Season 1: Episode 15 - 2 FOR ONE: Murder by Death (1974) / Clue (1985)

Murder by Death (1974)

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1976 American satirical mystery comedy film with a cast featuring Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, and Estelle Winwood, written by Neil Simon and directed by Robert Moore. 

 

The plot is a broad parody or spoof of the traditional country-house whodunit, familiar to mystery fiction fans of classics such as Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. The cast is an ensemble of British and American actors playing send-ups of well-known fictional sleuths, including Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan, Nick and Nora Charles, and Sam Spade. It also features a rare acting performance by author Truman Capote.

 

Charles Addams (creator of the Addams Family) would design the drawings used in the opening and closing credits and the poster. 

 

Clue (1985)

 

The 1985 film based on a Hasbro board game of the same name starred Leslie Ann Warren, Madeleine Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean.  In keeping with the board game, the film has three different endings and on its original release, the ending would depend on which theatre you saw the film.  All three endings were included in the video release.  The film was direced by Jonathan Lynn and Written by John Landis and Jonathan Lynn.

 

A fourth ending was also filmed but this was later cascaded after John Landis thought it was not good enough.  In the unused forth ending,  Wadsworth committed all of the murders. He was motivated by his desire for perfection. Having failed to be either the perfect husband or the perfect butler, he decided to be the perfect murderer instead. Wadsworth reports that he poisoned the champagne the guests had drunk earlier so they would soon die, leaving no witnesses. The police and the FBI arrive, and Wadsworth is arrested. He breaks free and steals a police car, but his escape is thwarted when three police dogs lunge from the back seat.

 

The multiple ending concept was developed by John Landis and originally playwright Tom Stoppard, Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins were going to write the screenplay.  A box office flop on its original release it has now become a cult classic.

 

A remake by Gore Verbinski is currently in discussion and the film was honoured in the television series Psych with special guests stars Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren would play suspects in a murder case.  The episode, in addition to many jokes and themes in homage to the film, includes multiple endings in which the audience (separately for east and west coast viewership) decides who is the real killer. The episode was dedicated to the memory of Madeline Kahn. 

Opening Credits (.19); Introduction (2.38); Murder Mystery (3.01); Forming the Plot (8.40); Commercial Break (10.37); Murder by Death Film Trailer (11.07); Prologue (14.13); Scene by Scene (15.04); Forming the Plot Clue (38.47); Commercial Break (40.24); Clue Film Trailer (40.57); Lights Camera Action (47.10); Critic’s Choice (43.07); Epilogue (1:17.30); Personal Preference (1:20.30); End Credits (1:25.03); Closing Credits (1:26.03)

 

Opening Credits – Let the Games Begin by Stu Phillips from the album Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

 

Closing Credits – Everybody Loves A Nut by Johnny Cash from the album Everybody Loves A Nut.

 

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