The Arnold of Arnold, like the Harry of The Trouble With Harry, is stone cold dead from the outset of this film. That doesn't stop Arnold's mistress Stella Stevens from marrying the corpse so as to come into his millions. The trick is to hide the fact that Arnold is indeed stiff as a mackerel. To accomplish this, a series of murders is a necessity. Special guest victims include Stevens' wastrel brother Roddy McDowall, her dotty sister Elsa Lanchester, handyman Jamie Farr, as well as lawyers Farley Granger and Patric Knowles. Also on hand are such dependables as Victor Buono, Shani Wallis, John McGiver and Bernard Fox. The script is by TV-sitcom stalwarts Jameson Brewer and John Fenton Murray. As one-joke films go, Arnold is as good as any. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Like The Trouble With Harry and Weekend at Bernie's, the title character in Arnold is a corpse. Like those two films, Arnold is also a dark comedy, but it is also a horror film of the same type that was made popular by The Abominable Doctor Phibes. Taking its cue from Phibes (as well as countless murder mysteries, such as Ten Little Indians), the main fun in Arnold comes from watching the demise of each member of the case -- and the manner in which they are killed. Even under the best circumstances, there's a limit to how much "fun" this kind of situation can invoke, and these are hardly the best circumstances. The humor is intentionally obvious, filled with "groaner" puns, and the entire film is something of a "camp" treat, especially given the cast. No one does his or her best work here, but all involved are at least in the proper spirit, and it's hard not to get caught up in that spirit -- but it's also not hard to "fall out of it" after 15 or 20 minutes. Undemanding in the extreme, Arnold is the perfect kind of movie when you feel like something a little ghoulish and a little amusing to half-watch while one is busy doing something else. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Monty Elliot - Art Director, Vou Lee Giokaris - Costume Designer, Oscar Rodriguez - Costume Designer, Daniel S. McCauley - First Assistant Director, Georg Fenady - Director, Melvin Shapiro - Editor, George Duning - Composer (Music Score), Andrew J. Fenady - Songwriter, William Jurgensen - Cinematographer, Andrew J. Fenady - Producer, David Ronne - Sound/Sound Designer, Jameson Brewer - Screenwriter, John Fenton Murray - Screenwriter
