Dead Husbands is a 1998 Canadian-American made-for-television black comedy film starring Nicollette Sheridan, John Ritter, Sonja Smits, Donna Pescow, Amy Yasbeck and Sheila McCarthy. It is based on the novel Last Man on the List by Bob Randall. The film is written by Lindsay Harrison and is directed by Paul Shapiro.[1] It premiered on the USA Network on December 2, 1998.

Dead Husbands
GenreBlack comedy
Based onThe Last Man on the List
by Bob Randall
Written byLindsay Harrison
Directed byPaul Shapiro
StarringNicollette Sheridan
John Ritter
Sonja Smits
Donna Pescow
Amy Yasbeck
Sheila McCarthy
Music byJonathan Goldsmith
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersJean Abounader
Alfred Monacella
ProducerKaren Moore
CinematographyFrank Tidy
EditorCraig Bench
Running time90 minutes
Production companyPower Pictures
Original release
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseDecember 2, 1998 (1998-12-02)

Plot

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Dr. Carter Elson is startled to find a list of men’s names—with his own name at the bottom—among his wife Alexandra's possessions. The names before his happen to be the names of recently deceased men. With his friend Betty, Carter tries to solve the mystery of the list before his name reaches the top.

It is revealed that Alexandra, a small town-girl who married Carter in order to climb the social ladder, has become dissatisfied with her husband as he expresses a desire to move to a small town in New Hampshire. Alexandra has befriended Sheila and Rosemary, a pair of wives who are similarly unhappy with their partners but don’t want to part with the financial benefits offered. Sheila and Rosemary are part of a chain letter in which one can get her husband’s name on the bottom of the list if the man listed at the top is killed. Alexandra joins the chain letter without hesitation but runs into obstacles when she finds her membership usurped by another woman and tries to jump the line.

Cast

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Reception

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Paul Freitag-Fey of the Daily Grindhouse wrote the film is "a surprisingly mean-spirited bit of black comedy that sometimes feels like two different tones warring with each other (the affable everyman of Ritter’s Carter and the almost Paul Bartellian wickedness of, well, everyone else) but still manages to be consistently entertaining."[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Dead Husbands - Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movie Database. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b Freitag-Fey, Paul (September 24, 2014). "[The USA World Premiere Movie Project] Dead Husbands (1999)". Daily Grindhouse. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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