How to Murder Your Wife (1965)

A man who has set up the perfect lifestyle for himself makes the mistake of marrying while drunk... and his fantasies of murder are used against him.

Director:

Richard Quine

Writer:

George Axelrod

Stars:

Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Lemmon	...	Stanley Ford
Virna Lisi	...	Mrs. Ford
Terry-Thomas	...	Charles
Eddie Mayehoff	...	Harold Lampson
Claire Trevor	...	Edna
Sidney Blackmer	...	Judge Blackstone
Max Showalter	...	Tobey Rawlins
Jack Albertson	...	Dr. Bentley
Mary Wickes	...	Harold's Secretary
Alan Hewitt	...	District Attorney
Barry Kelley	...	Club Member in Steam Room
William Bryant	...	Construction Worker
Charles Bateman	...	Club Member in Steam Room
Edward Faulkner	...	Club Member in Steam Room / Party Guest
Lauren Gilbert	...	Men's Club Manager

Storyline

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 work 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. When after several months he decides to kill off Bash's wife in the cartoon, his wife misinterprets his intentions and disappears. Which leads the police to charge him with murder.

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Plot Keywords:

italian woman | butler | comic strip | courtroom | diamond | 

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Taglines:

Bring The Little Woman...Maybe She'll Die Laughing!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

26 January 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Come uccidere vostra moglie

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Murder Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last feature of Leonard Mudie.

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Quotes

Harold Lampson: I am speaking to you now not as your lawyer but as your friend. Stan, you are a grown man and grown men simply can't, repeat cannot, go around spreading terror on the New York streets at the height of the noon hour accompanied -will you stop just a minute, Stan?- by naked women.
Stanley Ford: She wasn't naked. She had a diamond in her navel.

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Crazy Credits

At first, it only says How to Your Wife on the screen, in white letters. Then, the word Murder shows up in red letters in the space between the two rows of text.

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Connections

Referenced in Fawlty Towers: The Wedding Party (1975)

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Soundtracks

"Happy Days Are Here Again"
Music by Milton Ager
Lyrics by Jack Yellen

User Reviews

Watch for the sets, scenes, and not the social commentary

Many will gripe about the sexist views, but watch this flick for the lifestyle that is portrayed. Stanley Ford (Lemmon) works out at his men-only club...in full grey sweats (the scenes in the "gymnasium" are priceless)...then he drives home in his 1965 Lincoln convertible (top down, of course) and parks in his exclusive, street level garage, and enters his wild multi'level bachelor pad...furnished, and decorated to the max. Get over the social stigma, and enjoy the ride, by the way, many of the "wifes" are depicted as much sharper than their dog-like husbands. You have to watch the artwork in Stanley's apartment, the depiction of the "Club", the jogging track, the action at the parties, the booze, the dress....amazing