This was so delightful. Terry Thomas spot on as the dedicated Charles, Jack Lemmon as Stanley Ford....and Virna steps out of that cake and the fun begins.....
One of my favorite movie openings ever. I remember watching it on TV in the late 60s as a child, a few years after it was released. I thought the house was SO cool. I still do. Incredible cast! My God, Virna Lisi was SO hot!
Saw this movie when it came out .Love this theme song.Sat through the show three times so I could here this beginning.At 12 years old I wanted to be just like Mr. Ford.Never forgot it.Thanks for posting.
I also love seeing the names and positions of all the people who worked on this film built into the beginning scenes as stylishly as they are. The music that Neal Hefti composed for it is fantastic.
Great movie. I watched it only for Terry Thomas, but loved the film. Everything as showcased of the period is charming. Of course, there's plenty of humor.
Has anyone else noticed how many times the woman in the red skirt passes by Mr. Ford's building? Also, Mary Wickes cracks me up as Harold Lampson's secretary!
I'm a woman, by the way, and the title of the movie is a bit..unfortunate...but in the context of the movie, it's just part of the overall satire of this film. The beauty in this film, and its insight in to the ironies of Life, is overwhelmingly wonderful.
My favorite movie. Terry Thomas is at his best from the gap in his teeth right down to the Bevan Funnell campaign chest in his room. The music at the beginning is wonderful.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! The beginning of this movie, itself, is so wonderful that I could watch it again and again (which is easier now that you have uploaded it, this way!)!! The entire movie, itself, is fabulous! First saw this at 15 (along with hearing Mr. Hefti's version of "Girl Talk" and Jack Jones' "(Wives Should Always Be Lovers, Too) Wives And Lovers"--all came out at about that time--all of which contributed to my view that things can be wonderful it one works at it.
I LOVE this movie! From Charles's monologue through to the very end you will be charmed by this movie. I love Jack Lemmon in all of his movies, but especially this one. He even claimed that it was his personal favorite. The soundtrack is great, but hard to find, and when you do it is either on vinyl or on a very expensive cd along with the soundtrack to a very obscure movie. Neal Hefti is very underrated composer, who wrote some of the most memorable movie and television theme songs ever.
In my top 5.....went to see it at a drive-in w/the family...my mom didn't seem very entertained whereas my old man was whooping it up. Others have mentioned the score and I'll just say every so often I'll just start humming it to myself.....Glop-e-da-Glop-e-da..LOL...The courtroom scene is great....but for the eagle-eyed;pay attention to Lemmon while scaling the high rises and note a skyscraper w/the numbers 666 in red. I am serious.
If by 'frothy' you mean somewhat frivolous, then surely a significant element (that isn't obsessively violent) of Hollywood's output these days is so frothy that it resembles a bubble-bath left running for two days.. They can't be pulled off either. This film does have something serious to say underneath the foam.. Like his aspirant but distant cousin 'Alfie' (also made in the same year), it suggests that a frivolous lifestyle cannot last forever, One eventually has to 'grow up'.
Such elegant work--love the production values and the score. Being a girl, this movie will always make me squirm a bit, it's so gleefully misogynistic. Especially post-OJ it's hard to know where to place this as entertainment... but I love Jack Lemmon (and Terry-Thomas) and they were terrific together in this waggish comedy, a product of (in theory at least) a more innocent America.
unapologetic male entitlement. Yeah, it's too bad we lost that. As Terry says it' "Gracious Living", nothing to apologize for just because Lemmon's character is a bachfelor. I can see the title being offensive to women. This used to come on 'free' tv back in the 70s and 80s. No woman get's hurt in this, Virna Lisi is treated like a goddess by Jack Lemmon and after all the comic goings-on by the end Terry himself has a girl of his own. Enjoy!
@odannyboj Yes, well, I'm sure the producer hoped we view it that way... And in that earlier, blithely chauvinistic era I suppose we could accept that premise at face value, and did. I'm sure audiences of the day--the ones who weren't women whose husbands really were trying to kill them, I mean--certainly did. I like the movie--Lisi is drop dead (sorry) gorgeous and Lemmon is hysterical--but it's a particular kind of frothy filmmaking that can't be pulled off so easily now.
