Amazon Women on the Moon (
1987-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records.*May 9 - Actor Tom Cruise marries actress Mimi Rogers....
) is an American
satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
that
parodiesA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the experience of watching low-budget movies on late-night television. The film, featuring a large
ensemble castAn ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes...
, was written by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland, and takes the form of a compilation of twenty-one
comedy skitsSketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
directed by five different directors:
Joe DanteJoseph James "Joe" Dante is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and scifi content....
,
Carl GottliebCarl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
,
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
,
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many horror projects.-Early life and family:...
and
Robert K. WeissRobert K. Weiss is an American film and television producer. His productions include films by director John Landis, producer Lorne Michaels, and the “Z. A. Z.” team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He also co-created the science-fiction TV series Sliders...
.
The title
Amazon Women on the Moon refers to the central film-within-a-film, a
spoofA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
movies from the
1950sThe 1950s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1959. During the early 1950s in the United States manufacturing and home construction was on the rise as the American economy was on the upswing. The Korean War and the beginning of the Cold War created a politically...
that borrows heavily from
Queen of Outer SpaceQueen of Outer Space is an Allied Artists Pictures science fiction feature film starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, and Laurie Mitchell in a tale about a revolt against a cruel Venusian queen. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont was based on an outline supplied by Ben Hecht...
(1958) starring
Zsa Zsa GaborZsa Zsa Gabor , also known as Sári Prinzessin von Anhalt, is a Hungarian actress, socialite and former beauty queen.-Early life:...
, itself a movie that recycles elements of earlier science fiction works such as
Cat-Women of the MoonCat-Women of the Moon is a 1953 Science fiction 3-D film directed by Arthur Hilton. It stars Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory and Marie Windsor. The musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein....
(1953),
Fire Maidens from Outer SpaceFire Maidens from Outer Space , released in the USA as Fire Maidens of Outer Space, is a 78-minute black-and-white science fiction feature film...
(1955) and
Forbidden PlanetForbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film in CinemaScope and Metrocolor directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen...
(1956).
Film actors making
cameo appearancesA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
in various sketches included
Rosanna ArquetteRosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.-Life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Arquette's...
,
Ralph BellamyRalph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor with a career that spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:...
,
Griffin Dunne-Personal life:Dunne was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ellen Beatriz Dunne and Dominick Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims and his father was a producer, writer, and actor...
,
Carrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge.-Early life:...
,
Steve GuttenbergSteven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit. In 2008 Guttenberg was one of 12 contestants on the 6th season...
,
Michelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her screen début in 1980, but first garnered mainstream attention with her appearance in Scarface...
,
Kelly PrestonKelly Preston Travolta is an American actress and former model.-Early years:Preston was born as Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years...
and
Henry SilvaHenry Silva is an American actor who has played a wide variety of movie roles.Silva was born in Brooklyn, New York of Sicilian and Spanish descent...
, alongside television actors such as
Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
,
Bryan CranstonBryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal in the FOX situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he has won two Emmy Awards. Other notable roles include Dr...
,
David Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color...
,
Howard Hesseman-Early life:Hesseman was born in Lebanon, Oregon, the son of Edna and George Henry Hesseman. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, a policeman. Hesseman attended the University of Oregon, and was later a founding member of the San Francisco-based...
,
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
, William Marshall,
Joe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, and for his role as Cypher in The Matrix.-Personal life:...
,
Robert PicardoRobert Picardo is an American actor. He may be best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Joe "The Meat Man" Morton on Home Improvement, Coach Cutlip on...
and
Roxie RokerRoxie Albertha Roker was an American actress, best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, half of one of the first interracial couples to be shown on regular prime time television...
.
Other notable people in the cast included voice actors
Corey BurtonCorey Burton is a voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe, Spike Witwicky and the Decepticon Shockwave in the Transformers Universe, and as Captain Hook in Disney's Return to Never...
and
Phil HartmanPhil Hartman was a Canadian-born American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family immigrated to the United States when he was ten. After graduating from California State University, Northridge with a degree in graphic arts, he designed...
