Micki and Maude (1984)

After his appalling The Man Who Loved Women (1984), Blake Edwards made an excellent return to form with Micki And Maude, a well-structured farce in which Dudley Moore (as the host of a TV show) has the bad sense to impregnate both his attorney wife Micki (Ann Reinking) and his mistress Maude (Amy Irving) at the same time.

Nine months later – after he has also married Maude – they’re both about to pop in the same maternity hospital. It’s a situation which leaves Moore frantically dividing his time between the two women, neither of whom know of the other’s existence (and isn’t that around about the time you would be heading for Canada as fast as you could drive?).

A somewhat weak resolution robbed Jonathan Reynolds’ otherwise ingenious screenplay of classic status, but not enough to spoil the ongoing fun.

It was directed by Edwards with a sure-footed farcical touch and convincingly performed by its three principals, and also by a cast that included Richard Mulligan as Moore’s best friend and George Gaynes and Wallace Shawn as the obstetrician’s of Ms Reinking and Irving.

Lu Leonard was funny as a heavyweight nurse, and the cast was completed by John Pleshette, Priscilla Pointer, Robert Symonds, George Coe, and H B Haggerty (as Irving’s intimidating wrestler father).

Rob Salinger
Dudley Moore
Micki Salinger
Ann Reinking
Maude Salinger
Amy Irving
Leo Brody
Richard Mulligan
Dr Eugene Glztszki
George Gaynes
Dr Elliot Fibel
Wallace Shawn
Nurse Mary Verbeck
Lu Leonard
Barkhas Guillory
H B Haggerty
Hap Ludlow
John Pleshette
Diana Hutchison
Priscilla Pointer
Ezra Hutchison
Robert Symonds
Governor Lanford
George Coe
Dr Kondoleon
Gustav Vintas

Director
Blake Edwards