Clue” stars reflect on movie’s legacy 40 years later: “It’s just created a life that lives now on its own

Six strangers at a murderous dinner party with a mysterious host is the plot of the board game Clue, which came to life as a movie 40 years ago.

When the film “Clue” was released in 1985, it was not considered a box office success. But over the years, it’s developed a devoted following.

“It’s amazing, really,” Lesley Ann Warren, the actor who portrays Miss Scarlet, told “CBS Mornings” about the movie’s now cult classic status.

The film explores the mystery of who killed Mr. Boddy, who had been blackmailing his dinner party guests. Warren is among the film’s ensemble cast that includes Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Eileen Brennan, Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, Michael McKean and Colleen Camp.

Miss Scarlett is a sultry Washington, D.C., madam who collects secrets on the city’s elite. 

“What I love about Miss Scarlett, she takes no s***,” Warren said. “It was a great chance to kind of explore all of that behavior.”

Camp plays Yvette, the maid, an informant for Miss Scarlet.

“It was fun, a good time,” Camp said about being part of the ensemble. “We would watch each other in the scenes. We’d applaud each other. We were a real family.”

The movie embraces a campy feel, relying on one-liners and quick banter throughout. It features three endings, each with a different outcome about the murder mystery.

The cast didn’t learn about the multiple endings until filming was close to wrapping, creating suspense among the actors themselves.

Mixed reviews and renewed popularity

In his original critique of the film, Roger Ebert wrote, “Fun, I must say, is in short supply.” 

But about a decade after the release of “Clue,” a new popularity emerged thanks in part to cable television and eventually streaming services.

“Martin Mull called me on the phone and said, ‘Are you getting a lot of fan mail from ‘Clue,’ like a crazy amount of fan mail?'” Warren said. “And I was like, ‘Yes, what’s going on?'”

Camp also noticed renewed attention, saying, “it was years later where all of a sudden, I would hear people react to this movie and they were obsessed with it.” 

The cult following has led to spoofs. Some cast members also attend special screenings to meet fans. 

For Warren, who just finished the first leg of a nationwide tour and hits the road again in January, the legacy of “Clue” is bringing people joy.

“It makes them laugh,” she said. “They love the suspense and I think it’s just created a life that lives now on its own.”