, talk show host
Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
, adult film actress
Monique GabrielleMonique Gabrielle is an American model and actress.Gabrielle was the Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1982. Since then, she has had a career as a B-movie actress. Many of Gabrielle's films have had overtly erotic overtones. Although she was in the 1982 adult film Bad Girls IV , she did...
, science fiction writer
Forrest J AckermanForrest J Ackerman or Mr. Science Fiction, was for over seven decades one of science fiction's staunchest spokesmen and promoters.Ackerman was a Los Angeles, California-based magazine editor, science fiction writer and literary agent, a founder of science fiction fandom and possibly the world's...
, B-movie stars
Lana ClarksonLana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. On April 13, 2009, songwriter and producer Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder in relation to her death.-Early life:Born in Long Beach, California to Donna and James M...
and
Sybil DanningSybil Danning is an Austrian actress known for her many roles in B-movies, science fiction films, and action movies.-Early life:...
, musician B.B.
Amazon Women on the Moon (
1987-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records.*May 9 - Actor Tom Cruise marries actress Mimi Rogers....
) is an American
satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
that
parodiesA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the experience of watching low-budget movies on late-night television. The film, featuring a large
ensemble castAn ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on different characters in different episodes...
, was written by Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland, and takes the form of a compilation of twenty-one
comedy skitsSketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
directed by five different directors:
Joe DanteJoseph James "Joe" Dante is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and scifi content....
,
Carl GottliebCarl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
,
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
,
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many horror projects.-Early life and family:...
and
Robert K. WeissRobert K. Weiss is an American film and television producer. His productions include films by director John Landis, producer Lorne Michaels, and the “Z. A. Z.” team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He also co-created the science-fiction TV series Sliders...
.
The title
Amazon Women on the Moon refers to the central film-within-a-film, a
spoofA parody , in contemporary usage, is a work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
movies from the
1950sThe 1950s was the decade that ran from January 1, 1950, to December 31, 1959. During the early 1950s in the United States manufacturing and home construction was on the rise as the American economy was on the upswing. The Korean War and the beginning of the Cold War created a politically...
that borrows heavily from
Queen of Outer SpaceQueen of Outer Space is an Allied Artists Pictures science fiction feature film starring Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, and Laurie Mitchell in a tale about a revolt against a cruel Venusian queen. The screenplay by Charles Beaumont was based on an outline supplied by Ben Hecht...
(1958) starring
Zsa Zsa GaborZsa Zsa Gabor , also known as Sári Prinzessin von Anhalt, is a Hungarian actress, socialite and former beauty queen.-Early life:...
, itself a movie that recycles elements of earlier science fiction works such as
Cat-Women of the MoonCat-Women of the Moon is a 1953 Science fiction 3-D film directed by Arthur Hilton. It stars Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory and Marie Windsor. The musical score was composed by Elmer Bernstein....
(1953),
Fire Maidens from Outer SpaceFire Maidens from Outer Space , released in the USA as Fire Maidens of Outer Space, is a 78-minute black-and-white science fiction feature film...
(1955) and
Forbidden PlanetForbidden Planet is a 1956 science fiction film in CinemaScope and Metrocolor directed by Fred M. Wilcox and starring Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen...
(1956).
Film actors making
cameo appearancesA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
in various sketches included
Rosanna ArquetteRosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.-Life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Arquette's...
,
Ralph BellamyRalph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor with a career that spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:...
,
Griffin Dunne-Personal life:Dunne was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ellen Beatriz Dunne and Dominick Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims and his father was a producer, writer, and actor...
,
Carrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge.-Early life:...
,
Steve GuttenbergSteven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit. In 2008 Guttenberg was one of 12 contestants on the 6th season...
,
Michelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her screen début in 1980, but first garnered mainstream attention with her appearance in Scarface...
,
Kelly PrestonKelly Preston Travolta is an American actress and former model.-Early years:Preston was born as Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years...
and
Henry SilvaHenry Silva is an American actor who has played a wide variety of movie roles.Silva was born in Brooklyn, New York of Sicilian and Spanish descent...
, alongside television actors such as
Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
,
Bryan CranstonBryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal in the FOX situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he has won two Emmy Awards. Other notable roles include Dr...
