DEATHTRAP with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve is on TCM right now!

Oh, I love it. It's not nearly as good as seeing it onstage and the women are fundamentally miscast. But Caine and Reeve are fantastic. And the story is just so entertaining.

I saw it on Blu-ray for the first time recently and enjoyed it. It seemed like Hollywood was by and large going in the right direction with gays on screen before AIDS became an epidemic.

I liked it!

I recall the twist to be unthinkable at the time, hence its effect.

Caine's playwright character Sidney is actually gay?

Nice spoiler, R5.

No, [R6], I'm sorry. I'm watching it for the first time now (it's still on). I don't know any plot details.

It's surprising, but doesn't spoil for me, because so far Caine's character really seems into his attractive wife played by Dyan Cannon. I'm interested to see how it all unfolds...

Christopher Reeve was *never* better looking than he was in this movie.

I like how the Caine, Reeve, and Cannon characters are dressed here too.

I remember reading an article about it when it first came out, and it mentioned that when Reeve and Caine kissed, someone in the theater yelled out "Say it ain't so, Superman!"

Caine was pretty bold with his career choices at this time then:

"Dressed to Kill" and "Deathtrap" within 3 years of each other!

Should his character's out of nowhere, unrelenting disdain for fat people have been a clue then?

Behind the scenes, Michael Caine was having a lot of stress about the kissing scene with Christopher Reeve. He asked the director, "What if I like it (kissing another man) too much?" Finally he got boozed up and they were able to shot The Kiss.

The Last of Sheila comes on next.

Reeve shirtless

That's the best he's ever looked, [R14]. Oddly, I never found him attractive as Superman. He's on par with Richard Gere and Tom Berenger in "Goodbar" in that pic.

Where's that story from, [R12]? It's interesting; I'm surprised at him being so stressed out about that scene given that he's "European" and all.

In the TCM intro, they said Caine loved that they filmed the movie in NYC because he loved going to Elaine's restaurant and Studio 54 every night after work...

Reeve's mannerisms and delivery seem to become a bit more "fey" after the first reveal.

"Then I stopped by the jeans shop. Got mauled by that bitch Nan Wesson! She thinks I'm the only thing standing between the two of you."

What kiss? Christopher reeve character is dead and I don't remember any kiss

I'm enjoying this film. It's my first time seeing it.

Brilliant production and costume design by Tony Walton!

IMHO the film makes much more sense of the women characters. Love the baseball cap on Irene Worth.

Christopher Reeve is attractive from a distance. There's something off about his face in close-ups.

kiss

Helga is hilarious.

R15 Michael Caine told the story himself in an interview years ago. Don't forget that 2 men kissing in a movie in the 1980's was a big deal.

It seemed to be somewhat of ripoff of "Sleuth," to some extent.

Two men kissing in the movies still a big deal, even in 2017

I love the film I saw it about three times. I saw it 8n Broadway, many decades ago.

The kiss.

In Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Will Smith refused to kiss his hustler trick, because it was ickey. Since then, playing a gay character by a straight guy became a bold move to prove an actor's acting ability. Now I bet it's nothing to a straight actor to have to do a little kissing.

This is Reeve's best acting IMHO; I didn't know that he was capable of any non-pretty boy type acting. I'm pretty shocked. He also works surprisingly well with--the superior--Michael Caine. Their scenes together are very good.

I'm thinking it's having the great Sidney Lumet as director that brought that out of him...

[quote]In Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Will Smith refused to kiss his hustler trick, because it was ickey.

And because Denzel told him not to.

I couldn't agree more.

^ in response to r1

Ooooooo

Last of Sheila next!

It was a fun movie. Unpredictable and entertaining (and yes--as someone upthread mentioned--good costuming and production design as well!).

All of the characters were pretty unlikable, so the ending was satisfactory and fit with the rest of the story.

Christopher Reeve was a much better actor than he was given credit for. He got famous as "Superman" and people thought that was all he was, a superhero character. He was certainly a stunner in his day. What happened to him was such a tragedy; this big, handsome, athletic man rendered a ventilator dependent quadriplegic in a riding accident. He lived and even continued to work and be a health care activist after the accident but was always plagued by health problems and eventually died nine years after the accident. His wife Dana, a non-smoker, died of lung cancer two years after his death. The story of his life is his his memoir "Still Me." It's one of the best celebrity autobiographies I ever read.