Well, perhaps "frothy" was the wrong descriptive. :-) I agree there is a serious subtext there, although I don't think we draw the same conclusions as to what it is. But if you've watched "Mad Men" you may get what I mean."How To Murder Your Wife" was conceived in an era of unapologetic male entitlement; were it made today its motives would be questioned and the "everyone has to grow up sometime" explanation, while plausible, might not be so easily accepted.
Why would I want to watch postmodern tripe like 'Madmen', What has that even got to do with anything? You've missed the entire point of this film. See if you can guess what it is? Here's a hint.. it isn't anything to do with that clunky feminist trope 'unapologetic male entitlement'.
![What's My Line? - Jack Lemmon; Terry-Thomas [panel] (May 17, 1964)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DzXoHB7Kv_k/mqdefault.jpg)
![What's My Line? - Jack Lemmon; Terry-Thomas [panel] (May 17, 1964)](/img/tr.png)
Something about this style of filmmaking…so elegant. Brings back so many fond memories
I've always liked TERRY-THOMAS he was the most underrated comedic character actors back in the day.R.I.P.Terry.
One of my all time favorite films ! Terry Thomas was a perfect piece of casting !
Loved this movie, the music, Terry Thomas and the stylish era of the sixties......
This was so delightful. Terry Thomas spot on as the dedicated Charles, Jack Lemmon as Stanley Ford....and Virna steps out of that cake and the fun begins.....
One of my favorite movie openings ever. I remember watching it on TV in the late 60s as a child, a few years after it was released. I thought the house was SO cool. I still do.
Incredible cast!
My God, Virna Lisi was SO hot!
Saw this movie when it came out .Love this theme song.Sat through the show three times so I could here this beginning.At 12 years old I wanted to be just like Mr. Ford.Never forgot it.Thanks for posting.
I also love seeing the names and positions of all the people who worked on this film built into the beginning scenes as stylishly as they are. The music that Neal Hefti composed for it is fantastic.
Neal Hefti’s score is spot on!!!
Terry Thomas & Jack Lemmon both played "Dick Dastardly" type villains...one in "The Great Race" & the other in "Monte-Carlo or Bust!"
Great movie. I watched it only for Terry Thomas, but loved the film. Everything as showcased of the period is charming. Of course, there's plenty of humor.
Has anyone else noticed how many times the woman in the red skirt passes by Mr. Ford's building? Also, Mary Wickes cracks me up as Harold Lampson's secretary!
I want that townhouse so badly I can taste it!
Oh wow, I totally forgot about this amazing movie. Love all his stuff. Hilarious. Make mine mink is top 5.
My favorite movie.
Jim
Eddie Mayehoff Is the perfect foil for Lemmon in this..great comic performance as his buddy.
I'm a woman, by the way, and the title of the movie is a bit..unfortunate...but in the context of the movie, it's just part of the overall satire of this film. The beauty in this film, and its insight in to the ironies of Life, is overwhelmingly wonderful.
Agree--there is a very cool and sexy, "Playboy After Dark" vibe to this film and it's felt especially in the classy opening credits.
My favorite movie. Terry Thomas is at his best from the gap in his teeth
right down to the Bevan Funnell campaign chest in his room.
The music at the beginning is wonderful.
A buddy and I went to see it at the Rialto in Macomb IL when I was 17. It was definitely NOT a "date flick!"
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! The beginning of this movie, itself, is so wonderful that I could watch it again and again (which is easier now that you have uploaded it, this way!)!! The entire movie, itself, is fabulous! First saw this at 15 (along with hearing Mr. Hefti's version of "Girl Talk" and Jack Jones' "(Wives Should Always Be Lovers, Too) Wives And Lovers"--all came out at about that time--all of which contributed to my view that things can be wonderful it one works at it.
Thank you so much for the upload mate. Comedy at its best.
Class act.
GOOD SHOW SIR. ABSOLUTELY BANG ON
I LOVE this movie! From Charles's monologue through to the very end you will be charmed by this movie. I love Jack Lemmon in all of his movies, but especially this one. He even claimed that it was his personal favorite. The soundtrack is great, but hard to find, and when you do it is either on vinyl or on a very expensive cd along with the soundtrack to a very obscure movie. Neal Hefti is very underrated composer, who wrote some of the most memorable movie and television theme songs ever.
