One séance, two wives, zero chill — Noel Coward's ghostly farce gets TV treatment.
While holding a séance for skeptical novelist Charles Condomine, self-proclaimed 'spiritualist medium' Madame Arcati inadvertently summons the spirit of his deceased first wife Elvira, leading to an increasingly complex love triangle with Ruth, his current wife of five years.
Acting
Ruth Gordon's Madame Arcati — unhinged, magnificent, steals every frame.
Writing
Coward's dialogue is a weapon; every line cuts like crystal.
Director
George Schaefer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1966 TV adaptation came fifteen years after David Lean's classic film version; Schaefer deliberately avoided watching it to find fresh energy.
Coward wrote Blithe Spirit in six days during the Blitz, reportedly to spite a friend who'd criticized his work ethic — it became his longest-running West End hit.
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