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:

Adapted in 1981 into a short-lived television series starring Barry Bostwick and Deborah Raffin.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The HMS Pinafore backdrop is brought down with a dead Whitey Jackson hanging off it. Although Whitey's leg is pushed upward, his leg moves in such a way not possible by a dead person.

Quotes:

Stella: Nobody's gonna mess with Stella unless Stella wants to be messed.

Movie Connections:

References The Sea Hawk (1940)

Soundtrack:

Stayin' Alive

"The Girl Who Knew Too Much"

Goldie Hawn gives a delicious comic performance as a San Francisco librarian who's been living like a hermit, encouraged by a friend to get out there and shake her pom-poms, but instead she gets involved with a pack of nefarious criminals who plan to assassinate The Pope (!) on his visit to the Opera House. The picture has some real ringers (Dudley Moore and his apartment full of sex toys, two little old ladies playing Dirty Scrabble), but Hawn is very appealing, especially while sitting in a movie house with her black-rimmed glasses watching a film-noir about a detective and a Chinese sailor. Chevy Chase, in his acting debut following his departure from "Saturday Night Live", plays the lovestruck cop on the case and he's very green; some of his lines fall flat (especially a tasteless bit about a government official wearing make-up), however his love scenes with Goldie are low-keyed and sweet. The bungled car-chase finale is a complete waste, yet the movie is buoyed by a terrific supporting cast, including funny Billy Barty, handsome Brian Dennehy (who gets lost in the action), scene-stealing Burgess Meredith and kinky, salacious Rachel Roberts (as "Delia Darrow"). A fitfully fun time. *** from ****