,
David Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color...
,
Howard Hesseman-Early life:Hesseman was born in Lebanon, Oregon, the son of Edna and George Henry Hesseman. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, a policeman. Hesseman attended the University of Oregon, and was later a founding member of the San Francisco-based...
,
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
, William Marshall,
Joe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, and for his role as Cypher in The Matrix.-Personal life:...
,
Robert PicardoRobert Picardo is an American actor. He may be best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Joe "The Meat Man" Morton on Home Improvement, Coach Cutlip on...
and
Roxie RokerRoxie Albertha Roker was an American actress, best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, half of one of the first interracial couples to be shown on regular prime time television...
.
Other notable people in the cast included voice actors
Corey BurtonCorey Burton is a voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe, Spike Witwicky and the Decepticon Shockwave in the Transformers Universe, and as Captain Hook in Disney's Return to Never...
and
Phil HartmanPhil Hartman was a Canadian-born American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family immigrated to the United States when he was ten. After graduating from California State University, Northridge with a degree in graphic arts, he designed...
, talk show host
Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
, adult film actress
Monique GabrielleMonique Gabrielle is an American model and actress.Gabrielle was the Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1982. Since then, she has had a career as a B-movie actress. Many of Gabrielle's films have had overtly erotic overtones. Although she was in the 1982 adult film Bad Girls IV , she did...
, science fiction writer
Forrest J AckermanForrest J Ackerman or Mr. Science Fiction, was for over seven decades one of science fiction's staunchest spokesmen and promoters.Ackerman was a Los Angeles, California-based magazine editor, science fiction writer and literary agent, a founder of science fiction fandom and possibly the world's...
, B-movie stars
Lana ClarksonLana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. On April 13, 2009, songwriter and producer Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder in relation to her death.-Early life:Born in Long Beach, California to Donna and James M...
and
Sybil DanningSybil Danning is an Austrian actress known for her many roles in B-movies, science fiction films, and action movies.-Early life:...
, musician B.B. King, radio personalities
Roger BarkleyRoger Barkley was an American radio personality, based in Los Angeles, California, best remembered for his work with Al Lohman as part of The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI....
and
Al LohmanAl Lohman was a Los Angeles, California radio personality who, along with Roger Barkley, had the top-rated morning drive The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI Los Angeles through most of the 1970s and early 1980s...
, composer
Ira NewbornIra Newborn is an American musician and composer, best known for his work composing motion picture soundtracks.Among the many movies Newborn has scored or for which he’s written songs are Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles,...
, director
Russ MeyerRussell Albion Meyer was an American motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
, model Corinne Wahl, comedian
Andrew Dice ClayAndrew "Dice" Clay is an American comedian. Dice performed his first HBO Special in Philadelphia called, The Diceman Cometh, in 1989, and had his first starring role in a feature film as the title character in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane in 1990...
, and independent film actor
Paul BartelPaul Bartel was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.-Biography:...
.
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many horror projects.-Early life and family:...
had previously directed
The Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film's writers were the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. This same team would go on to write and direct Airplane!, Top Secret! and the Police Squad! television show and its...
(1977), which employed a similar sketch anthology format.
Plot
Channel 8 WIDB-TV experiences problems with its late-night airing of science-fiction classic
Amazon Women on the Moon, a 50s B-movie in which Queen Lara (
Sybil DanningSybil Danning is an Austrian actress known for her many roles in B-movies, science fiction films, and action movies.-Early life:...
) and Capt. Nelson (Steve Forrest) battle exploding
volcanoes3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
and man-eating
spidersSpiders are air-breathing chelicerate arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae modified into fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
on the
moonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
. In place of the faltering film, the channel airs various other movie clips, trailers, commercials, public service announcements, infomercials and talk shows in between a few snippets of the main feature.
