Family Plot (1976)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Ernest Lehman (screenplay)
Victor Canning (novel)

Release Date:

9 April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

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:

Heir | Diamond | Spiritualist | Actor | Ransom

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Karen Black	...	Fran
Bruce Dern	...	George Lumley
Barbara Harris	...	Blanche Tyler
William Devane	...	Arthur Adamson aka Edward Shoebridge
Ed Lauter	...	Joseph P. Maloney
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Julia Rainbird
Katherine Helmond	...	Mrs. Maloney
Warren J. Kemmerling	...	Grandison
Edith Atwater	...	Mrs. Clay
William Prince	...	Bishop Wood
Nicholas Colasanto	...	Constantine
Marge Redmond	...	Vera Hannagan
John Lehne	...	Andy Bush
Charles Tyner	...	Wheeler - Stone Cutter
Alexander Lockwood	...	Parson at Funeral
Martin West	...	Floyd 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)

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		(as J Terry Williams)

Production Design by
Henry Bumstead

Set Decoration by
James W. Payne

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Jack Barron	....	make-up man

Production Management
Ernest B. Wehmeyer	....	unit production manager

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
Douglas Freeman	....	set dresser (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)
Roger Sword	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	special visual effects
Syd Dutton	....	matte artist (uncredited)
Bill Taylor	....	matte camera (uncredited)

Stunts
Dick Warlock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tim Ryan	....	dolly grip (uncredited)

Transportation Department
John Tuell	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Peggy Robertson	....	assistant: Mr. Hitchcock
Lois Thurman	....	script supervisor
Charles Lippincott	....	publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents) (an MCA company)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (France) (theatrical)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1976) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• MCA Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1987) (Finland) (TV)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2002) (Finland) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2001) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

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 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 | Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

2230 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Lillian Gish wanted to test for the role of Julia Rainbird but the role had been promised to Cathleen Nesbitt.

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.

Quotes:

Fran:I don't know what's come over me tonight. I'm tingling all over.
Arthur Adamson:I told you about danger, didn't I? First it makes you sick, then when you get through it, it makes you very, very loving.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: Episode #26.16" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Rejoice, the Lord Is King

Murder Mystery as Comedy: last Hitchcock Film

Get ready for the tricks and suspense you've seen in other films, but be sure to get the commentary on DVD. Barbara Harris looks just like Hitchcock's daughter, as you'll see from the interview, just a younger version. A extra lesson: You will never get a facelift once you see the interviews with Karen Black. If she had allowed herself to age naturally, she would have been so much more attractive than the gargoyle you'll wince at seeing.

Here's a treat: the winding mountain road and no brakes scenario as never you've seen it. I loved the comic touches and the risqué language. It is indeed a unique film. If you happen to love the mountain of California and San Francisco, you'll also love the cinematography. The stills are mostly of Hitchcock in the graveyard, which makes you wonder if he wasn't a little clairvoyant himself. The whole movie centers around a phony psychic and her attempt to cheat an old woman out of her money.

In our cynical world of today, you'll expect them just to dress Dern up as the missing heir, but nope, they play it straight. Having read of Hitchcock's misogyny, you'll appreciate the cuts and slices between the lovers. Both pairs of grifters have their own love thing going. Rather touching to see the fidelity among the crooks. Inspired writing, indeed.

Hitchcock did have a pacemaker installed while this movie was being made, so you have to wonder if his own thoughts of his impending death might have caused as much concentration on the graveyard scenes. Buy the DVD; the added features will make the movies itself 3 times more interesting.