How to Murder a Rich Uncle

Nigel Patrick and John Paxton have done quite a neat job with Daix' play about an uncle - in this version, a wealthy Canadian - called "George" (Charles Coburn) who comes to Britain to visit his landed, but impoverished family headed by Patrick ("Sir Henry"). The family see this as in ideal opportunity to sort their finances out, and that means that their unsuspecting guest could be in quite a bit of peril! Except, that is, that the would-be assassins couldn't organise the proverbial piss-up in the brewery - indeed their efforts to relieve the old man of his life and his fortune have far more profound effects on their own family. Soon it starts to diminish quite rapidly as their cock-eyed schemes go awry with disastrously lethal results. At this rate, there won't be anyone left to inherit - except, perhaps, the sagely old Katie Johnson who knows where the secrets (and the bottles of wine) are kept... It's a fun story this. Patrick and Coburn work well together, with a strong supporting cast from Wendy Hiller, Anthony Newley and the eagle eyed amongst us might spot Micael Caine (just 24). The production isn't up to very much, it has to be said - but the plot holds together well, with some decent comedic moments and a rather fitting, quirky, ending that I quite enjoyed.

The plot is all in the title so we don't have to do a summary.

The best thing in the film is Nigel Patrick. Perhaps because he directed it he allows himself to be more flamboyant than usual. He's the sort of impecunious post-war aristocrat who cleans his shotgun on family evenings by the fire and tells his wife of thirty-six years (Wendy Hiller) he's been "pleased" with her and it's a high compliment.

Having seen "The Ladykillers" numberless times I can't help but smile whenever Katie Johnson comes in.

Kenneth Fortesque does his best to channel a youngish Ian Carmichael.

And the uncle, Charles Coburn? He's Charles Coburn and drifts through the film unconscious of his danger.

On the down side, Anrhony Newly, as the young criminologist, gets kind of boringly pretentious and he doesn't have (the actor playing the Teddy Boy from "The Ladykillers") terrified that Newly will usurp him as a physical comedian.

The deaths could have been a lot more light-heartedly ironic. The score is a bit heavy-handed and us often designed to force us to "feel" a ceetain way.

In a few more years Michael Caine, on a small parr early in his career) could replace Newly on a lightfingered way but as it stand Caine fans will be disappointed by his appearance here. He's not yet a star and has little to do.

It"s not one of the great dark comedies, bit t'will serve.

Henry Clitterburn is in charge of running an old, crumbling estate. His problem - he doesn't have the funds he needs. Enter a rich old uncle from America. Henry believes that if the uncle were to pass, his money troubles will be solved. Surely Henry can come up with a foolproof plan to do away with his doddering old uncle, right?

What a cleverly written, humorous, entertaining film! Even though How to Murder a Rich Uncle only bears passing resemblances, for whatever reason, I was reminded of Ten Little Indians mixed with Arsenic and Old Lace. The comedy in How to Murder a Rich Uncle is incredibly dark. Much of the humor is derived from death being treated in a matter-of- fact manner. Each attempted murder of Uncle George is more elaborate than the next. Sure, all are doomed to failure (well, they don't kill their intended victim), only adding to the humor. The final one is so ridiculously complicated that it reminded me of something out of Wile E. Coyote's twisted brain. And with each attempt on his life, the unaware Uncle George manages to stumble his way out of trouble. Very funny stuff.

The cast in How to Murder a Rich Uncle is superb. Nigel Patrick, Charles Coburn, Wendy Hiller, and Anthony Newly all give very fine performances. All, however, are upstaged by Katie Johnson. In what would sadly prove to be her last role, she steals the scene every time she's on-screen. Finally, there's the impossibly young Michael Caine in one of his very first roles. He's okay in his small part, but there's nothing to indicate he'd go on to the long, distinguished career he's enjoyed.

If you liked The Ladykillers, you'll want to rent How to Murder a Rich Uncle the next time you have a movie night planned. Just don't want it with your family!

In this British comedy, a high-brow family is in financial ruin, but they desperately want to hide that from the public. Nigel Patrick, the patriarch of the family, plots along with his wife, Wendy Hiller, and son, Kenneth Fortescue, to murder their extremely wealthy uncle and inherit his fortune. Katie Johnson, Athene Seyler, and Paddy Webster also live in the house, and while everyone pitches in to take part in an "accidental" murder, something always goes wrong! The titular character just can't be killed!

Charles Coburn plays the rich uncle. He just has one of those faces that make you want to wrap him up in a big hug, doesn't he? I've had a soft spot in my heart for him ever since I first saw him as Piggy in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and I've called him 'Piggy' ever since. Not only is Piggy absolutely adorable, but his character in How to Murder a Rich Uncle is written to be incredibly likable, so the audience is put in a very difficult situation. How can we possibly root for Nigel Patrick and his family, even though they're the protagonists, when their main goal is to kill the lovable Charles Coburn? The answer is simple: root for Piggy and watch with baited breath and hope he stays alive as long as he can.

As a side note, in a very small part, in which he's on screen for only a few minutes and only speaks "Aye" three times, Michael Caine is seen in one of his first movies. This is an adorable, hilarious film that you can't help but love, even though you don't really like the main family. Rent it and see if you like it!

Nigel Patrick does double-duty as star and director of this low-key but hilarious spoof of such genteel British thrillers as AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. John Paxton's script finds rich American uncle Charles Coburn paying a visit to the English ancestral home where, unbeknownst to him, his aristocratic nephew (Patrick) and the rest of the requisite wacky family members are suffering a severe money deficiency. No sooner has kindly old Uncle unpacked than Patrick, his wife Wendy Hiller, and nearly all of the rest of the cash-crazed clan are plotting the unsuspecting Yank's untimely demise in hope of inheriting his fortune. Much to their dismay -- and the viewer's merriment -- all their efforts to provide Coburn with an "accidental death" backfire big-time (heh heh)... Katie Johnson of THE LADYKILLERS fame nearly steals the show as a sweetly dotty yet vaguely spooky cousin who takes a shine to Coburn. I was surprised, though, by the youthful Anthony Newley as the crackpot criminologist suitor of Patrick's and Hiller's daughter. Not only is Newley far less grating than he became in later films, he's downright funny! Also, keep your eyes peeled (or should I say "pealed" :-) for a very young Michael Caine as a gangly bell-ringer. In a running sight gag to which mere words can't do justice, Caine teams up with a much shorter fellow to ring the church bells for each new funeral; I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the highlights of the movie. This...RICH UNCLE is well worth putting out the "Welcome" mat for!