These segments feature:
Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
as a man who nearly kills himself in a series of mishaps around his apartment;
Monique GabrielleMonique Gabrielle is an American model and actress.Gabrielle was the Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1982. Since then, she has had a career as a B-movie actress. Many of Gabrielle's films have had overtly erotic overtones. Although she was in the 1982 adult film Bad Girls IV , she did...
as a model who goes about her daily routine in
Malibu, CaliforniaMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
, completely naked;
Lou JacobiLouis Harold "Lou" Jacobi is a Canadian character actor.Jacobi was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jewish parents Fay and Joseph Jacobi. Slightly overweight and sporting a moustache, he appeared in several films and television commercials, particularly in the 1970s.Notable film roles include: Mr...
as a man, zapped into the television, wandering throughout sketches looking for his wife;
Michelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her screen début in 1980, but first garnered mainstream attention with her appearance in Scarface...
and
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
as a young couple having trouble with eccentric doctor
Griffin Dunne-Personal life:Dunne was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ellen Beatriz Dunne and Dominick Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims and his father was a producer, writer, and actor...
delivering and then concealing their newborn baby;
Joe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, and for his role as Cypher in The Matrix.-Personal life:...
as the presenter of a commercial recommending stapling carpet to a bald head as a hair loss prevention measure;
David Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color...
and B.B. King in a public-service appeal for "blacks without soul";
Rosanna ArquetteRosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.-Life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Arquette's...
as a young woman on a blind date, employing unusual methods of investigation to reveal the past indiscretions of
Steve GuttenbergSteven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit. In 2008 Guttenberg was one of 12 contestants on the 6th season...
;
Henry SilvaHenry Silva is an American actor who has played a wide variety of movie roles.Silva was born in Brooklyn, New York of Sicilian and Spanish descent...
as the host of a show entitled "Bullshit or Not?", clearly intended as a spoof of
Unsolved MysteriesUnsolved Mysteries was an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until his death in 2003, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
and
Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert LeRoy Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
;
Archie HahnCharles Archibald "Archie" Hahn was a German-American athlete, and one of the best sprinters in the early 20th century....
as an actor who dies after a critical mauling (
Roger BarkleyRoger Barkley was an American radio personality, based in Los Angeles, California, best remembered for his work with Al Lohman as part of The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI....
and
Al LohmanAl Lohman was a Los Angeles, California radio personality who, along with Roger Barkley, had the top-rated morning drive The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI Los Angeles through most of the 1970s and early 1980s...
resembling Siskel and Ebert) and is roasted at his funeral by a variety of people, including his wife;
William Marshall-Political figures, noblemen and military leaders:*William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , 12th-13th-century Anglo Norman nobleman renowned as a soldier and statesman...
as the leader of a gang of pirates illegally bootlegging videotapes;
Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
as the son of the Invisible Man, having trouble with his formula;
Angel TompkinsAngel Tompkins is an American actress and Golden Globe nominee, who appeared in several films and television shows.-Career:...
as a First Lady who is also a former hooker;
Matt AdlerMatt Adler is an American actor. He is known for his work in the 1980s: Dream a Little Dream, Teen Wolf, White Water Summer.Adler has been married to Laura San Giacomo since 2000.-Filmography:...
as a sexually-frustrated teenager who becomes a spokesperson for a
condomA condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the likelihood of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
company;
Marc McClureMarc A. McClure is an American actor. McClure was born in San Mateo, California.-Superman film series:His best known role was perhaps in the 1978 classic Superman, playing photographer Jimmy Olsen. McClure reprised his role as Jimmy Olsen in Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for...
renting a personalised date video; and an epilogue at the end of the credits, with
Carrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge.-Early life:...
and
Paul BartelPaul Bartel was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.-Biography:...
in a black-and-white film.
Cast
"Mondo Condo" (directed by
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many horror projects.-Early life and family:...
):
- Arsenio Hall
Arsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
(credited as Arsenio) as Apartment Victim.
"Pethouse Video" (directed by
Carl GottliebCarl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
):
- Donald F. Muhich as Easterbrook.
- Monique Gabrielle
Monique Gabrielle is an American model and actress.Gabrielle was the Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1982. Since then, she has had a career as a B-movie actress. Many of Gabrielle's films have had overtly erotic overtones. Although she was in the 1982 adult film Bad Girls IV , she did...
as Taryn Steele.
