Grace Quigley (1984)

Grace Quigley is nearing the end of her life, living alone in her New York apartment. One day she witnesses a murder being committed by top hit-man, Seymour Flint. She decides to blackmail ... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Harvey

Writer:

A. Martin Zweiback

Stars:

Katharine Hepburn, Nick Nolte, Kit Le Fever

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katharine Hepburn	...	Grace Quigley
Nick Nolte	...	Seymour Flint
Kit Le Fever	...	Muriel
Chip Zien	...	Dr. Herman
William Duell	...	Mr. Harvey Jenkins
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Emily Watkins
Walter Abel	...	Homer Morrison
Frances Pole	...	Sarah Hodgkins
Truman Gaige	...	Sam Pincus
Paula Trueman	...	Dorothy Trugert
Christopher Murney	...	Max Putnam
Nicholas Kepros	...	Funeral Director
Harris Laskawy	...	Mr. Argo
Carl Low	...	Old Man
Isabella Hoopes	...	Old Lady

Storyline

Grace Quigley is nearing the end of her life, living alone in her New York apartment. One day she witnesses a murder being committed by top hit-man, Seymour Flint. She decides to blackmail him into killing her, however, she has one or two friends he has to get rid of first.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | hiring a hitman to kill one's self | suicide attempt | blackmail | blackmailer | 

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Taglines:

Grace & Seymour have hit on a new solution to an age old problem

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Cannon Group, Golan-Globus Productions, Northbrook Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The usual regular fee for a "hit" or a "rub" by hitman Seymour Flint (Nick Nolte was between US $5-20 thousand dollars. The cost quote he gave Grace Quigley (Katharine Hepburn) to bump her off or any of her associates was US $1-2 thousand dollars.

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Quotes

Seymour Flint: I guess I can do a lot of people some good, can't I?
Grace Quigley: I told you, Seymour. Think of yourself as a doctor. A doctor saves the lives of those who want to live, you take the lives of those who want to die. Seymour, listen to me, those five people who need your services are all lovely people. They need your help and your talent to free them of their misery. Seymour, listen to me - I was a good mother, I never told any of my children to do anything wrong and I wouldn't tell you. So be a good boy, ...

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Alternate Versions

Originally released as "Grace Quigley" in 1984 at 102 minutes; later cut to 87 minutes. The alternate and re-edited version, titled "The Ultimate Solution of Grace Quigley" has been prepared by screenwriter A. Martin Zweiback and runs 94 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story (1996)

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Soundtracks

Sunset Serenade
(uncredited)
Music by Ray Davies
JW Media Music Ltd

User Reviews

A Hit-man With Issues

The third time was not the charm for the acting/directing team of Katharine Hepburn and Anthony Harvey. The two had been responsible for Kate's Oscar winning performance in The Lion In Winter and an acclaimed television version of The Glass Menagerie.

But gold went to brass in this black comedy, Grace Quigley about an old woman who sees a professional hit-man off her landlord. Truth be told the landlord was not the nicest guy in the world and there's no shock for the audience see the murder from Kate's point of view.

But Hepburn in the title role sees Nick Nolte as the hit-man as the solution to all her problems. She hasn't much reason to hang around this mortal coil with no family and friends taking the big trip, more it seems all the time. She blackmails Nolte into doing a hit on her, and maybe a few interested friends. And things get complicated there.

Kate also manages to pick a hit-man with issues. Nolte is in analysis and this new complication in his life is of interest to his doctor, Chip Zien. And Nolte who never had a family so to speak and the little old lady form one unusual bond that even Nolte's girl friend Kit Lefever can't break nor does she really want to.

This rather ordinary material is made much better by the sheer presence of Katharine Hepburn. She seems to be taking her Madwoman Of Chaillot character and Americanizing it in Grace Quigley. I doubt if a lesser actress could have made this palatable.

Grace Quigley marked the final performance of Walter Abel whose career stretched all the way back to World War I. Abel is one of the old folks just dying for Nolte's services.

Grace Quigley is primarily for Katharine Hepburn fans, I don't think it has too much appeal beyond that. Then again Kate has one big legion of fans.