Fitzwilly

Last updated
Fitzwilly
Fitzwilly 1967.jpg
Directed by Delbert Mann
Screenplay by Isobel Lennart
Based onA Garden of Cucumbers
1960 novel
by Poyntz Tyler
Produced by Walter Mirisch
Starring Dick Van Dyke
Barbara Feldon
John McGiver
Edith Evans
Cinematography Joseph Biroc
Edited by Ralph Winters
Music by John Williams
Production
company
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • December 20, 1967 (1967-12-20)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language English
Box office$2,100,000 (US/ Canada) [1]

Fitzwilly is a 1967 American romantic comedy film directed by Delbert Mann, based on Poyntz Tyler's 1960 novel A Garden of Cucumbers (the title refers to Isaiah 1:8) and adapted for the screen by Isobel Lennart. Its title refers to the nickname of its protagonist, Claude Fitzwilliam, an unusually intelligent and highly educated mastermind of a butler played by Dick Van Dyke, who commits robberies to maintain the luxurious lifestyle of his employer. The film co-stars Barbara Feldon in her first feature-film role.

Contents

Plot

Claude Fitzwilliam serves as butler to Miss Victoria Woodworth, an elderly heiress whose tremendous wealth is a myth fostered by Fitzwilliam; unbeknownst to her, her financier father actually left her $180. "Fitzwilly" has been leading the household staff on numerous thefts, raids and swindles — including the operation of the fictional charity and thrift shop, St. Dismas — to maintain "Miss Vicki" in the lifestyle to which she is accustomed.

The staff's secret operations threaten to unravel when Miss Vicki hires an assistant, Juliet Nowell, to assist with her creation of a dictionary that contains all possible phonetic misspellings of words. Juliet is surprised to learn from Miss Vicki that Fitzwilly graduated with honors from Williams College, and she opines that he should be doing something more "worthy" than being a butler, like joining the Peace Corps.

After Juliet inadvertently foils several minor operations, Fitzwilly becomes determined to get rid of her. He conceives a plan to court her in order to induce her to quit; this becomes complicated when they fall in love. Still unaware of Fitzwilly's secret life, Juliet does quit when Fitzwilly refuses to discuss ending his life in service.

Juliet stumbles upon evidence of Fitzwilly's past crimes, and returns to the mansion to confront him. Fitzwilly proposes marriage and agrees to end the criminal operations and tell Miss Vicki everything, but there is a problem: due to Juliet's past interference, the household is $75,000 short of funds, and they have to raise the money by Christmas Day. This leads to a complex setpiece in which the Woodworth staff orchestrates the robbery of Gimbels department store on Christmas Eve.

Although the operation is initially successful, one of the household, Albert, a former minister, allows himself to be caught to "atone" for his sins. He steadfastly refuses to implicate anyone else. Miss Woodworth casually blackmails the assistant district attorney ("the son of my oldest friend") into engineering a suspended sentence on a lesser charge, and blithely offers to write a counter check to the store to cover the amount of the take, money that she does not know she does not have as part of that supposed inheritance.

Believing that the entire household is destined for prison, Fitzwilly uncomfortably toasts his and Juliet's engagement with Juliet, her father and Miss Vicki. His discomfort is alleviated when it is revealed that Miss Vicki's dictionary has been rewritten as a screenplay, and sold to a Hollywood studio for $500,000.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film features an early symphonic score by John Williams, credited both on the album and on screen as "Johnny Williams". Notably the score includes "Make Me Rainbows", the film's love theme and end credits song and Williams' first collaboration with co-writers Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

The score was released commercially at the time by United Artists (and re-issued in 1980 by MCA Records), [2] and was referred to as the film's "original motion picture score" and not as the "original motion picture soundtrack recording" because instead of performances that had actually been heard in the film Williams opted to release arrangements designed for separate listening. In 2004 a limited edition compact disc was released by Varèse Sarabande's CD Club which paired the scores of Fitzwilly and Robert Altman's 1973 film The Long Goodbye , another Williams credit. [3]

The soundtrack, including the re-recording album and the original complete soundtrack, composed by John Williams was released on the Music Box Records label.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mary Poppins</i> (film) 1964 film by Robert Stevenson

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, using painted London background scenes.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1968 film) Film by Franco Zeffirelli

Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 period romantic tragedy film, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, the film stars Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and dubs the voice of Antonio Pierfederici, who played Lord Montague but was not credited on-screen. The cast also features Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Bruce Robinson, and Robert Stephens.

<i>Love Actually</i> 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film

Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The Christmas holiday film features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous projects. An international co-production between the U.K., U.S., and France, it was mostly filmed on-location in London, England. The movie delves into different aspects of love as shown through 10 separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Gardiner</span> British actor

William Reginald Gardiner was an English actor on the stage, in films and on television.

Fitzwilliam, lit. "(bastard) Son of William", is derived from the Anglo-Norman prefix Fitz often used in patronymic surnames of Anglo-Norman origin; that is to say originating in the 11th century ; and from William, lit. "Willpower/Desire Protector", which is a popular given name of old Germanic origin, became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era). While more popular as a surname, it does have some popularity as a given name.

<i>Less than Perfect</i> American television sitcom

Less than Perfect is an American television sitcom created by Terri Minsky and starring Sara Rue and Sherri Shepherd which originally aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television network named GNB, as well as her friends and colleagues.

<i>Candleshoe</i> 1977 live action family film directed by Norman Tokar

Candleshoe is a 1977 American children's adventure comedy film, directed by Norman Tokar in a screenplay by David Swift and Rosemary Anne Sisson, produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by Buena Vista. Based on the Michael Innes novel Christmas at Candleshoe (1953), the film stars Jodie Foster, David Niven, Helen Hayes, and Leo McKern.

