In How to Murder Your Wife Jack Lemmon plays Stanley Ford-a bumbling New York cartoonist who stages his own scenes for his comic strip. He lives in an apartment with a servant (played by Terry Thomas). Then one evening at a party Stanley, while drunk, is struck by a blonde woman who comes out of a cake (played by Italian actress Virna Lisi). He then does the stupid thing by marrying her immediately. She then settles into his apartment (below) while Stanley is going crazy.
He's trying to end the marriage but she refuses. Finally, Stanley comes up with the idea of murdering her but with a catch: By using a dummy to storyline and write it in his comic. When she sees this she freaks out and leaves town. It works...or so it seems as the police arrests Stanley and is put to trial. Not surprisenly, Stanley is not guilty because of little evidence.
There are many funny moments: The first is when Lemmon takes a big bowl of tomato soup and trips on the rug and it flies on his friend's face! (played by Eddie Mayeroff) The other is when Lemmon is talking to his butler (Thomas) in a bar and tells him about killing his wife instead of divorcing her (the way Lemmon says 'Murder!' deserves a laugh). And the third is when Mayeroff's character says to Stanley, "I'm as sober as a judge!" The scene-stealing role belonged to Clarie Trevor (looking as elegant for her age) who plays Stanley's other friend. The movie was written and produced by George Axelrod and directed by Richard Quaine.
The other comedy is The Knack...And How to Get It. Directed by American Richard Lester (who was coming off directing The Beatles' movies A Hard Day's Night and Help!) the movie was based on the British play "The Knack" from Ann Jellicoe. The story begins with Nancy Jones (Rita Tushingham) (below)who is new to London and is looking to find the YWCA-which she doesn't (and there is one level to the 60's cinema legacy: Promises are never kept).
Instead she comes to a house where three men reside: Tolen (Ray Brooks) a biker who is good at charming women, Colin (Michael Crawford in a breakthrough role) a gentle single man who tries to copy Tolen, and Tom (Donal Donnelly) a playboy from Ireland who admits that he likes men too (!). Soon Nancy gets into their antics including taking a bed around London and into the Thames river. When they get back to Tolen's house mayhem ensues.
This movie has by far the most funniest 60's scene I've seen so far in which Colin (Crawford) is trying to tease Tushingham's character by being on his hands and knees (and with a paper bag on his head!). The payoff comes when Nancy backs away and Colin runs right into the wall! Gives new meaning to the term "Head-ed for Disater"!
In conlusion, the movie won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for that year and the movie became a major reason why British films in the 60's really thrived. That is it for today. More to come.
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