlock Holmes...Keith McConnell
- Doctor Watson......Richard Peel
- Lionel Twain..........Truman Capote
Triva
- As the fictional detectives leave the weird mansion...they meet Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson coming to the mansion. According to a Wikipedia an early draft of the script would have had Holmes and Watson "solving the case"!
- Charles Adams who drew the cartoon which was the basis for The Addams family drew the drawings at the begining, the end and the movie poster.
- Eileen Brennan also starred in the 1985 black comedy mystery Clue which featured three alternative endings based on the popular board game-which also would have been a little more funnier if the plot had been based more on the board game..and not relired on so many long drawn out jokes and double entres....
Spoiled
Despite some funny performances-Guinness as the blind butler; Niven as the product of good breading and Coco as the fastious food loving Perrier {he dreads having to eat "Franks and beans"} joke are only so good provided they are not so drawn out again and again...Estelle Winwood would have been better as Miss Marbles/Maples which Lanchester was quite miscast. LIkewise Peter Falk would have been better as a spoof of Columbo instead of imitating Humphrey Bogart and Peter Sellers would have been better as a spoof of Inspector Clouseau instead of imiating Warner Orland. Likewise the more inclusion of Holmes and Watson {the only ones not parodied} could have provided a more satisfactory ending...