Johnny Dangerously

Johnny Dangerously
Dec. 21, 1984
Fox
Comedy, Historical, Action
VHS
B+

Although I think this was neglected by the critics at the time, thirty years later it has survived as one of the funniest movies of the '80s.  From its Weird Al theme song to its "crime pays a little" twist ending, it's a rollicking parody of '30s gangster movies with several stand-out performances.  Michael Keaton as the adjectively named title character is dead-on Cagney, with charm of his own.  (He's one of the sweetest gangsters in movie history.)  Maureen Stapleton as his mother (playing 29 in the early scenes, with no change in wardrobe or make-up, although she was then 59) is earthy and deadpan, while Griffin Dunne as his brother is noble and horny.  (Compare and contrast this to his Who's That Girl role three years later).  Joe Piscopo and Richard Dimitri are both very quotable as Johnny's rivals Danny Vermin ("Once!") and Roman Troy Moronie ("You fargin corksucker!").  Marilu Henner is of course sexy as Johnny's girl Lil, but she can also sing and do comedy.  She dresses as a nun in one scene, as she did that same year in Cannonball Run II (which I used to own).  Her Taxi costar Danny DeVito (who'd been in the sexy-women-dressing-as-nuns movie Going Ape! with their costar Tony Danza) appears as District Attorney Burr, who's run over by a malt liquor bull after hitting on Johnny, in one of many '80s references.  There are also '30s jokes of course, and even a slam on William Howard Taft.

Not every joke works, but even the ones that don't, like Dom DeLuise as the Pope, are done with such verve that I can't help smiling.  Much of the humor is sexual but the movie is too good-natured to be sleazy, even when it's tasteless.  If nothing else, you'll have a ball spotting all the cameos, like Dick Butkus as Arthur, Alan Hale, Jr. as the Desk Sergeant, and Ray Walston as the newstand vendor.

Cynthia Szigeti, who was a passenger in The Big Bus and Diner Doll Sophie in The Gong Show Movie, is Mrs. Capone here.  T-Shirt Vendor Jeffrey Weissman was Ringo Fan in I Wanna Hold Your Hand and Brainwashed Youth in Sgt. Pepper.  

Taylor Negron, who was Blond-Haired Man Auditioning in The Gong Show Movie, has another uncredited role here, as Delivery Man.  Helen Kelly seems to have had a lot of uncredited roles at that time, among them "Pod" Concert Viewer in Spinal Tap, Wife Visiting Prisoner here, and Woman at the Park in Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

This movie was directed by Amy Heckerling, then best known for Fast Times at Ridgemont High (which I don't own), and she would go on to direct and write Clueless (which I of course own).  Neal Israel, very briefly Hecklering's husband, as well as the director etc. of Americathon, plays Dr. Zillman in the  army-training film/Betty-Boop satire Your Testicles and You.

Going Ape!

Going Ape!

April 10, 1981

Paramount

Comedy

VHS

C

In some ways, this is like a low-rent late-release '70s Disney movie, smashed up police cars and all, with the additions of the orangutans and writer/director of Every Way But Loose and Any Which Way You Can.  (The exclamation point in the title seems more like a '60s throwback.)  But the movie also has a lot of profanity, as well as one of the "apes" flipping people off, not to mention the two female leads being kissed while dressed as nuns, so I'm not really sure who the audience is.  I don't think the movie even works as a dumb comedy.  It's just sort of there, not painful but pretty forgettable, even with odd moments like a mother-daughter swordfight (40-year-old Jessica Walter vs. 21-year-old Stacey Nelkin), and 36-year-old Danny DeVito as Lazlo, the bearded Gypsy (I think) in a French maid's uniform.  Then almost 30-year-old Tony Danza is the main character (named Foster, rather than Tony), who's inherited the three simians and has to keep them alive for two years in order to get the bulk of his father's estate.  Mild hijinks ensue.  This was in the middle of Taxi's run, so it's interesting to see Danza and DeVito interact as different characters.  And Danza has a scene where he's shirtless, so there's beefcake.  I don't recommend the movie but you know, shrug.

Leon Askin, who's the landlord Zebrewski here, was the chief eunuch in John Goldfarb.  Ruth Gillette, who's Marianne here, was the Song Chairman [sic] in The Shaggy D.A.  Of the actresses playing Danza's sisters, Poppy Lagos was a reporter in I Wanna Hold Your Hand; Marji Martin was Kay in Scavenger Hunt; D. J. Sullivan was Mrs. Williams in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (and apparently did several of the sequels).  Luke Andreas, who plays Carter, was Police Officer in Alley in I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

The Gong Show Movie

The Gong Show Movie
May 23, 1980
Universal
Comedy, Musical
VHS
C+

This is sort of what it says on the package, a behind-the-scenes look at the odd '70s "talent" show that I watched regularly and even saw in person.*  But it's also a cynical look at show business, co-written by Robert Downey, Sr.  It doesn't really work, especially with Chuck Barris playing himself as worn out and mumbling.  (It was the year for that, as we'll see with Paul Simon in One-Trick Pony.)  But the movie is marginally entertaining, especially the songs.  My favorite is the group song, "Don't Get Up for Me," even though no one except Mabel King, as Mabel, can sing.  (She's not quite playing herself, but Chuck does greet her with "What's happening?")  Barris's then real-life wife Robin plays his girlfriend Red, with many people, from Tony Randall and 17-year-old daughter Della Barris to of course The Unknown Comic and Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, appearing as themselves.

Milton Delugg is best known for the Gong Show, and for the music in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.  Tourist lady Nora "Dodo" Denney is best known as Mrs. Teevee in Willy Wonka.  Gary Mule Deer, who plays Gary, was a man at the health food restaurant in Annie Hall.  Pat Cranshaw, the old man who dies in the elevator (as Chuck and Red are oblivious), was the Western Union messenger in Sgt. Pepper.

Stand-up comic Taylor Negron is "Blond-Haired Man Auditioning," and he'd turn up as a delivery man in Johnny Dangerously.  Cynthia Szigeti, Diner Doll Sophie here, would also be in Dangerously, as Mrs. Capone, and she was a passenger in The Big Bus.

Betsy Lynn and Carol Gwynn Thompson of the Siamese Connection would be in The Fab 400 in Hamburger-- The Motion Picture.  (They were also responsible for my best friend Carla laughing incredibly hard at the trailer for Midnight Madness, which was 1980's answer to Scavenger Hunt.  I never saw the movie but I still remember the fat disco-dancing twins.)

Band member Dana Glover would contribute "The Way" to the Two Weeks Notice soundtrack.  Danny DeVito allegedly is a performer here, although I didn't spot him.


*Growing up in Southern California, I got to be part of a lot of live studio audiences, and I was there for the misery of the all-"Feelings" episode in '76.  On the bright side, at the end of the day, Arte Johnson gave me one of the balloons that came down from the ceiling.