The Notorious Landlady (1962)

An American junior diplomat in London rents a house from, and falls in love with, a woman suspected of murder.

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Larry Gelbart (screenplay), Blake Edwards (screenplay)

Stars:

Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kim Novak	...	Mrs. Carlyle 'Carly' Hardwicke
Jack Lemmon	...	William 'Bill' Gridley
Fred Astaire	...	Franklyn Ambruster
Lionel Jeffries	...	Inspector Oliphant
Estelle Winwood	...	Mrs. Dunhill
Maxwell Reed	...	Miles Hardwicke
Philippa Bevans	...	Mrs. Agatha Brown
Henry Daniell	...	Stranger
Ronald Long	...	Coroner
Richard Peel	...	Police Sgt. Dillings
Doris Lloyd	...	Lady Fallott

Storyline

When William Gridley arrives from the US in London, he rents part of Carly Hardwicke's house from her and promptly begins to fall in love. Gridley doesn't know that many people think she killed her husband but his boss, on the American embassy staff, knows and doesn't take this "lapse of judgment" lightly. Since Carly is also American, Gridley saves his job by introducing her to his boss, who is promptly smitten and promises to help her. So when a Scotland Yard detective arrives, wanting to get to the truth one way or another, they say they'll help him. And then the comedic complications really begin.

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Plot Keywords:

woman in a wheelchair | dragged along the ground | shot with a toy gun | renting a room | climbing over a fence | 

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Taglines:

*She may have murdered her husband...or maybe it's only a roomer

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Genres:

Comedy | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Along with On the Beach (1959) and The Pleasure of His Company (1961), this was one of three successive non-musical films Fred Astaire made following his 1957 contract expiration with M-G-M. Prior to this, Astaire had appeared only in musicals.

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Goofs

Gridley has just transferred to London from Saudi Arabia. When Gridley first meets Ambruster, Ambruster says "I understand you've been in Saudi Arabia. I was there myself once." Later, Ambruster says to Gridley "If you foul up, Gridley, I'll have you back in the Sahara so fast you'll think London was only a mirage." The Sahara is not located in Saudi Arabia.

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Quotes

William 'Bill' Gridley: First, I'd like to talk to you about signing a hundred year lease.
Mrs. Carlyle Hardwicke: That's fine with me if you pay in advance.

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Crazy Credits

Miss Novak's gowns designed by... Herself

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Connections

Referenced in My Favorite Martian: Our Notorious Landlady (1966)

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Soundtracks

A Foggy Day (in London Town)
(uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin
instrumental theme of the score
Jack Lemmon half sings/half intones a line from that song : "And suddenly I saw you there..." and then hums the melody.

User Reviews

Lemmon, Novak, Astaire, Jeffries and Gershwin, Great

I saw this film for the first time on Turner Classic Movies tonight

A comedy set in England with this quartet of leads - Jack Lemmon, Kim Novak, Fred Astaire, Lionel Jeffries - a London cab full of great character actors, crisp and fully-toned black and white photography and a script from Larry Gelbert and Blake Edwards could not have been more pleasant. Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town," washed it in additional wonderfulness. The sequences near the end of the film at a seaside resort in Penzance is wickedly choreographed with actors, camera moves and scoring for big laughs to a live band shell performance of a Gilbert and Sullivan ditty. Everything is spot on, silly to smart.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1962 (Austria)

Also Known As:

The Notorious Landlady

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,040

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1