They All Laughed

They All Laughed was directed by Peter Bogdonavich in 1980. It starred Audrey Hepburn, long after retirement, and a young scarlet named Dorothy Stratten. Bogdonavich fell in love with Stratten during the making of the film (not the first time that had happened to him while making a film), and Stratted reciprocated by all appearances. Then tragedy struck.

After the production of the film, co-star Dorothy Stratten was murdered by her estranged husband, who was upset over his wife's leaving him for Bogdanovich. Studios were reluctant to release the film due to the negative publicity following the murder. Bogdanovich bought back the negative with his own money so that the film would be seen by an audience; by a wide margin it was the most ambitious role Stratten had played, and likely her best movie as well. But the film was released to tepid reviews and minimal business. Bogdanovich lost millions of dollars and had to file for bankruptcy.