A widowed New Jerseyan woman volunteers for spy duty at the CIA, being in her own opinion, expendable now that the children are grown, and is assigned to pick up a book in Mexico City, while finding out that it is easier said than done.
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Title: Mrs. Pollifax-Spy (1971)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Rosalind Russell | ... | Mrs. Pollifax | |
| Darren McGavin | ... | Farrell | |
| Nehemiah Persoff | ... | Berisha | |
| Harold Gould | ... | Nexdhet | |
| Albert Paulsen | ... | Perdido | |
| John Beck | ... | Lulash | |
| Dana Elcar | ... | Carstairs | |
 |
James Wellman | ... | Mason |
|
|
Dennis Cross | ... | Bishop |
|
|
Nick Katurich | ... | Stefan |
| Don Diamond | ... | DeGamez | |
| Robert Donner | ... | Larrabee | |
| Tom Hallick | ... | Roger | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Mrs. Emily Pollifax of New Jersey goes to the CIA to volunteer for spy duty, being in her own opinion, expendable now that the children are grown and she's widowed. And being just what the department needed (someone who looks and acts completely unlike a spy), she's assigned to simple courier duty to pick up a book in Mexico City. But when the pickup doesn't go as planned, Mrs. Pollifax finds herself handcuffed to a handsome stranger on a plane bound for an Albanian prison. And it's up to her to get them out. Written by Kathy Li
Taglines:
Mrs. Pollifax, The Spy Who Came Out Of The Kitchen. See more »Parents Guide:
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Did You Know?
Goofs
When Mrs. Pollifax looks in the mirror at the reflection of her hotel door, the digits of her hotel room number (700) should all be mirror images, including the "7" digit, but although the digits are correctly reversed in their order (007), the "7" is NOT reversed, as its mirror image actually would be. This is presumably because the film-makers didn't want the audience to miss the allusion to James Bond's number, 007. See more »Crazy Credits
Closing credits epilogue: Research for this film was done from a documentary picture-"The Three Faces of Communism" which was filmed in present day occupied Albania. See more »Alternate Versions
CBS edited 28 minutes from this film for its 1975 network television premiere. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 February 1971 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
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"Mrs. Pollifax-Spy" is Rosalind Russell's last film. And, to make it more noteworthy, it's from a script she wrote herself using a pseudonym!
The story begins with Mrs. Pollifax (Russell) arriving at CIA headquarters and petitioning to become a spy! Considering she's a widow in her 60s, this is a tad unorthodox. But, surprisingly, they agree to have her come to work for them as a courier. Little does she know that this quick jaunt to Mexico will end up with her becoming a prisoner in Albania!!
This is a very light-weight film...neither bad nor especially good. I think the problem that prevented it from being better was that it wasn't exactly a comedy nor a serious drama....making it more one or the other would have made it a better film. But, if you allow yourself to throw realism out the window and just enjoy it as a time-passer, then it's worth your time.