Murder at the Mardi Gras
{{Short description|1978 television film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox television
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| genre = Mystery
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| writer = Stanley Ralph Ross
| screenplay =
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| director = Ken Annakin
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| starring = Didi Conn
David Groh
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| country = United States
| language = English
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| executive_producer = Gerald W. Abrams
| producer = Richard Nader
Matthew N. Herman
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| runtime = 90 mins
| company = Jozak Company
Paramount Television
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| network = CBS
| released = {{Start date|1978|05|10}}
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Murder at the Mardis Gras is a 1978 television film directed by Ken Annakin. It aired as a Wednesday night movie on CBS.{{cite web |title=Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b74090d92 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927200847/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b74090d92 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |website=British Film Institute |access-date=June 15, 2023 |language=en}}{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/tvseason77780000unse/page/154/mode/1up?q=%22murder+at+the+mardi+gras%22+%22ken+annakin%22|page=154|title= TV season, 77-78|year=1979 |publisher=Oryx |isbn=9780912700236 }}{{cite web |title=Murder at the Mardi Gras (1978) |url=https://letterboxd.com/film/murder-at-the-mardi-gras/ |website=Letterboxd |access-date=June 15, 2023 |language=en}}
Premise
A Philadelphia waitress, Julie Evans, wins a trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras where she witnesses a murder. She encounters a series of colourful characters, including a pickpocket, a husband and wife writing team, and the investigating cop.
Cast
- Didi Conn as Julie Evans
- David Groh
- Harry Morgan as the investigating cop
- Joyce Van Patten
- Bill Daily as Jack Murphy
- Wolfman Jack as himself
- Gregg Henry
- David Wayne as a pickpocket
- Barbi Benton as herself
- Ron Silver as Larry Cook
Production
Filming took place on location in New Orleans.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/334902018/?terms=%22murder%20at%20the%20mardi%20gras%22%20%22didi%20conn%22&match=1|title=Mardis Gras is Scene of Movie|newspaper=The Tampa Tribune|date=May 7, 1978|page= 28}} It starred Didi Conn who had just been in the films Grease and You Light Up My Life.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/748103193/?terms=%22murder%20at%20the%20mardi%20gras%22%20%22didi%20conn%22&match=1|title=Didi Conn is Tagged for a String of Roles|newspaper=The Desert Sun|date=July 25, 1978|page= 22}} It was the first of a series of TV movies directed by Ken Annakin.{{cite book|page=275|url=https://archive.org/details/soyouwannabedire0000anna/page/275/mode/1up?q=%22murder+at+the+mardi+gras%22+|title= So you wanna be a director?|last=Annakin|first= Ken|year=2001 |publisher=Tomahawk Press| isbn=9780953192656 }}
Reception
The Los Angeles Times called it a "deft, pleasing diversion."{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/384357571/?terms=%22murder%20at%20the%20mardi%20gras%22%20%22did%20conn%22%20annakin&match=1|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|title=A Chip off the old Hitchcock|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=May 10, 1978|page=21}}
The Tampa Tribune calls it "a potentially entertaining mystery that falls faster than a party-goer on Bourbon Street with sloppy casting and even sloppier script."{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/334904092/?terms=%22murder%20at%20the%20mardi%20gras%22|title='Murder at Madri Gras' Mostly Misses Mark|first=Daniel|last=Ruth|newspaper=The Tampa Tribune |date=May 10, 1978|page= 50}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076423/ Murder at the Mardi Gras] at IMDb
- [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/murder_at_the_mardi_gras Murder at the Mardi Gras] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/470198/murder-at-the-mardi-gras#overview Murder at the Mardis Gras] at TCMDB
- [https://letterboxd.com/film/murder-at-the-mardi-gras/ Murder at the Mardi Gras] at Letterbox DVD
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20200927200847/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b74090d92 Murder at the Mardi Gras] at BFI
{{Ken Annakin}}
{{Improve categories|date=April 2023}}
Category:1978 television films
Category:Films directed by Ken Annakin
Category:1970s adventure films
Category:1970s English-language films
Category:English-language crime films
Category:English-language adventure films
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