The April Fools

The April Fools is a 1969 American romantic comedy film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Jack Lemmon and Catherine Deneuve.

The April Fools
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStuart Rosenberg
Produced byGordon Carroll
Carter De Haven Jr. (associate producer)
Written byHal Dresner
StarringJack Lemmon
Catherine Deneuve
Peter Lawford
Jack Weston
Myrna Loy
Charles Boyer
Music byMarvin Hamlisch
CinematographyMichel Hugo
Edited byBob Wyman
Production
company
Distributed byNational General Pictures
Release date
  • May 28, 1969 (1969-05-28)
Running time
95 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.5 million (US/ Canada rentals)[1]

Plot

Howard Brubaker (Lemmon) is married to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman), who doesn't love him. Catherine (Deneuve) is the stunning wife of an equally uncaring husband, Howard's philandering boss, Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford).

The evening of the day Ted promotes Howard, Howard attends Ted's house party where Ted urges him to pick up an available woman there and proceeds to show him how. Howard reluctantly tries it on Catherine, who instantly accepts. The two leave the party and go out for a little adventure on the town. Ted is oblivious, as he is concentrating on other women at the party.

The two find their marriages are loveless as they discover more about each other that night and decide to run away together the next evening. But Ted doesn't realize the other man is Howard until Howard and Catherine are about to board the plane to Paris.

Cast
VHS Box Cover
ActorRole
Jack LemmonHoward Brubaker
Catherine DeneuveCatherine Gunther
Peter LawfordTed Gunther
Myrna LoyGrace Greenlaw
Charles BoyerAndre Greenlaw
Jack WestonPotter Shrader
Sally KellermanPhyllis Brubaker
Gary DubinStanley Brubaker
Melinda DillonLeslie Hopkins
Kenneth MarsLes Hopkins
David DoyleOrlow P. Walters
Susan BarrettSinger
Dee GardnerNaomi Jackson
Harvey KormanMatt Benson
Lisa ToddSafari Club Waitress

Production

The female lead was originally going to be played by Shirley MacLaine but she was not available due to commitments on Sweet Charity and campaigning for Robert F. Kennedy. Catherine Deneuve was cast instead.[2]

Reception

The New York Times review said, "The April Fools, written by Hal Dresner and directed by Stuart Rosenberg, manipulates its stereotypes with elegance and style. ... The best things in the movie, however, are the extraordinarily good supporting performances by Peter Lawford (Miss Deneuve's husband), Jack Weston, Harvey Korman, Sally Kellerman, and by two stars who invented movie elegance almost 30 years ago, Charles Boyer and Myrna Loy."[3]

Paperback novelization

Published slightly in advance of the film's release (as was the usual custom of the era), a paperback screenplay novelization by the ubiquitous and gifted tie-in scribe William Johnston was issued by Popular Library.

Soundtrack

The April Fools
Performed by Dionne Warwick
w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

I Say a Little Prayer
 w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

DVD

The April Fools was released to DVD by CBS Home Entertainment through Paramount Home Media Distribution on January 28, 2014 as a Region 1 Widescreen DVD.

See also

References
  1. "Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, 7 January 1970, p. 15.
  2. "Lemmon Chooses Co-Star for 'Fools'". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 1968. p. f6.
  3. "Movie Review : April Fools' Arrives". The New York Times. May 29, 1969. p. 0.
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