The Honey Pot

Taking an inspiration from his favorite Jacobean play, Ben Jonson's Volpone, fabulously wealthy Rex Harrison hires an out of work actor Cliff Robertson to play an elaborate practical joke on three women who've been part of his life. Robertson's to play his confidential secretary and assistant and to send them letters inviting them to Venice where Harrison is pretending to be dying in his palazzo.

To be sure these are three women to die for indeed. There is Princess Capucine with a title, but little else going for here as she becomes one of those permanent house guests on the Riviera. Then there's movie star Edie Adams originally from the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn whose best days as a film star are behind here and not enough money is coming in to keep up with her lifestyle spending. Finally there is the mysterious and earthy Susan Hayward. Imagine if you will Susan as Rachel Jackson, but with a malevolent twist and you've got her character. She's also a hypochondriac and travels with nurse/companion Maggie Smith.

The joke's proceeding great until Hayward winds up dead and the police in the person of Inspector Adolfo Celi is brought in. Joseph Mankiewica's literate script glides ever so gently from comedy of manners to murder mystery. And not like everyone of them hasn't got reason to do in Hayward. Just see the film and you'll know what I mean.

Sad that The Honey Pot failed to find an audience. Also sad that it was two years from the Stonewall Rebellion, Harrison's bisexuality was not more explicit. In regard to that read Hayward's comments on their lives together and the dialog exchanges between Harrison and Robertson.

In fact The Honey Pot does turn out to be an elaborate joke, but you have to see who winds up winners and losers in this very intelligent and witty film.

In Venice, the millionaire benefactor Cecil Fox (Rex Harrison) watches the Seventeenth Century play Volpone and plots a practical joke to his three former greedy mistresses. He hires the unemployed actor William McFly (Cliff Robertson) to act as his butler and stage manager and sends letters telling that he is terminal to the decadent Hollywood star Merle McGill (Edie Adams); to the broken Princess Dominique (Capucine); and to the sick Lone Star Crockett (Susan Hayward), who was married with him and arrives in his palace bringing the nurse Sarah Watkins (Maggie Smith) as her companion. The prime intention of Rex is to see the reaction of the women after the reading of his will declaring McFly as the only heir of his fortune and then laugh up them. However, when Mrs. Sheridan is found dead in her room, the snoop Sarah decides to investigate and realizes that the prank is indeed an intricate scheme to get the fortune of Rex.

"The Money Pot" is a delightfully witty film of the great director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The sophisticated and theatrical screenplay has wonderful lines and many plot points that surprises many times and a mystery that recalls the novels of Agatha Christie. The direction and the performances are superb, highlighting Rex Harrison, Cliff Robertson, Maggie Smith and Adolfo Celi, the Venetian inspector that watches Perry Mason at home. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Charada em Veneza" ("Charade in Venice")

I must admit when I saw this movie I it felt that it was not complete. Sure enough the back story of this film is that United Artists -then an independent film company that was a haven for great independent film makers such as Stanley Kramer, Robert Wise, Billy Wilder, William Wyler made serious cuts to the finished film that reportedly upset both Joseph Mankiewicz and star Susan Hayward. I do not know if Susan's long absences from Production tending to her dying husband in the USA resulted in her role being cut or what. The cinematographer died during production too. Years later Joseph Mankiewicz restored all of his cuts and it is said to be a brilliant film. Mankiewicz films are noted for great dialogue, and this film is missing some of the usual quips made so famous in Mankiewicz films. However the DVD version is the UA version not the Mankiewicz version.

Susan Hayward- always an exciting woman to watch on the screen has little to do, but makes every scene she is in worth watching, however Hawyard's character "Lone Star" ends up dead early in the movie. There is not even one "Hayward scene" where the usually fiery star would dominate a sequence. Capucine, Edie Adams, Maggie Smith and Cliff Robertson give fine support to Rex Harrison and Ms. Hayward. This movie has 4 Oscar winners Hayward, Harrison, Smith and Robertson.

This is the last Susan Hayward movie that allowed Hayward to be considered a superstar, what would follow would be cameos in Valley Of The Dolls and The Revengers,, and two TV movies Heat of Anger and Say Goodbye Maggie Cole before dying of brain cancer at a relatively early age of 57. Years later Rex Harrison would be quoted as saying He and the rest of the Company respected Ms. Hayward who dealt with the loss of her hsuband and carried on so professionally in her role.

The Honey Pot is a delightful comedy mystery that seems destined to be under-appreciated. On the surface, an updating of Ben Jonson's Volpone, the plot twists in unexpected directions, confounding the viewer until the very end. While the mystery itself takes some time to get started, I found the film thoroughly entertaining due in great part to the witty dialogue of masterful Jospeh L. Mankiewicz and the colorful characterizations delivered by a wonderful cast led by Rex Harrison, Cliff Robertson and Maggie Smith. The dialogue also reaches some interesting depths towards the end of the film when Harrison's character makes some thoughtful reflections about time. As others have pointed out, the plot involves a lot of talking and takes its time to unfold, but this is part of the charm of the story. It is perhaps less about the mystery itself than the amusing interactions among a set of opportunistic and sly characters plotting against each-other. Performances are all around superb. Rex Harrison is exquisite as the cunning and charming orchestrator of the intrigue. Cliff Robertston is flawless as the quick-witted McFly/Mosca, executing his master's plan with intelligence and humorous servility. Just as delightful are Maggie Smith as the not-so-innocent nurse bringing a moral conscience to the story, Susan Hayward as a brash and aging American millionairess and Edie Adams as a rather crude Monroesque movie star. Perhaps a little too slow and not exciting enough for most audiences, The Honey Pot is neverthess worth the time of those interested in sophisticated and humourous dialogue, unusually creative mystery, and engaging performances.

Coming at the end of a prosperous string of all-star mystery films, THE HONEY POT suffered more from a lame title and timing than anything on screen when first released (an even worse title, "Up Pops Murder" didn't help when the film was first released to television).

The typically superb script and direction from Joseph L. Mankiewicz, from a play by mystery writer Frederick Knott, inspired in turn by Ben Johnson's classic play, VOLPONE, THE HONEY POT could not have had a better cast with Rex Harrison (at the top of his game) as the supposedly super-wealthy Cecil Fox mentally tilting with his secretary, Cliff Robertson, and a nosy nurse/love interest for Robertson, a very young Maggie Smith (younger viewers may be interested to see this very different performance from HARRY POTTER's Professor McGonagall - as well as her amazing Desdemona opposite Olivier's OTHELLO) and a trio of ex-loves, Edie Adams, Cappucine and Susan Hayward all in Fox's beautiful Venetian palatzo (the exterior shots are as gorgeous and the interiors).

A death happens (accident? perhaps murder?) and a Venetian police inspector, Adolfo Celi, enters the picture (lovely side note as his family at home is enraptured with PERRY MASON on American TV more than his real-life work) and the film starts to leave Ben Johnson's Volpone behind and delve into more complex games.

To be frank, this film has long been among my favorites - I have been accused of teaching an entire university course on Mystery Writers just to develop an audience for it. Showing the film at the conclusion of the course, after considering the progression of great mystery writing from Poe to Conan Doyle to Christie, Hammett and beyond, this marvelous under-appreciated work from Knott & Mankiewicz never fails to grab them. It's well worth a look for anyone interested in good literate fun, great performances and writing that don't depend on splatter gore, special effects or CGI.

While the ongoing box-office clout of stars Harrison and Hayward got the film a limited VHS release, it's hard to a copy today - but well worth the search.

Wonderful film...if only it had a better title.