MURDER BY DEATH (1976)

Neil Simon's classic comedy-thriller begins when quirky millionaire Lionel Twain (Truman Capote) decides to host a weekend dinner party.  He invites only the world's leading detectives, and despite not knowing their host they attend when Twain promises them not just dinner but also an intriguing mystery to solve.  The detectives, parodying some of the genre's greatest fictional creations, include thinly-disguised versions of Nick & Nora Charles, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Charlie Chan ... even Bogart's Sam Spade.  Once around the dinner table, Twain announces that a murder will occur at midnight - with someone at the table as the victim - and the detectives, now trapped in the house, have until dawn to solve the crime or he'll ruin their reputations by announcing their failure to the world.  Add a blind butler (Alec Guinness) and a deaf AND mute maid (Nancy Walker) to the mix, and you have an all-star send-up of murder that's full of puns, sight gags, double entendres ... and is, at times, pretty hilarious (even if some may find the ending a bit of a head-scratcher). (rated PG)  ****

MURDER BY DEATH trailer