<i>Summer Rental</i> 1985 American comedy film by Carl Reiner

Summer Rental is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, written by Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens, and starring John Candy and Richard Crenna with supporting roles by Rip Torn, Karen Austin, Kerri Green, John Larroquette, Joey Lawrence, Aubrey Jene, Dick Anthony Williams, Richard Herd, Carmine Caridi, Lois Hamilton, Frank McCarthy, Santos Morales, Pierrino Mascarino, Harry Yorku, and Bob Wells. It tells the story of an overworked air traffic controller who is put on a five weeks' paid leave and takes his family to the fictional resort town of Citrus Cove, Florida as he experiences hilarious mishaps and contends with an arrogant sailing champion. An original music score was composed for the film by Alan Silvestri. The film was released on August 9, 1985, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>A Star Is Born</i> (1954 film) 1954 film by George Cukor

A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical drama film directed by George Cukor, written by Moss Hart, and starring Judy Garland and James Mason. Hart's screenplay is an adaptation of the original 1937 film, based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell, and from the same story by William A. Wellman and Carson, with uncredited input from six additional writers—David O. Selznick, Ben Hecht, Ring Lardner Jr., John Lee Mahin, Budd Schulberg and Adela Rogers St. Johns.

<i>The Secret Life of an American Wife</i> 1968 comedy film directed by George Axelrod

The Secret Life of an American Wife is a 1968 comedy film written and directed by George Axelrod. The film was released by 20th Century Fox in 1968, and was considered a box-office failure. It features a music score by Billy May. Edy Williams has a supporting role in the film as the Laytons' blonde bombshell neighbor.

<i>Can-Can</i> (film) 1960 film

Can-Can is a 1960 American musical film made by Suffolk-Cummings productions and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by Walter Lang, produced by Jack Cummings and Saul Chaplin. The screenplay was written by Dorothy Kingsley and Charles Lederer, loosely based on the musical play by Abe Burrows. The music and lyrics were written by Cole Porter for the play, but for the film, some songs were replaced by those from earlier Porter musicals. Art direction was handled by Jack Martin Smith and Lyle R. Wheeler, costume design by Irene Sharaff and dance staging by Hermes Pan. The film was photographed in Todd-AO. Although performing well on initial release, it failed to recoup its production costs from its domestic receipts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Powell (film composer)</span> English film composer (born 1963)

John Powell is an English composer best known for his film scores. He has been based in Los Angeles since 1997 and has composed the scores to over 70 feature films. He is best known for composing score for films, including Face/Off, the Bourne film series, the Happy Feet films, United 93, X-Men: The Last Stand, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Migration, Drumline, The Call of the Wild, Bolt, eight Blue Sky Studios films, and nine DreamWorks Animation films.

<i>Glad Rag Doll</i> (film) 1929 film by Michael Curtiz

Glad Rag Doll is a 1929 American sound part-talkie pre-Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Dolores Costello, Ralph Graves, and Audrey Ferris. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects, along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. This is one of many lost films of the 1920s, no prints or Vitaphone discs survive, but the trailer survives. The film's working title was Alimony Annie, but was changed match the title of the theme song. The theme song is entilted Glad Rag Doll both played and sung throughout the soundtrack.

<i>Gnomeo & Juliet</i> 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film

Gnomeo & Juliet is a 2011 animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and features the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Maggie Smith, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Matt Lucas, Jim Cummings, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Patrick Stewart, and Ozzy Osbourne. The story follows Gnomeo and Juliet, a pair of garden gnomes who fall in love, but due to the feud between their respective families, they must find a way to keep their blossoming romance a secret.

John Williams, an accomplished composer formerly credited as Johnny Williams, initially worked as a jazz pianist and studio musician before transitioning into composing for television and film. Throughout his illustrious career, he has often conducted his own compositions whenever possible.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> (1968 film soundtrack) Album by Nino Rota

The soundtrack for the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet was composed and conducted by Nino Rota. It was originally released as an LP, containing nine entries, most notably the song "What Is a Youth", composed by Nino Rota, written by Eugene Walter and performed by Glen Weston. The music score won a Silver Ribbon award of the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists in 1968 and was nominated for two other awards.

<i>Big Mommas House</i> 2000 film by Raja Gosnell

Big Momma's House is a 2000 American crime comedy film, directed by Raja Gosnell, and written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The film stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent who is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict and his loot, by going undercover as the estranged grandmother of his former girlfriend, unaware of the bond he will form with her. The film also stars Nia Long, Paul Giamatti, and Terrence Howard.

<i>Penguins of Madagascar</i> (soundtrack) 2014 film score by Lorne Balfe

Penguins of Madagascar: Music from the Motion Picture is the score album for the 2014 film Penguins of Madagascar. The fourth instalment and spin-off of the Madagascar film series, features original score composed by Lorne Balfe, in his first solo debut in a DreamWorks Animation film. He previously wrote additional music for the previous two Madagascar films and also co-composed the score of Megamind (2012) with Hans Zimmer. Zimmer and his music company Remote Control Productions produced the original soundtrack.

<i>Kung Fu Panda 3</i> (soundtrack) 2016 film score by Hans Zimmer

Kung Fu Panda 3 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2016 film Kung Fu Panda 3, the third instalment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). The film score is composed by Hans Zimmer, who scored the previous instalments with John Powell, but the latter did not return for the third instalment, thereby Zimmer being credited as the sole composer for the franchise. The album was released by Sony Classical Records on January 29, 2016, to positive critical response.

References

  1. "Big Rental Films of 1968", Variety, 8 January 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors.
  2. "Fitzwilly". The John Williams Web Pages. Archived from the original on 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  3. "Fitzwilly/ The Long Goodbye". Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved 2009-05-10.