''Somebody Killed Her Husband'' is a 1978 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

–

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

Lamont Johnson Ernest Lamont Johnson Jr. (September 30, 1922 – October 24, 2010) was an American actor and film director who has appeared in and directed many television shows and movies. He won two Emmy Awards. Early years Johnson was born in Stockto ...

and written by

Reginald Rose Reginald Rose (December 10, 1920 – April 19, 2002) was an American screenwriter. He wrote about controversial social and political issues. His realistic approach was particularly influential in the anthology programs of the 1950s. Rose w ...

. It starred

Farrah Fawcett Farrah Leni Fawcett (born Ferrah Leni Fawcett; February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009) was an American actress. A four-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she played ...

and

Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...

. Also in the cast were John Wood,

Tammy Grimes Tammy Lee Grimes (January 30, 1934 – October 30, 2016) was an American film and stage actress. Grimes won two Tony Awards in her career, the first for originating the role of Molly Tobin in the musical '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'' and the ...

and John Glover.

Plot

The film is set in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City. The plot concerns the efforts of a woman (Fawcett) and her lover (Bridges) to find the murderer of her husband before they are accused of it themselves. The story's climax occurs at the

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States wit ...

. Reginald Rose's screenplay was nominated for an

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

. Strewn throughout this story are clues that implicate real elements of the late President Richard Nixon's activities regarding Watergate and are followed by Bridges' and Fawcett's characters throughout the movie to find out who killed her husband.

Cast

– Jenny Moore (as Farrah Fawcett-Majors) *

– Jerry Green * John Wood – Ernest Van Santen *

– Audrey Van Santen * John Glover – Herbert Little *

Patricia Elliott Patricia Elliott (July 21, 1938 – December 20, 2015) was an American theatre, film, soap opera, and television actress. Early life Elliott was born July 21, 1938, in Gunnison, Colorado to Clyde and Lavon (née Gibson) Elliott. She claimed dire ...

– Helene *

Mary McCarty Mary Ballard McCarty (born December 8, 1954) is a politician and former County Commissioner in Palm Beach County, Florida, and served in office from November 1990 until resigning for corruption, announced on January 8, 2009. McCarty resigned fr ...

– Flora *

Laurence Guittard Laurence Guittard (born July 16, 1939) is an American actor and singer, mostly appearing on the Broadway stage. He made his Broadway debut in ''Baker Street'' in 1965. Notable appearances include Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in Stephen Sondheim's ' ...

– Preston Moore * Vincent Robert Santa Lucia – Benjamin * Beeson Carroll – Frank Danziger *

Eddie Lawrence Eddie Lawrence (born Lawrence Eisler; March 2, 1919 – March 25, 2014) was an American monologist, actor, singer, lyricist, playwright, artist, director and television personality, whose comic creation, the Old Philosopher, gained him a devote ...

– Other Neighbor * Arthur Rhyris – Customer * Jean-Pierre Stewart – Man in Beret * Terri DuHaime – Lulu's Mother * Sands Hall – Girl Typist

Production

Martin Poll acquired the script from Reginald Rose in 1976. Farrah Fawcett had become a star on ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by ...

'' but quit the show. ''Charlie's Angels'' producers were suing her. Paramount wanted Fawcett for the lead in '' Foul Play'' but were reluctant to hire her with a lawsuit hanging over her head. Poll however signed her to make ''Somebody Killed Her Husband'' for a fee of nearly $1 million. Filming took place in November 1977. The budget was a reported $4.5 million.

Release

The film was not a big hit but Melvin Simon made a $2 million profit by pre-selling the film. He presold it to TV for $3.5 million, sold the foreign rights for $1.8 million, got an advance from Columbia for $1 million and sold TV syndication rights for $850,000.

Soundtrack listing

# Title Theme (03:19) # Jerry and Jenny (01:33) # Pretty Jenny (01:22) # In the Restaurant (02:41) # Two Lovers (01:26) # Loving Each Other (01:13) # First Date (01:19) # Happiness (01:29) # Unexpected Murder (01:32) # Mysterious Days (02:34) # Doubtful Ernest (01:42) # Pirate Listener (01:37) # Second Murder (01:54) # Secret of Jewels (01:43) # Jerry's Trick (01:37) # The Criminal (01:42) # Fearful Escape (02:03) # In the True Love (02:25)

References

External links

* * * 1978 films 1970s comedy mystery films American comedy mystery films Columbia Pictures films Films scored by Alex North Films directed by Lamont Johnson Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Thanksgiving in films 1978 comedy films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub