Family Plot (1976)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Victor Canning (novel)

Release Date:

9 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

You must see it twice!

Plot:

Lighthearted suspense film about a phony psychic/con artist and her taxi driver/private investigator boyfriend who encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California.

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Kidnapping | Heir | Medium | Brake Failure

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Barbara Harris	...	Blanche Tyler
Bruce Dern	...	George Lumley
Karen Black	...	Fran
William Devane	...	Arthur Adamson
Ed Lauter	...	Maloney
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Julia Rainbird
Katherine Helmond	...	Mrs. Maloney
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Grandison
Edith Atwater	...	Mrs. Clay
William Prince	...	Bishop
Nicholas Colasanto	...	Constantine
Marge Redmond	...	Vera Hannagan
John Lehne	...	Andy Bush
Charles Tyner	...	Wheeler
Alexander Lockwood	...	Parson

Also Known As:

Deceit (USA) (working title)
Missing Heir (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Spain:18 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Angeles Crest, Angeles National Forest, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock's final film.

Goofs:

Continuity: George removes the cap of the ketchup bottle twice between shots when he and Blanche are eating in Blanche's kitchen.

Quotes:

Blanche: Don't start to fret, George, or our waterbed will be no fun at all tonight; as an actor, you should know that fretting will ruin a performance.
George: You don't have to worry about my performance tonight, honey - as a matter of fact, this very evening, you're gonna see a standing ovation!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Plotting 'Family Plot' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Dublin

Hitchcock's last movie. DVD review.

Two couples get involved in a diamond robbery and two kidnappings.

Slight and tame movie that doesn't really amount to much but is still watchable. There's a great performance from Harris as a psychic, Dern (in an Elliot Gould-type role) as her sidekick, Devane as the diamond thief, and Karen Black as his sidekick. The best part of the movie was watching the interaction between the characters. Ed Lauter is the nasty garage worker. Hitchcock appears behind a glass door, also done a few year's later by French director Truffaut. Best scene: the funeral with Dern trailing Lauter's wife.

Family Plot is worth a look.