1 / 8
MONEY
Did you know
Made its money back 9.0Γ over at the box office.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#01
Foul Play
"It's a highly dangerous comedy!!"
1978 1h 56m EN
π
6.3
MID
β
6.3TMDB Β· 276
ComedyMysteryThriller
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A shy San Francisco librarian and a bumbling cop fall in love as they solve a crime involving albinos, dwarves, and the Catholic Church.
βIt's a highly dangerous comedy!!β
Cast
Goldie Hawn
Gloria Mundy
Chevy Chase
Tony Carlson
Burgess Meredith
Mr. Hennessey
Eugene Roche
Archbishop Thorncrest / Archbishop's brother
Dudley Moore
Stanley Tibbets
Marilyn Sokol
Stella
Brian Dennehy
Fergie
Marc Lawrence
Rupert Stiltskin
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Colin Higgins
- Writers
- Colin Higgins
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts πΏ
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
48 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Colin Higgins, shot by David M. Walsh. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Charles Fox. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Pembroke J. Herring shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#05
6 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase and Burgess Meredith carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#06
7 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "It's a highly dangerous comedy!!".
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0077578 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Colin Higgins directs. David M. Walsh behind the camera. Charles Fox scores. Pembroke J. Herring cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 1Made its money back 9.0Γ over at the box office.
- 248 years old β old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 3Directed by Colin Higgins, shot by David M. Walsh. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 4Original score by Charles Fox. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 5Editor Pembroke J. Herring shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 6Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase and Burgess Meredith carry the top of the cast.
- 7Marketing tagline: "It's a highly dangerous comedy!!".
- 8IMDB entry: tt0077578 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 9Classified under 9 themes, including "detective", "murder", "conspiracy", "church".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- David M. Walsh
- Original score
- Charles Fox
- Editing
- Pembroke J. Herring
- Production design
- Alfred Sweeney
- Makeup / hair
- E. Thomas Case
- Stunt coordinator
- M. James Arnett
- Runtime
- 116 min Β· 1h 56m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $5,000,000
- Box office
- $45,000,000
- Return
- 900% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG
- IMDB
- Foul Play (1978)
Also by
Colin Higgins
Stills Β· wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames β open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- John Chardβ 8/10
I play Detective. You play Lady In Distress. Foul Play is written and directed by Colin Higgins. It stars Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Burgess Meredith, Rachel Roberts, Dudley Moore and Brian Dennehy. Music is by Charles Fox and cinematography by David M. Walsh. San Francisco librarian Gloria Mundy (Hawn) inadvertently gets embroiled with mobsters who are out to assassinate The Pope. Hooking up with cheeky copper Tony Carlson (Chase), she hopes to stay alive long enough to find out why people are trying to kill her! Comedy thrillers are tough to get right, you gotta make people laugh and also grip them with drama, thankfully Colin Higgins gets it right in this delightful late 1970s production. He kind of plays safe by literally throwing many of the conventions of the genres into the mix, with weird villains, an odd couple (hello romance), pratfalls, near misses, McGuffin, bonkers situations (both dicey and funny) and etc etc. Boosted by a damn fine cast (Hawn and Chase are fun, charming and sexy together, while the supports excel), some superb Frisco scenery and a toe tapping 70s soundtrack, it rounds out as a breezy effort across the board. Where else you going to see Burgess Meredith and Rachel Roberts in a martial arts smack down? 7/10
Production companies
Who made it
Paramount Pictures
US
- MI
Miller-Milkis Productions
- SH
Shelburne Associates
Key crew
- Associate ProducerPeter V. Herald
- Production DesignAlfred Sweeney
- EditorPembroke J. Herring
- CastingLynn Stalmaster
- ProducerEdward K. Milkis
- ProducerThomas L. Miller
- StuntsGlynn Rubin
- Stunt DoubleFrank James Sparks
- StuntsTommy J. Huff
- StuntsMay Boss
- StuntsAlan Oliney
- StuntsKitty O'Neil
- StuntsHal Needham
- StuntsJophery C. Brown
- Stunt DoubleCraig R. Baxley
- Makeup ArtistE. Thomas Case
- Stunt CoordinatorM. James Arnett
- HairstylistSusan Germaine
- Second Assistant DirectorLarry Franco
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- detective
- murder
- conspiracy
- church
- catholic
- albino
- mysterious
- suspenseful
- hilarious
Release history Β· US
When it landed
- Theatrical1978-07-14PG
Also known as
International titles
- Tjejen som visste fΓΆr mycketSE
- DrΓ΄le d'embrouilleBE
- Jogo PerigosoBR
- ε»ε¦ΉιδΈιHK