I'd have wanted to kill Dyan Cannon too.

Christopher Reeve turned down American Gigolo for this film. He later said American Gigolo was too distasteful for him

[quote] Last of Sheila next!

Written by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins. I expect their writing sessions together must have been hilarious and very loud.

r37 - He just didn't wanna show his weenie.

Reeve would have been an interesting choice for "American Gigolo"; it would have been a very different film, but I can totally see it working.

Does anyone here know what "the jeans shop" his character referenced in "Deathtrap" likely would have been circa 1982?

Did the screenwriter not want to name or publicize a name brand clothing store/chain store in the script, or were there actually boutique shops back then that just sold nothing but jeans?

I just noticed a remake of "The Last of Sheila" is listed as In Development.

[quote]Christopher Reeve is attractive from a distance. There's something off about his face in close-ups.

I thought that too.

[quote]I'd have wanted to kill Dyan Cannon too.

That constant screaming was annoying as fuck. Almost, but not quite as annoying as Charlotte in the first Sex and the City movie.

It's the sort of adult "movie movie" that doesn't get made anymore. Watching it now due to this thead.

JESUS H CHRIST DYAN CANNON IS ANNOYING.

It wasn't just her character in Deathtrap. It's her.

Lol. Cannon really is annoying. The harpsichord score is fitting, but a little grating, so I'm always glad when it stops.

Probably just me but I think the manic quality Cannon brings to this role is what makes it work.

And yes, you want to kill her. And he does.

I'm guessing now that Cannon must have been known for those laughing and screaming outbursts. A trademark of sorts

Last of Sheila starts off strong, but man does it really go nowhere. It's trying to be clever for clever's sake, not for the sake of a good story. Deathtrap (like The Mousetrap) is both clever and a good story.

True, [R49]. I found "Sheila" quite boring--especially compared to "Deathtrap", which preceded it.

On a separate note: I feel like I haven't seen enough of Dyan Cannon's work to judge her as an actress. She *was* quite annoying in "Deathtrap", but the character required that exact quality, so I can't really tell if I like her as an actress yet...

***SPOILER ALERT***

I can't believe that those two truly devious, sociopathic main characters let themselves get killed at the end by some dumb Russian frau type!

[quote]Did the screenwriter not want to name or publicize a name brand clothing store/chain store in the script, or were there actually boutique shops back then that just sold nothing but jeans?

I'm sure there were jeans stores in that era, or he could just be referencing a store like Chess King. Or perhaps Ira Levin (old and straight) was just trying to write a line that sounded young, hip, bitchy and gay.

[quote]She *was* quite annoying in "Deathtrap", but the character required that exact quality, so I can't really tell if I like her as an actress yet...

I'd disagree with this. Marian Seldes who originated the role was quite the opposite of flighty, and I thought it actually worked better. Of course, experiencing a play is very different from watching a movie, so perhaps they made the right choice having the character played so annoyingly.

R37 made me look up the other roles he turned down.

Menacing & pretty at the same time

As a closeted gay teenager, the kiss was exciting. But the deafening screams of horror by the audience in my hometown movie theater weren't as exciting.

R29 you should watch Street Smart. Reeve was really excellent in that. Sadly he could never shake the Superman role.

[quote] I'm guessing now that Cannon must have been known for those laughing and screaming outbursts. A trademark of sorts

Well now that you mention it....

....

Seeing that pic with both Robin Williams and Chris Reeve together in the same image made me sad 😢. (I know they were good friends in real life as well). It is still nice seeing both men in their prime however. Thank you, [R58], for posting it!

And thank you, [R52], for your response about the "jeans shop". I appreciate it!

My favourite scene is where Caine arrives home the morning after his New York flop and is getting a drink at the bar. Dyan Cannon creeps down the stairs and screams when she sees him, he drops his bottle of something carbonated which sprays everywhere and he has the funniest startle scene ever. The Youtube link below is the whole thing but go to the 6:30 mark for the scene.

