Murder by Death
Murder by Death is a 1976 American comedy mystery film directed by Robert Moore and written by Neil Simon. The film stars Eileen Brennan, Truman Capote, James Coco, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness, Elsa Lanchester, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, Nancy Walker, and Estelle Winwood.
Plot
A group of five renowned detectives, each accompanied by a relative or associate, is invited to "dinner and a murder" by the mysterious Lionel Twain. Having lured his guests to his mansion managed by a blind butler named Jamessir Bensonmum, who is later joined by a deaf, mute, and illiterate cook named Yetta, Twain joins his guests at dinner. He presses a button which seals off the house. Twain announces that he is the greatest criminologist in the world. To prove his claim, he challenges the guests to solve a murder that will occur at midnight; a reward of $1 million will be presented to the winner.
More details
author | Neil Simon |
---|---|
director | Robert Moore |
editor | John F. Burnett Margaret Booth |
genre | comedy mystery |
keywords | animate bicker blind butler butcher knife ceiling deadly snake evil laughter kill laughs maniacally mannequin metafiction morning poison gas red herring scorpion solve stab wait |
musicBy | Dave Grusin |
producer | Ray Stark |
productionCompany | Rastar |
publisher | Columbia Pictures |
theme | parody urban |