All style and no substance, this hysterically overwrought unintentional comic mystery has two old pros, Jessica Walter and Eleanor Parker, chewing up the scenery and the younger actresses, and spitting them out along with bits of lint and fabric from the audacious outfits that designer Parker makes and (allegedly) has stolen. Not quite the bold and the beautiful, these characters are all outlandishly awful, and at a gathering at Parker's weekend estate, models begin to be knocked off one by one, and outside one or two others (including leading ingenue Connie Selleca), there's not one likeable character in the bunch.
The only fairly decent male among them (outside of the local law enforcement involved in the case) is womanizing photographer John Rubinstein, charming but a bit of a chauvinist, getting to reform because of his attraction to Selleca. Clive Revill is very funny as a Clifton Webb like agent "with absolutely no interest in women", manipulating a young male designer to try to steal Parker's designs, which leads to a very funny confrontation that brings out the Tallulah Bankhead like mannerisms in her performance. This could have been more interesting had this been a period mystery rather than set in the present, giving off Agatha Christie vibes, but being set in the present only reminds the viewer of what a vapid industry this is and how soulless people involved in it for the most part are. Over the top bad dialog makes this fun to watch, especially the lines spoken by the ultra caustic Walter (definitely another character suffering from arrested development) and the dypsomaniac character played by Parker, obviously enjoying chewing up the scenery and using it as garnish on her martini.
The only fairly decent male among them (outside of the local law enforcement involved in the case) is womanizing photographer John Rubinstein, charming but a bit of a chauvinist, getting to reform because of his attraction to Selleca. Clive Revill is very funny as a Clifton Webb like agent "with absolutely no interest in women", manipulating a young male designer to try to steal Parker's designs, which leads to a very funny confrontation that brings out the Tallulah Bankhead like mannerisms in her performance. This could have been more interesting had this been a period mystery rather than set in the present, giving off Agatha Christie vibes, but being set in the present only reminds the viewer of what a vapid industry this is and how soulless people involved in it for the most part are. Over the top bad dialog makes this fun to watch, especially the lines spoken by the ultra caustic Walter (definitely another character suffering from arrested development) and the dypsomaniac character played by Parker, obviously enjoying chewing up the scenery and using it as garnish on her martini.