''How to Murder a Rich Uncle'' is a 1957 British

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

film directed by

Nigel Patrick Nigel Patrick (born Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman; 2 May 1912 – 21 September 1981) was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family. During the late 1940s and 1950s, he became known as a debonair leading man in Brit ...

and starring Patrick,

Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...

Charles Coburn Charles Douville Coburn (June 19, 1877 – August 30, 1961) was an American actor and theatrical producer. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award three times – in ''The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941), '' The More the M ...

and

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...

. It follows a man who plans to kill his wealthy Uncle George. It was based on the play ''Il faut tuer Julie'' by Didier Daix.

Cast

– Henry *

– Uncle George *

– Edith Clitterburn * Katie Johnson – Alice *

– Edward *

Athene Seyler Athene Seyler, CBE (31 May 188912 September 1990) was an English actress. Early life She was born in Hackney, London; her German-born grandparents moved to the United Kingdom, where her grandfather Philip Seyler was a merchant in London. Ath ...

– Grannie * Kenneth Fortescue – Albert * Paddy Webster – Constance *

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

– Gilrony *

Trevor Reid Trevor Reid (25 January 190816 April 1965) was an English actor. Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England, UK. He acted in 47 films from 1938 to 1965. He died at age 57 in London. Selected filmography * ''Dangerous Cargo'' (1954) - Watson * ''M ...

– Inspector Harris *

Cyril Luckham Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb. Career The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...

– Coroner * Johnson Bayly – Radio Officer *

Martin Boddey Albert Martin Boddey (16 April 1907 – 24 October 1975) was a British film and television actor. He was a founder member of the Lord's Taverners charity. Boddey started acting when he was nearly 40, often portraying irritable authority fig ...

– Police Sergeant *

Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney (22 January 1921 – 22 January 2008) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles, in which he became familiar for his "portrayal of establishment types". During the Second World War, Stoney served with the Ro ...

– Bar Steward * Anthony Shaw – Colonial * Ian Wilson – Postman

Production

The film was known as ''Uncle George'' and ''The Death of Uncle George''. It was written for the screen by

John Paxton John Paxton (May 21, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri – January 5, 1985, Santa Monica, California) was an American screenwriter. Some of his films include ''Murder, My Sweet'' in 1944, '' Cornered'' in 1945, ''Crossfire'' in 1947 (an adaptation o ...

who had written ''

A Prize of Gold ''A Prize of Gold'' is a 1955 Technicolor film noir crime film directed by Mark Robson partly filmed in West Berlin. The film stars Richard Widmark as a United States Air Force Air Police Master Sergeant motivated by love and compassion to ...

'' for Warwick. Filming started 2 January 1957. It was Patrick's first film as director although he had directed for the stage.

References

External links

* * 1957 films 1957 comedy films CinemaScope films Films directed by Nigel Patrick British comedy films Columbia Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-comedy-film-stub