IMDb > Family Plot (1976)
Family Plot
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Family Plot (1976) More at IMDbPro »

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Family 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.

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   10,537 votes »
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Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writers:
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Victor Canning (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Family Plot on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 April 1976 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Thriller See more »
Tagline:
You must see it twice! See more »
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(54 articles)

 (From Alt Film Guide. 20 May 2013, 5:21 PM, PDT)
Family Plot – The DVD Review
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 5 May 2013, 6:45 PM, PDT)
10 Greatest Swan Songs In Film History
 (From Obsessed with Film. 19 April 2013, 4:09 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
A Tale Of Two Con Games See more (93 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Karen Black ... Fran

Bruce Dern ... George Lumley

Barbara Harris ... Blanche Tyler

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
Martin West ... Sanger
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Elisabeth Brooks ... Woman in Cafe with Priest (uncredited)
Dee Carroll ... Vera's Supervisor (uncredited)

Alan Fudge ... Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)

Richard Hale ... A.A. Adamson (uncredited)

Alfred Hitchcock ... Silhouette at Office of Vital Statistics (uncredited)
Louise Lorimer ... Ida Cookson (uncredited)

Fran Ryan ... Registrar Clerk (uncredited)
John Steadman ... Old Man in Cemetery (uncredited)
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Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock 
 
Writing credits
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Victor Canning (novel "The Rainbird Pattern")

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
John Williams 
 
Cinematography by
Leonard J. South (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
J. Terry Williams (film editor) (as J Terry Williams)
 
Casting by
William Batliner (uncredited)
 
Production Design by
Henry Bumstead 
 
Set Decoration by
James W. Payne (set decorations)
 
Costume Design by
Edith Head (costumes designed by)
 
Makeup Department
Jack Barron .... makeup man
Doug Kelly .... makeup artist (uncredited)
Jo Ann Phillips .... hairdresser (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer .... unit production manager
Hilton A. Green .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Wayne A. Farlow .... second assistant director
Howard G. Kazanjian .... first assistant director
John Slosser .... additional second assistant director (uncredited)
Don Zepfel .... dga trainee (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Thomas J. Wright .... production illustrator
Michael Dale .... assistant property master (uncredited)
Douglas Freeman .... set dresser (uncredited)
Ron Jeschke .... leadman (uncredited)
Henry Larrecq .... assistant art director (uncredited)
Joseph M. LeBaron .... construction coordinator (uncredited)
Robert Murdock .... property master (uncredited)
Sam Pritchard .... stand-by painter (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
James R. Alexander .... sound (as James Alexander)
Robert L. Hoyt .... sound
Roger Heman Jr. .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Earl Madery .... sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Dennis C. Salcedo .... optical sound transfer (uncredited)
Edwin J. Somers Jr. .... boom operator (uncredited)
Roger Sword .... supervising sound editor (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Frank Brendel .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock .... special visual effects
Syd Dutton .... matte artist (uncredited)
Bill Taylor .... matte camera (uncredited)
Arthur Widmer .... blue screen specialist (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Everett Creach .... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Dick Warlock .... stunts (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne .... stunt driver (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Larry Barbier .... still photographer (uncredited)
William T. Jones .... grip (uncredited)
Earl Kennedy .... gaffer (uncredited)
Tom Kessenich .... key grip (uncredited)
Rick Neff .... camera assistant (uncredited)
Eddie Rio Jr. .... camera operator (uncredited)
Tim Ryan .... dolly grip (uncredited)
Jack S. Schlosser .... best boy (uncredited)
Michael D. Weldon .... camera assistant (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Karl Brindle .... extras casting (uncredited)
Ruth Bruning .... casting secretary (uncredited)
Don McElwaine .... bit casting (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Chase .... costumer: men (uncredited)
Robert Ellsworth .... costumer: men (uncredited)
Phyllis Garr .... costumer: women (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Eddie Broussard .... assistant film editor (uncredited)
 
Transportation Department
Russ Buckens .... driver co-captain (uncredited)
Tony Emerzian .... driver: Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited)
Jack Lloyd .... transportation captain (uncredited)
John Tuell .... transportation (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Peggy Robertson .... assistant: Mr. Hitchcock
Lois Thurman .... script supervisor
Sue Gauthier .... secretary: Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited)
Chuck House .... projectionist (uncredited)
Charles Lippincott .... publicist (uncredited)
Charles Lippincott .... unit publicist (uncredited)
Dolly Sanzone .... production secretary (uncredited)
Ronnie Wicks .... craft service (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
120 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Spain:18 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 | USA:Approved (PCA #24483) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Netherlands:14 (orginal rating)
Filming Locations:
2230 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California, USASee more »
Company:
Universal PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Karen Black initially wanted the role of Blanche on this picture. Black ended up playing Fran in this movie.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: Towards the end when George is in the basement, he passes a window that shows it is day outside, though the scene takes place at night.See more »
Quotes:
Blanche:You're a fink!
George:If I'm a fink then you're an ungrateful bitch.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Hitchcock (2012)See more »
Soundtrack:
Rejoice, the Lord Is KingSee more »

FAQ

How closely does the movie follow the book?
Did Blanche turn out to be psychic at the end?
What is the name of the "harmless" drug that the Adamsons use to knock out their victims?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
16 out of 17 people found the following review useful.
A Tale Of Two Con Games, 8 January 2007
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

Alfred Hitchcock's final film Family Plot is a story of two male and female criminal partnerships. The first pair is Bruce Dern and Barbara Harris who are a pair of small time grifters and we meet them in the process of fleecing a rich old spinster Cathleen Nesbitt with a phony psychic act.

The second pair are William Devane and Karen Black who have a lovely line in ransom kidnappings. They've really got it worked out to a science, including a soundproof hidden room in Devane's basement where the victims can be stashed until the ransom is paid.

Nesbitt confesses that she had her late sister give up an out of wedlock child during a séance and now she'd like to make amends by finding him and making him her heir. So with a finder's fee in mind Dern and Harris start digging.

Their paths cross Devane and Black as the police are hunting them so it becomes quite an interesting set of circumstances as Devane and Black suspect the others of being police operatives.

Hitchcock cleverly interweaves the stories of the two couples into a very cohesive plot. The players all hit the mark with their roles,] especially Devane, a smooth talking killer in the Hitchcock tradition of Otto Kruger in Saboteur, Tom Helmore in Vertigo, and James Mason in North By Northwest.

The ending is a bit of a surprise though, it comes rather abruptly. I have to confess I didn't like it at first, but it does kind of grow on you with repeated viewings.

Family Plot is a good for the master of suspense to go out on.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Family Plot (1976)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Most Underrated Hitchcock Movie Ever. CelluloidMec
Devane's jewelry store employee dulcimer47
Family Plot scripts: online? I can't find it. Stuart Gardner
Family Plot's subway sequence Stuart Gardner
What Blanche SHOULD have done SheldonCooper_Bazinga
One of the things I like about this film... ugotit-1
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