How to Murder Your Wife (United Artists) (1965)

Publicity Material Stull MI-9 Unchallenged King of Comedy-Romance stellar honors with Italy’s gorgeous Virn:z rod’s hilarious spoof “‘How to Murder You release in Technicolor opening spavesunvere a N. Y. Sidewalk Super: ‘How to Murder Your The official billing for United Artists’ hilarious comedy in Tech nicolor “How to Murder Your Wife,” which opens ................ at the 3 Theatre, lists Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Claire Trevor, Eddie Mayehoff and TerryThomas as its stars. But it says nothing of its “cast of thousands.” It has one, however, and most of them don’t even know it! Written by Author-Producer-Director George Axelrod, the action of the magnificent spoof, takes place in New York, particularly in the night club and off-theatrical zone of the city’s sophisticated fifties, and thither went camera crews, technicians, players, producers, directors and all the rest, to take pictures which would be as authentic as it would be possible to get. It so happens that one hilarious scene has to do with an enormous crane such as the ones used in the city to carry materials to the upper floors of building under construction, and it also happened that one of these behemoths was actually in action right in the zone. Better than that, the contractors were behind schedule and the machine was working nights in the light of several enormous spots and searchlights. It was just what Director Richard Quine wanted and needed. So instead of rigging up a make-believe crane on a Hollywood lot, the action was built around the real thing and camera work began. Well, if New York is more famous for anything other than its tall buildings, it’s for the incurable addiction of its natives to constructic and Exec Carroll fig be many in the late apparently theatres o around ha! Everythi the theatr: thousands tendents” —~—.< =a where the crene scenes for “How to Murder Your Wife” were grinding. So they remained, to cap off an evening’s entertainment at the theatre with some nice extra-mural crane watching. To this crowd was added the nightclub and night owl contingents who were just beginning to stir, and then word got out into the adjacent neighborhoods that they were making moving pictures in the fifties, There were so many watchers that for a while it looked like production would have to stop. But then Director Quine had an idea. Why not include them in the picture? The script was a wild one anyway, the whole crane sequence was strictly off the top, and great crowds of startled onlookers were just what was needed! So the gawkers gawked while the cameras rolled, and “How to Murder Your Wife” can in all truth, boast of a cast of thousands! If that name Verna Lisi, who is co-starred with Jack Lemmon in “How to Murder Your Wife” stopped you, don’t feel that you’re not up on things. Verna is a gorgeous newcomer to American films. —aroa ‘How to...” Lensed By Film Topper Harry Stradling, one of Hollywood’s most honored and decorated cinematographers, supervised the filming of George Axelrod’s original screen hilarity “How to Murder Your Wife,” Technicolor United Artists release opening as at tHe. <......... theatre. Since much of the action was filmed at night in New York’s night club zone, with thousands of onlookers who were incorporated into the action, Stradling’s work on the picture is considered by many a new achievement in night photography. Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi are co-starred in the film which was directed by Richard Quine with Gordon Carroll as executive producer. Virna Lisi Makes Debut In ‘How to Murder Your Wife’ Say “Virna Lisi” to the average European movie-goer and he’s apt to throw his hat into the air and cheer wildly. Say it to an American and he’s apt to look at you blankly. But there’s a change being made. Verna Lisi, although she has starred in 25 pictures in Europe during her seven-year reign as an accomplished and beautiful actress, makes her American debut at last — as co-star to the redoubtable Jack Lemmon himself — in the United Artists comedy release “How to Murder Your Wife,” in Technicolor, opening ................ at there Theatre! iia a at the ........ Theatre. B ackmer Cast In Jack Lemmon ‘Murder’ Comedy In case you’ve ever wondered what’s become of Sidney Blackmer the film actor, we’ve got news for you. He’s still around—very much so we might add—and his latest appearance is in the forthcoming comedy hit “How to Murder Your Wife,” which co-stars Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Claire Trevor, Eddie Mayehoff and Terry-Thomas, and which opens at the Theatre. It’s in Technicolor and it’s a United Artists release. Sidney’s been a movie actor for more than a half century—for 55 years to be exact. He was a leading man of prominence in the movies and the stage during the ‘twenties’ and ‘thirties,’ and he holds a Donaldson and Antoinette Perry Award for his performance in “Come Back, Little Sheba” to prove that he was pretty good at it. He’s a judge in “How to Murder Your Wife,” presiding over a trial in which Jack Lemmon is charged with actually having tried to take the film’s title seriously. The film was directed by Richard Quine and the story is an original from Author-Producer-Director George Axelrod. Gordon Carroll was executive producer and there’s some original pop jazz in it written and conducted by Pop Jazzman Neal Hefti. —at least unknown to American audiences. So he packed off to Europe to look the crop over. He saw the gorgeous Virna in Paris, and it was Kismet — cinematic Kismet at least. So that’s how she got into the cast of “How to Murder Your Wife.” For Virna this was her second almost accidental fortunate break. A native of Ancona on the Adriatic, she was attending business and technical college in Rome, when the great Italian film impressario Francesco Maselli happened to be there on one of his talent hunts. Maselli specialized in unknawne nertinwt--ly those who > by what he h conventional saw Virna and __t Her first Itat and she has to millions of in France and is enormously HEFTI RE FOR s0MEDY asic maker Neal only to a couple of the nation’s ngs will be difhe has scored— he music for the Artists release er Your Wife,” igh comedy from pen, which opens | amore, Theatre in aich co-stars Jack geous Italian newsi, Claire Trevor, and Terry-Thod as comedy with somedy with susTeal aimed for in he film. He calls his picture “clefsoff of course, on ‘nown to his mil as the composer 1usic for ten LPs d as the arranger aett, Charlie Spirman and Count also been conducjinatra and Peggy He began his professional career in Nebraska at the age of 11 as trumpeter with the “Hefti Family Band,” a popular aggregation in early Nebraska. He played the trumpet for the Omaha Symphony and while so engaged studied classical music. He came to New York in the 1940’s and for twenty years had been arranging for some of the biggest name bands in the country. He also wrote considerable original music. He is married to pop singer Frances Wayne. They have an eleven year old son. Claire Trevor Is Back As A Comedienne One of the truly great names in entertainment which has graced the cast of over 150 pictures, 200 TV and radio programs, and 20 stage plays, and whose owner was considered one of the greatest dramatic actresses of her day, returns to the screen—in comedy for the first time—in the hilarious “How to Murder Your Wife,” a George Axelrod original in Technicolor opening at the eae Theatre. She’s lovely Claire Trevor, still a beauty at 55, whose performance in “Key Largo” in 1948 won her an Oscar and is still considered one of the greatest of cinematic performances, and an Emmy for her work in television’s ‘“Dodsworth” in 1956. She plays Eddie Mayehoff’s hairbrained wife in the United Artists release, and is co-starred in it with Jack Lemmon, the newcomer Virna Lisi and funnyman Terry-Thomas. Miss Trevor has been in pictures since 1933 and her name has graced the credits of some of the greatest. These include “Key Largo,” “Stagecoach,” “Murder My Sweet,” “Crack-Up,” “The High and the Mighty” and “Marjorie Morningstar.” Since her semi-retirement from films Miss Trevor has devoted herself to painting and is considered by many an excellent painter. Her return to films in “How to Murder Your Wife,” which was directed by Richard Quine with Gordon Carroll acting as Executive Producer, is being hailed as the beginning for her of a new career as a comedienne in older roles. Still MI-36 Mat 1C Claire Trevor, once famous for her great dramatic performances, returns to the screen as a comedienne in hilarious “How to Murder Your Wife,” Technicolor United Artists release co-starring Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi, which opens at the Theatre. Still MI-25 Mat 2D Said to be one of the funniest court sequences ever filmed, Jack Lemmon cross-examines his lawyer Eddie Mayehoff in this scene from the hilarious “How to Murder Your Wife,” George Axelrod original in Technicolor, opening ............ at the Theatre. United Artists release was directed by Richard Quine.