Foul Play (1978)

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 | Hitman

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:

Steve Martin read for the part of Tony but did not get it.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Scotty is driving in the car with Gloria he tells her he has only three cigarettes left and asks Gloria to hold them, when he slips the film into the cigarette pack, it shows four cigarettes.

Quotes:

[Ethel and Elsie are playing Scrabble. Ethel has just put down the letters "-ucker", to which Elsie has added "muther-"]
Ethel: Wait, Elsie. I think you're wrong. I think you spell that word with a hyphen.

Movie Connections:

References The Racket (1951)

Soundtrack:

I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE

"The bad guys are after your ass. It's my job to get there first."

Perky librarian Gloria Mundy (Hawn) has stumbled on to a plot to assassinate the pope. Now she has an albino, a dwarf and a scarfaced killer "after her ass." She turns to Det. Tony Carlson (Chase) and together they crack the case. The plot, including the obligatory car chase through the streets of San Francisco, is totally by the numbers, but this movie has a lot of minor delights. Witty dialog and a brilliant supporting cast help a lot. As for the leads, Hawn was in her prime. Even in the bad seventies makeup, hairdos and clothes she is adorable. Chevy Chase doesn't have a lot to do, as the script gives most of the heroic moments to Hawn. Even so, he turns out to be quite a charmer. I'd forgotten that, back when he was young and handsome, his bumbling schtick actually worked. The best part of seeing Foul Play now is spotting the multitude of 70's anachronisms. Just a few that stand out: Gloria thinks nothing of picking up a hitchhiker. She's a non-smoker but lets someone light up in her car. Chevy Chase's character, a police detective, smokes a joint now and then. Ah, those were the days. If this movie appeals to you, I would strongly suggest "Silver Streak" (1976), another comedy/romance/thriller also written by Colin Higgins. These two films share a similar sensibility, and I'd love to see them at a revival house as a double feature.