Mrs. Pollifax-Spy

1971 comedy film by Leslie H. Martinson

February 17, 1971 (1971-02-17) (Premiere)
May 12, 1971 (1971-05-12)

^[1]

Running time

110 min.CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Mrs. Pollifax–Spy is a 1971 American comedy film directed by Leslie H. Martinson, starring Rosalind Russell, Darren McGavin, and Nehemiah Persoff. It was released by United Artists. Russell wrote the screenplay for the film, which she adapted from the novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. Russell used the pen name "C. A. McKnight," which was taken from her mother's maiden name.^[2]^[3] It was Russell's last role in a theatrically released film.^[4]^[1]

Plot

Mrs. Emily Pollifax, a widow from New Jersey, volunteers to be a spy for the CIA, believing she is "expendable" now that her children are grown. Being just what the agency needed (someone who looks and acts completely unlike a spy), Mrs. Pollifax is assigned to simple courier duty to pick up a book in Mexico City. However, things do not unfold as planned. She is kidnapped and finds herself imprisoned in communist Albania, and must use her wits to escape.^[5]

Cast

Rosalind Russell as Mrs. Pollifax
Darren McGavin as Farrell
Nehemiah Persoff as Berisha
Harold Gould as Nexhdet
Albert Paulsen as Perdido

Release

The film had its premiere in London on February 17, 1971. It premiered in the United States on March 11, 1971 in Des Moines.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mrs. Pollifax-Spy at the American Film Institute Catalog
^ "Mrs. Pollifax -- Spy (1971) - Leslie Martinson - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". Allmovie.
^ Bang, Derrick (2020-04-01). Crime and Spy Jazz on Screen, 1950-1970: A History and Discography. McFarland. p. 261. ISBN 978-1-4766-3988-8.
^ Dick, Bernard F. (2009-09-18). Forever Mame: The Life of Rosalind Russell. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 244. ISBN 978-1-60473-139-2.
^ Mavis, Paul (2015-06-08). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999. McFarland. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-4766-0427-5.