Mrs. Pollifax-Spy
Mrs. Pollifax–Spy is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Leslie H. Martinson. It starred Rosalind Russell as well as Darren McGavin and Nehemiah Persoff, and was released by United Artists. Russell herself, who was credited using the pen name "C. A. McKnight," a pen name she had drawn from the maiden name of her own mother, adapted the novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, which had been written by Dorothy Gilman.[1] The film would be Russell's last big-screen role.
| Mrs. Pollifax-Spy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Leslie H. Martinson |
| Written by | Dorothy Gilman (novel) "C. A. McKnight" (actually Rosalind Russell) (screenplay) |
| Starring | Rosalind Russell |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
| Cinematography | Joseph Biroc |
| Edited by | Fred Bohanan Gene Milford |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | 12 May 1971 |
Running time | 110 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
Mrs. Emily Pollifax, a widow from New Jersey, volunteers to be a spy for the CIA, being in her own opinion, "expendable" now that the children are grown. Being just what the agency needed (someone who looks and acts completely unlike a spy), she's assigned to simple courier duty to pick up a book in Mexico City. She finds this easier said than done. (Per the film's tagline: "Before she joined the CIA, Mrs. Pollifax thought Red China was a set of dishes.") She is kidnapped and imprisoned in communist Albania, and must use her wits to escape.
Cast
- Rosalind Russell as Mrs. Pollifax
- Darren McGavin as Farrell
- Nehemiah Persoff as Berisha
- Harold Gould as Nexdhet
- Albert Paulsen as Perdido