Foul Play (1978)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Colin Higgins

Writer:

Colin Higgins (writer)

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

A new comedy-thriller from Paramount for Summer '78

Plot:

A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.

Plot Keywords:

Albino | Librarian | Pope | Detective | Opera House

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 nominations

Cast

Goldie Hawn	...	Gloria Mundy
Chevy Chase	...	Tony Carlson
Burgess Meredith	...	Mr. Hennessey
Rachel Roberts	...	Delia Darrow / Gerda Casswell
Eugene Roche	...	Archbishop Thorncrest / Archbishop's brother
Dudley Moore	...	Stanley Tibbets
Marilyn Sokol	...	Stella
Brian Dennehy	...	Fergie
Marc Lawrence	...	Rupert Stiltskin
Chuck McCann	...	Theatre manager
Billy Barty	...	J.J. MacKuen
Don Calfa	...	Scarface
Bruce Solomon	...	Bob Scott
Cooper Huckabee	...	Sandy
Pat Ast	...	Mrs. Venus

Also Known As:

Killing Lydia (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | UK:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

22nd & Church Streets, Noe Valley, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The opera being performed in the climactic scenes is "The Mikado" by William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.

Goofs:

Continuity: The cowboy's truck obviously has a sun roof during shots inside the cab when Officer Carlson is driving it to the theatre. However, in all the shots from outside the truck, there is no sun roof.

Quotes:

Gloria Mundy: [trying to explain the car chase] Kojak - Bang bang?
Japanese man: Ah, Kojak - Bang bang!
[breaks into laughter]

Movie Connections:

References Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)

Soundtrack:

Copacabana (At The Copa)

Chevy-Hawn magic

I saw this film when I was nine years old. And I loved it. From the opening shot of Goldie Hawn's VW bug driving along to Barry Manilow's "Ready to Take a Chance Again" to the Pope tapping his foot to "Three Little Maids From School Are We," this movie is pure entertainment. What makes it so funny is it seems an exercise in lateral thinking. A snake that eats cigarettes? An albino hit man? Billy Barty? I love the music in this film and watching Dudley Moore sing "I feel the earth move under my feet" ... while he tries to seduce Hawn, who was the very model of wholesome cuteness in the '70s and '80s. Her pairing with Chase gave us some of the funniest shows of the era. (I also enjoy "Seems Like Old Times.") The only downside to this film - if you see it when you're an impressionable child, you'll always be wondering if someone will stab you through the theater seat. Argh!