Mrs. Pollifax-Spy
Mrs. Pollifax–Spy is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Leslie H. Martinson, starring Rosalind Russell and Darren McGavin, released by United Artists. Russell, under the pseudonym C. A. McKnight, adapted the novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax 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 (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, 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