| The April Fools | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Stuart Rosenberg |
| Written by | Hal Dresner |
| Produced by | Gordon Carroll |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michel Hugo |
| Edited by | Bob Wyman |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | National General Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4.5 million (US/Canadarentals)[3][2] |
The April Fools is a 1969 Americanromantic comedy film directed byStuart Rosenberg and starringJack Lemmon andCatherine Deneuve. The film was produced through Lemmon's independent film production company,Jalem Productions.[4]
Wall Street broker Howard Brubaker is married to Phyllis, who does not love him. Catherine is the stunning French wife of an equally uncaring husband, Howard's philandering boss, Ted Gunther.
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. However, Ted does not realize the other man is Howard until Howard and Catherine are about to board the plane to Paris.
Jack Lemmon bought the property through his independent film production company,Jalem Production, in August 1965.[4] The film was to be produced byGordon Carroll, who was vice-president of Jalem Productions, and the producers signed Stuart Rosenberg to direct the picture,[4] who was under a five-year, three-film non-exclusive contract with the company.[11] It was supposed to be the first film made by Rosenberg for Jalem Productions, butCool Hand Luke was filmed and released first.
The female lead was originally going to be played byShirley MacLaine, but she was not available due to commitments onSweet Charity and campaigning forRobert F. Kennedy. Catherine Deneuve was cast instead.[12] On 22 July 1968, filming began inNew York City.[2] On 23 October 1968,Variety announced filming completion.[2]
The film opened on May 28, 1969 at theNew Embassy Theatre and the Pacific East theatre in New York City.[13] It grossed $42,000 in its opening week.[14] After three weeks exclusively in New York, it also opened in Chicago and Philadelphia before expanding to 18 more cities a week later.[15] It reachednumber one at the US box office in July after eight weeks of release.[16]
A reviewer forThe New York Times wrote that the film "manipulates its stereotypes with elegance and style. ... The best things in the movie, however, are the extraordinarily good supporting performances by Peter Lawford (as 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."[17]
Published slightly in advance of the film's release (as was the usual custom of the era), a paperback screenplaynovelization by the tie-in scribeWilliam Johnston was issued byPopular Library.
The April Fools was released on DVD byCBS Home Entertainment throughParamount Home Media Distribution on January 28, 2014, as a Region 1 Widescreen DVD.
