The April Fools

Synopsis

Howard Brubaker (Lemmon) is married to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman), who doesn't love him. Catherine (Deneuve) is the stunning wife of an equally uncaring husband, Howard's philandering boss Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford).

The very evening of the same day Ted promotes Howard, at a house party hosted by Ted, he urges Howard to pick up an available woman at the party and proceeds to show him how. Howard reluctantly tries it on Catherine, who instantly accepts. The two leave the party for the evening and go out for a little adventure on the town, while 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. But Ted doesn't realize the other man is Howard until Howard is about to board the plane with Catherine to go to Paris.

Cast and characters

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):

The 1980 Rosenberg film Brubaker's title character is also named H. Brubaker, there played by Robert Redford.

Production

The female lead was originally going to be played by Shirley MacLaine but she was not available due to commitments on Sweet Charity and campaigning for Robert F. Kennedy. Catherine Deneuve was cast instead.

Reception

The New York Times review said, "The April Fools, written by Hal Dresner and directed by Stuart Rosenberg, manipulates its stereotypes with elegance and style. ... The best things in the movie, however, are the extraordinarily good supporting performances by Peter Lawford (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."

Paperback Novelization

Published slightly in advance of the film's release (as was the usual custom of the era), a paperback screenplay novelization by the ubiquitous and gifted tie-in scribe William Johnston was issued by Popular Library.

Soundtrack

The April Fools
Performed by Dionne Warwick
w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

I Say a Little Prayer
w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

DVD

The April Fools was released to DVD by Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment on January 28th 2014 as a Region 1 Widescreen DVD.