Love this film and also the apartment . Brilliant .
Soundtrack recently re-released in double album with Hefti's "Lord Love A Duck" score!
@@georgeorwell2994 That APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!! Townhouse with terrace, actually---fabuloso!
@@sherriemorris7413 I’m lucky to make the purchase. It’s hard to get. Awesome Hefi score.
"…This is Mister Ford's Shower…". "Shower" was Terry-Thomas's favourite Word (as in: "You are an absolute Shower!").
+Granitoons "Jolly good Show!" Another of Terry-Thomas's favourite sayings.
Yes indeed, but to be more accurate..'Shuarr'
"Shuarr"? I think we can get a lot more accurate than that. "Shaaaaar".
You're right!
In my top 5.....went to see it at a drive-in w/the family...my mom didn't seem very entertained whereas my old man was whooping it up. Others have mentioned the score and I'll just say every so often I'll just start humming it to myself.....Glop-e-da-Glop-e-da..LOL...The courtroom scene is great....but for the eagle-eyed;pay attention to Lemmon while scaling the high rises and note a skyscraper w/the numbers 666 in red. I am serious.
An absolutely divine comedy with Virna Lisi at prime a very, very beautiful woman. Waytch it again and again and again.:)
Indeed.
If by 'frothy' you mean somewhat frivolous, then surely a significant element (that isn't obsessively violent) of Hollywood's output these days is so frothy that it resembles a bubble-bath left running for two days.. They can't be pulled off either.
This film does have something serious to say underneath the foam.. Like his aspirant but distant cousin 'Alfie' (also made in the same year), it suggests that a frivolous lifestyle cannot last forever, One eventually has to 'grow up'.
Such elegant work--love the production values and the score. Being a girl, this movie will always make me squirm a bit, it's so gleefully misogynistic. Especially post-OJ it's hard to know where to place this as entertainment... but I love Jack Lemmon (and Terry-Thomas) and they were terrific together in this waggish comedy, a product of (in theory at least) a more innocent America.
Such a shame he ended in a care home for out of work actors.
He died penniless.
unapologetic male entitlement. Yeah, it's too bad we lost that. As Terry says it' "Gracious Living", nothing to apologize for just because Lemmon's character is a bachfelor. I can see the title being offensive to women. This used to come on 'free' tv back in the 70s and 80s. No woman get's hurt in this, Virna Lisi is treated like a goddess by Jack Lemmon and after all the comic goings-on by the end Terry himself has a girl of his own. Enjoy!
Pete Jones, obviously you miss the entire point of the film.
NEVER 'grow up' (entirely, inside, at least)
@odannyboj Yes, well, I'm sure the producer hoped we view it that way... And in that earlier, blithely chauvinistic era I suppose we could accept that premise at face value, and did. I'm sure audiences of the day--the ones who weren't women whose husbands really were trying to kill them, I mean--certainly did. I like the movie--Lisi is drop dead (sorry) gorgeous and Lemmon is hysterical--but it's a particular kind of frothy filmmaking that can't be pulled off so easily now.
Well, perhaps "frothy" was the wrong descriptive. :-) I agree there is a serious subtext there, although I don't think we draw the same conclusions as to what it is. But if you've watched "Mad Men" you may get what I mean."How To Murder Your Wife" was conceived in an era of unapologetic male entitlement; were it made today its motives would be questioned and the "everyone has to grow up sometime" explanation, while plausible, might not be so easily accepted.
Why would I want to watch postmodern tripe like 'Madmen', What has that even got to do with anything?
You've missed the entire point of this film. See if you can guess what it is? Here's a hint.. it isn't anything to do with that clunky feminist trope 'unapologetic male entitlement'.
Ah, BuckieBear--you were not made for this era, I think. ;-)
Ha! What do you mean? I enjoy life! I'm in this era, so obviously I'm made for it. Are you? And who are you to make the definition or declaration?
Which era, know-it-all?