The penultimate film of this marathon is Alfred Hitchcock's last film which came out in 1976 and it's titled: Family Plot. It is a rather lighthearted suspence film with a mixture of the 70's and Hitchcock's classic humorous view on serious matters, but it manages to entertain and thrill with its very human protagonists. The film stars Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, Karen Black, William Devane, Ed Lauter and Cathleen Nesbitt. So let's take a look:
The film follows two different couples who are about to meet in the most unexpected way. For one, there is Blanche (Barbara Harris), who pretends to be a spiritualist and cheats old ladies by telling them what they want to hear with the help of her boyfriend, George (Bruce Dern) who does all the searching for the cases.
It is when an old lady (and millionaire) offers Blanche $10,000 if she finds her long-lost nephew the spiritual way that their troubles begin.
On the other hand, we have a greedy jewellery shop owner, Adamson (William Devane) who along with his girlfriend, Fran (Karen Black) abducts important wealthy people and exchanges them for huge diamonds for his collection.
So, there is poor George who starts to investigate the whereabouts of the missing nephew and unwittingly he digs too deep into the past.
He discovers a fire, a false death and all that leads Adamson to believe that someone is on to him and his illegal actions. And that someone is George...and Blanche.
So he follows them and then he makes someone go kill them. That simple.
So, will George and Blanche find the real nephew and earn the $10,000 that'll save them from bankruptcy? Or will Adamson and Fran find them first and get them out of the way?
The famous carchase scene of the film was shot in Universal Studios' backlot.
Hithcock originally wanted Al Pacino for the role of George. He didn't get him though, as his price was too high, having recently starred in big films such as The Godfather and Serpico.
Jack Nicholson was also offered the part of George but he couldn't accept it as he had already signed for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Liza Minnelli, Goldie Hawn and Beverly Sills were all considered fot the role of Blanche. When Barbara Harris took the part, Hitchcock was really happy as he had wanted to hire her before.
To make the cemetery look really weedy with long grass, the production paid its managers to let the weeds grow for a whole four months before the shooting. This was Hitchcock's favourite location on set.
Alfred Hitchcock was 75 years old when he made this film. Family Plot was his 53rd film and it wasn't supposed to be his last, as after the filming had ended, he started working on another project called "The Short Night". He couldn't direct it though, because of his bad health. "The Short Night" hasn't yet been filmed.
The wink was an inside-joke that was kept on the final film, and good thing it was. The film finishes, thus, on a happy note with the lead lady's wink to the camera, as if Hitchcock himself winks to his viewers/followers/fans saying "this is my work, you've either enjoyed it or hated it, or both, but it's been such a fun ride". Thank you, Hitch.
The Family Plot marks the only collaboration between Hitchcock and the great composer John Williams. And what a funny and enjoyable score he -once more- delivered:
Director Cameo: Around 40 minutes into the film, Hitchcock's silhouette appears behind a door.
Memorable Quotes:
"- Smells fishy to me. - Well, even fish smells good when you're starving to death."
George and Blanche
Come back tomorrow, for the final film in this Hitchcock Marathon, -my favourite Hitchcock film of all time!
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