24) HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE

Director: Richard Quine
Stars: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas, Eddie Mayehoff, Claire Trevor
Year: 1965
Rating: NR

Stanley Ford (Jack Lemmon) has an ideal life. He lives in a beautiful townhouse in Manhattan, has money and fame and the easy life overall - thanks to a nationally-syndicated hard-boiled detective comic strip he draws/writes called "Bash Brannigan." He even has a valet/manservant named Charles (Terry-Thomas) who sees to his every need. It's the ideal life for a single man, and indeed from the first few moments of the film Charles lets us know that there IS no better life than that of the single man, with Stanley Ford being the prime example. There's even an opening action sequence that's fairly hilarious, in which Ford - along with a group of friends - actually acts out a chase scene for his latest "Brash Brannigan" segment, among unsuspecting New Yorkers as Charles films the entire thing for Ford to use later when drawing out the panels and action. From this scene alone, I was thinking, "Man, this is going to be fun!"

But then Stanley Ford attends the bachelor party of a close friend, his fellow unmarried buddies belaboring their anti-marriage issues ... until all, especially Ford, are stunned by the intensely, almost supernaturally beautiful blond bombshell (Virna Lisi) that pops out of their friends cake at the party.

And the next morning, when Stanley Ford wakes up from a heavy drunk from the previous night's party, he not only finds the blond sleeping in his bed next to him ... he learns, to his horror, that sometime in the course of the previous evening he actually married her.

And thus begins Ford's battle to become single again. His own attorney tells him he can't file for divorce without cause. The attorney's wife thinks Stanley Ford's being married is one of the best things that could happen to the man. Even Charles, who feels immensely betrayed by his employer, ends up moving out ... as the new Mrs. Ford slowly but surely takes over the house, as well as Stanley Ford's life. Even "Bash Brannigan," before long, turns from a hard-boiled private eye comic strip into "The Brannigans" - featuring a henpecked Bash who is both dominated and emasculated by his new, beautiful bride.

But when Stanley Ford decides to finally take control of his life again, even to the point of killing off the new "Mrs. Brannigan" in the strip, a series of misconceptions results in the new Mrs. Ford disappearing ... and Stanley Ford accused of her murder.

I loved the first half of How to Murder Your Wife - and, even more, was completely captivated by the Italian goddess that IS Virna Lisi - but the second half of the film really fell apart for me. Yeah, I realize the film was made forty-six years ago, and the sexist, misogynistic viewpoints expressed by Ford and his male cronies in the film should feel outdated; even a bit alarming, by today's standards. But that said, Ford's lengthy courtroom speech toward the end of the film was (to me) nothing short of annoying, and though the film ends on a happy note and has touches of truly great comedy, I couldn't help but feeling let down overall by the film's weaknesses over its strengths.

For Jack Lemmon fans (which I am), certainly - or if you want to eyeball the most stunningly beautiful blond to hit a movie screen since Marilyn Monroe - but other than that the sweet premise this film sets up in the beginning just falls apart sadly in the end. ** - Reel Mediocre