Reeve was surprisingly tall in person. Merchant & Ivory had the premiere for "The Remains of the Day" in an historic theater in a city near their Columbia County home. When Reeve walked up the aisle his height was what most people commented on, in addition to him having a star's presence. No one asked him or the co-stars, who were all there as well, for autographs that night. It was such a special event that no one wanted to break the mood and turn it into a paparazzi affair. Reeve suffered his injury two years later.

The Frowning Wife!

Dyan Cannon is laughing about Johnny Carson's small cock. (See r57)

I saw this on Broadway on a school field trip.

It was the only time I've ever been in a theater where people were screaming from fright. It was like seeing a horror movie. It was really suspenseful and had a bunch of good jolts.

Farley Granger was the star but that didn't mean much to me at the time.

R59 Chevy Chase hasn't looked well for a while, either. I don't give him too much longer.

Dyan Cannon was excellent in "Heaven Can Wait" (the only improvement over "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" of which it was the remake), and also as Alice in "Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice" for which she was Oscar-nominated as supporting actress.

screaming was one of Dyan Cannon's trademarks

She keeps screaming and being shushed in Heaven Can Wait.

I saw the West End production with Jonathan Groff and Simon Russell Beale. Half empty theatre. Groff was not a draw. Some schoolboy giggling from the audience during the Kiss.

[quote]Or perhaps Ira Levin (old and straight) was just trying to write a line that sounded young, hip, bitchy and gay.

Funny how "old, straight" Ira Levin wrote three classics beloved by gay men - well, at least Dataloungers. Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives and Deathtrap. How do we feel about The Boys From Brazil and A Kiss Before Dying?

Love Deathtrap! Last of Sheila is good, but not comparable. The end is hilarious, though.

Ira Levin also wrote the lyrics to Streisand's song "He Touched Me."

[R69], "The Boys from Brazil" is *amazing*!! It manages to be be scary and unnerving (overall), while also being a total camp hoot!!

Please see this brief scene below for proof (specifically of the camp part ;). You will *not* regret this 1 minute and 15 seconds!

It's on again!

I'm a closeted gay and I LOVE this movie!

Christopher Reeve was gorgeous. Loved the twist at the end.

So many twists and turns!

Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve had great chemistry.

Regarding R42/R20 Do you think it was his very narrow nose? Not sure if he had a bad nose job, but the nostrils over time began to look collapsed too. I found him very attractive, but the nose puzzled me. Anybody know about his nose?

Deathtrap, in a way, reminds me of Gods and Monsters where Ian McKellen gives it all to seduce and impress hot & smoldering Brendan Fraser. There's also Carrington starring Emma Thompson as the fag hag and Jonathan Pryce with Steven Waddington as the guy they have the hots for. Then there is the movie where John Hurt is obsessed with Jason Priestley. There was this movie in the 80s, from Europe (Italian, I believe), where an eldgergay is infatuated with some hot boxing guy (one scene shows the eldergay sneaking into the lockers and watching the hot guy shower with the hot guy flashing a cocky smile when he sees the older guy watching him taking a shower). I believe none of them have a happy ending.

No wonder gays, back then, were (and still are) so fucked up when all they saw how sad their days as an eldergay would be.

Back then people really went out and watch movies like that. It was basically a stage play (well, duh!). Nowdays no movie theatre would even consider wasting a theatre for something like that (outside some art house classic movie theme feature). Hell, even TV would not greenlight something like that.

r79 well movies barely make movies about adults for adults anymore.

[quote]Deathtrap, in a way, reminds me of Gods and Monsters where Ian McKellen gives it all to seduce and impress hot & smoldering Brendan Fraser.

Wow, did you even see "God And Monsters"?

Sidney: Why make it anywhere? Why make it?

Clifford: Hahaha, because it's there, Sidney!

Sidney: That's mountains, not plays! Plays are not there until some asshole writes them!

bump

Deathtrap and Noises Off! are two of my favorite filmed plays. You just don't see that much these days.