The Honey Pot
| The Honey Pot | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster by Howard Terpning |
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| Directed by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
| Produced by | Charles K. Feldman |
| Written by | Joseph L. Mankiewicz Ben Jonson (play) Frederick Knott (play) Thomas Sterling (novel) |
| Starring | Rex Harrison Susan Hayward Cliff Robertson Capucine Edie Adams Maggie Smith Adolfo Celi |
| Music by | John Addison |
| Cinematography | Gianni di Venanzo |
| Editing by | David Bretherton |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | 21 March 1967 (UK) 22 May 1967 (US) |
| Running time | 150 minutes (UK) 132 minutes (US) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Honey Pot, also known as The Honeypot, is a 1967 crime comedy film made by Famous Artists Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film stars Rex Harrison, Susan Hayward, Cliff Robertson, Capucine, Edie Adams, and Maggie Smith. It was written for the screen and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Charles K. Feldman. The screenplay was based on the plays Volpone by Ben Jonson and Mr. Fox of Venice by Frederick Knott and the novel The Evil of the Day by Thomas Sterling.
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[edit] Plot
Struggling actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) is hired by wealthy Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) to play his personal secretary for a practical joke. Pretending to be on his deathbed, Fox invites three former lovers to his Venetian palazzo for a final visit: penniless Princess Dominique (Capucine), fading movie star Merle McGill (Edie Adams), and Texas millionairess Mrs. Lone Star Crockett Sheridan (Susan Hayward). Accompanying Mrs. Sheridan is her spinster nurse, Sarah Watkins (Maggie Smith). By chance, each of the women brings Fox a timepiece as a present.
The three women warily size each other up. Mrs. Sheridan boldly announces that the others might as well go home, as she is Fox's common-law wife, and they can expect to inherit nothing. However, when Sarah returns from a late-night date with McFly, she finds her employer dead of an overdose of sleeping pills, an apparent suicide. Police Inspector Rizzi (Adolfo Celi) investigates.
Sarah knows that the pills Mrs. Sheridan had been taking are harmless fakes. McFly has already revealed to Sarah that Fox is perpetrating a charade, and that the final joke is to be the reading of the will, empowering McFly to choose the heir. She therefore suspects him not only of being the murderer, but also plotting to kill Fox. When she confronts McFly, he locks her in her room, telling her it is for her own safety. She manages to escape via a dumbwaiter and warns Fox. However, his displeased reaction puzzles her. He sends her back to her room.
The next morning, Fox is found dead. McFly reveals that Fox was the killer of Sarah's employer. He was broke and wanted Mrs. Sheridan's fortune. Once McFly had figured it out (and more importantly, told Sarah), Fox realized it was all up and committed suicide.
Sarah asks McFly to write her name down in the will as the heir of Fox's worthless estate as a souvenir, with Rizzi signing as a witness. After McFly complies, an amused Rizzi complements him on his "generosity" -- while Fox may have been deeply in debt, Mrs. Sheridan's estate is so vast, Sarah will still emerge an extremely wealthy woman. She informs McFly that she will marry him and hand over the money once he resumes his law studies and becomes a lawyer.
[edit] Cast
- Rex Harrison as Cecil Sheridan Fox
- Susan Hayward as Mrs. Sheridan
- Cliff Robertson as William McFly
- Capucine as Princess Dominique
- Edie Adams as Merle McGill
- Maggie Smith as Sarah Watkins
- Adolfo Celi as Inspector Rizzi
- Hugh Manning as Volpone
- David Dodimead as Mosca
Anne Bancroft was originally scheduled to play the role which eventually went to Adams.
[edit] Production
The film was shot on location in Venice and in the Cinecittà studios in Rome.
[edit] External links
- The Honey Pot at the Internet Movie Database
- The Honey Pot at the TCM Movie Database
- The Honey Pot at AllRovi
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