Moore, Robert

Murder by Death

Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Lighthearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom Keogh

The Cheap Detective

Most fans of everything-but-the-kitchen-sink comedies like The Naked Gun and Hot Shots probably think the genre started with Airplane!, but Neil Simon's The Cheap Detective came two years earlier. It's a camp parody of Humphrey Bogart's 1940s detective flicks (particularly The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep), with a big dose of Casablanca thrown in for good measure. There's no point in describing the plot--it's little more than a series of cameos by just about every actor working in the 1970s, including Ann-Margaret, Eileen Brennan, Stockard Channing, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Dom DeLuise, John Houseman, Marsha Mason, and Nicol Williamson. Peter Falk plays the detective and does a fine Bogey impression. Unfortunately, it's not Neil Simon's best work--he's better at character comedy such as The Odd Couple and The Goodbye Girl than this kind of slapstick--but there are a few good lines and the cast gives it their best. Louise Fletcher, not usually known for comedy, does a sharp satire of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, and Madeline Kahn never fails to entertain in a variety of disguises. --Bret Fetzer

Laurence Olivier Presents

The staggering breadth of roles in Laurence Olivier Presents will reaffirm why so many consider Olivier the greatest actor of the modern era. With every part, from a fussy, controlling lover in Harold Pinter's The Collection to Tennessee William's swaggering Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to a daffy Italian patriarch in Saturday, Sunday, Monday, the British thespian tackles every role with zest and skill, never letting the seemingly effortless accents overshadow the emotions. Ironically, the show that really emphasizes Olivier's talent is the one he isn't in: Hindle Wakes, a strikingly progressive and sardonically funny play from 1912, is co-directed by Olivier and stars Donald Pleasance. Pleasance is a topnotch actor, solid and subtle, but he just doesn't have the cunning intelligence and perpetual fire that burns in Olivier's eyes. These plays feature a fantastic array of actors (including Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Natalie Wood, Joan Plowright, and Alan Bates), but the one who really gives Olivier a run for his money is Joanne Woodward. Her performance as the lonely wife of a struggling Midwestern alcoholic (Olivier) in Come Back, Little Sheba is wrenchingly sad without once asking for pity. Their combined firepower, supported by a simple but assured performance by Carrie Fisher, makes this William Inge play the strongest of a substantial selection. (The one weak spot is the "bonus" film The Ebony Tower; though less stage-bound--it was adapted from a novel by John Fowles, not from a play like the others--the story is lightweight and tries to make up for it with copious nudity.) Towards the end of his career, Olivier took on a lot of mediocre movies for the money; these straightforward but effective television productions will erase all memory of the mercenary hackwork and leave Olivier's fierce, phenomenal talent glowing in your mind. --Bret Fetzer

The greatest actor of the 20th century presents five works by great 20th-century playwrights. Stars include Olivier, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Maureen Stapleton, Alan Bates, Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Joanne Woodward, Carrie Fisher, Greta Scacchi, and Joan Plowright..

The Plays
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. A rich plantation owner and his family come to grips with their greed, envy, and self-delusion.
The Collection by Harold Pinter. What did, or did not, take place in a Leeds Hotel ruffles the lives of four habitués of fashionable London.
Hindle Wakes by Stanley Houghton. An independent young mill worker refuses to bow to convention after an indiscretion with the boss's son.
Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge. Loss and regret bubble to the surface of a troubled marriage after a young boarder moves in.
Saturday, Sunday, Monday by Eduardo de Filippo. A monumental argument erupts, smolders, and subsides over a weekend in the life of a boisterous Italian family.

Bonus!
The Ebony Tower, the novella by John Fowles adapted by John Mortimer. A young artist studying the work of a great painter becomes intrigued by the elderly man's female companions. Contains some nudity.

Murder by Death [Region 2]

Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Lighthearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom Keogh

Murder by Death [Region 2]

Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Lighthearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom Keogh

Rhoda