How a 1987 dark comedy became a real-life inspiration for failed murder plots
In short: Danny DeVito’s 1987 directorial debut, Throw Momma from the Train, blended slapstick with the chilling premise of Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train. While the film earned mixed critical reviews, it became a cultural touchstone—and, alarmingly, a source of inspiration for real-life criminals attempting to execute their own murder schemes.
The film follows Larry Donner, a novelist struggling with writer's block, and his eccentric student, Owen Lift, who is desperate to escape his abusive mother. Inspired by the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of Strangers on a Train, Owen proposes a deadly trade: he will kill Larry’s ex-wife if Larry kills his mother. This premise, while played for laughs, relies on the idea of two strangers committing murders for each other to provide perfect alibis.
Production of the film required a complex legal trade-off. In June 1987, producer Larry Brezner secured the rights to use footage and the premise from the original Warner Bros. thriller by surrendering sequel and remake rights to the 1981 film Arthur. The film’s title itself sparked legal friction; songwriter Irving Gordon sued Orion Pictures over the use of his 1956 hit, Mama from the Train, eventually winning a $100,000 settlement.
Despite its commercial success, the film’s reception was polarized. Critics like Roger Ebert noted that the plot felt top-heavy, and audiences polled by Cinemascore gave it a C+ grade. Anne Ramsey, however, received widespread acclaim for her performance as the overbearing Mrs. Lift, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film’s legacy persists, with DeVito and co-star Billy Crystal recently discussing a potential follow-up titled Throw Poppa from the Train.
The film’s influence has occasionally veered into the dark and literal. It has been cited in legal reporting regarding individuals who attempted to use the film’s murder-swap logic in real life. While the characters in the film ultimately find a path toward reconciliation and creative success, the real-world impact of its central, twisted premise serves as a grim reminder of how fiction can sometimes be dangerously misinterpreted.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Throw Momma from the Train
- Also: Wikidata — Throw Momma from the Train · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Throw Momma From the Train · CC0
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