The April Fools

The April Fools is a 1969 American romantic comedy film starring Jack Lemmon and Catherine Deneuve. It was directed by Stuart Rosenberg.

Plot
Howard Brubaker (Lemmon) is married to Phyllis (Sally Kellerman), who doesn't love him. Catherine (Deneuve) is the stunning wife of an equally uncaring husband, Howard's philandering boss, Ted Gunther (Peter Lawford).

The evening of the day Ted promotes Howard, Howard attends Ted's house party where Ted urges him to pick up an available woman there and proceeds to show him how. Howard reluctantly tries it on Catherine, who instantly accepts. The two leave the party and go out for a little adventure on the town. Ted is oblivious, as he is concentrating on other women at the party.

The two find their marriages are loveless as they discover more about each other that night and decide to run away together the next evening. But Ted doesn't realize the other man is Howard until Howard and Catherine are about to board the plane to Paris.

Production
The female lead was originally going to be played by Shirley MacLaine but she was not available due to commitments on Sweet Charity and campaigning for Robert F. Kennedy. Catherine Deneuve was cast instead.

Reception
The New York Times review said, "The April Fools, written by Hal Dresner and directed by Stuart Rosenberg, manipulates its stereotypes with elegance and style. ... The best things in the movie, however, are the extraordinarily good supporting performances by Peter Lawford (Miss Deneuve's husband), Jack Weston, Harvey Korman, Sally Kellerman, and by two stars who invented movie elegance almost 30 years ago, Charles Boyer and Myrna Loy."

Paperback novelization
Published slightly in advance of the film's release (as was the usual custom of the era), a paperback screenplay novelization by the ubiquitous and gifted tie-in scribe William Johnston was issued by Popular Library.

Soundtrack
The April Fools Performed by Dionne Warwick w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

'I Say a Little Prayer'' w. Hal David m. Burt Bacharach

DVD
The April Fools was released to DVD by Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment on January 28, 2014 as a Region 1 Widescreen DVD.