"Murray in Videoland" (directed by
Robert K. WeissRobert K. Weiss is an American film and television producer. His productions include films by director John Landis, producer Lorne Michaels, and the “Z. A. Z.” team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He also co-created the science-fiction TV series Sliders...
):
- Lou Jacobi
Louis Harold "Lou" Jacobi is a Canadian character actor.Jacobi was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jewish parents Fay and Joseph Jacobi. Slightly overweight and sporting a moustache, he appeared in several films and television commercials, particularly in the 1970s.Notable film roles include: Mr...
as Murray.
- Erica Yohn as Selma.
- Debby Davison as Weatherperson.
- Rob Krausz as Floor Manager.
- Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman was a Canadian-born American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family immigrated to the United States when he was ten. After graduating from California State University, Northridge with a degree in graphic arts, he designed...
as Baseball Announcer.
- Corey Burton
Corey Burton is a voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe, Spike Witwicky and the Decepticon Shockwave in the Transformers Universe, and as Captain Hook in Disney's Return to Never...
as Anchorman.
"Hospital" (directed by Landis):
- Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her screen début in 1980, but first garnered mainstream attention with her appearance in Scarface...
as Brenda Landers.
- Peter Horton
Peter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
as Harry Landers.
- Griffin Dunne
-Personal life:Dunne was born in New York City, New York, the son of Ellen Beatriz Dunne and Dominick Dunne. His mother founded the victims' rights organization Justice for Homicide Victims and his father was a producer, writer, and actor...
as Doctor.
- Brian Ann Zoccola as Nurse.
"Hairlooming" (directed by
Joe DanteJoseph James "Joe" Dante is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and scifi content....
):
- Joe Pantoliano
Joseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, and for his role as Cypher in The Matrix.-Personal life:...
as Sy Swerdlow.
- Stanley Brock as Customer.
"Amazon Women on the Moon" (directed by Weiss):
- Corey Burton
Corey Burton is a voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe, Spike Witwicky and the Decepticon Shockwave in the Transformers Universe, and as Captain Hook in Disney's Return to Never...
as TV Announcer.
- Steve Forrest as Capt. Steve Nelson.
- Robert Colbert
Robert Colbert is an American actor most noted for his leading role portraying Dr. Doug Phillips on the TV series The Time Tunnel and his two appearances as a third Maverick brother, Brent Maverick in Maverick.In 1961, forced by the studio to dress exactly as lookalike James Garner had in Garner's...
as Blackie.
- Joey Travolta
Joey Travolta is an actor and film producer. He is the brother of actor John Travolta. He produced the 2006 documentary film about autism, Normal People Scare Me. Travolta is a former special education teacher, and at the time of the film's production operated a children's film and acting workshop...
as Butch.
- Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman or Mr. Science Fiction, was for over seven decades one of science fiction's staunchest spokesmen and promoters.Ackerman was a Los Angeles, California-based magazine editor, science fiction writer and literary agent, a founder of science fiction fandom and possibly the world's...
as U.S. President.
- Sybil Danning
Sybil Danning is an Austrian actress known for her many roles in B-movies, science fiction films, and action movies.-Early life:...
as Queen Lara.
- Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. On April 13, 2009, songwriter and producer Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder in relation to her death.-Early life:Born in Long Beach, California to Donna and James M...
as Alpha Beta.
"Blacks Without Soul" (directed by Landis):
- David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color...
as Don 'No Soul' Simmons.
- B.B. King as Himself.
- William Bryant (credited as Bill Bryant) as Male Republican.
- Roxie Roker
Roxie Albertha Roker was an American actress, best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, half of one of the first interracial couples to be shown on regular prime time television...
as Female Republican.
- Le Tari
Le Tari was an American actor who appeared in movies and on television.Distinctive for his imposing physical stature, broad mustache and lantern jaw, Tari landed a starring role in the 1976 blaxploitation film Brotherhood of Death...
as Pimp.
- Christopher Broughton as Fan Club President.
"Two I.D.s" (directed by
Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
):
- Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and film producer.-Life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda "Mardi" Olivia , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Arquette's...
as Karen.
- Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit. In 2008 Guttenberg was one of 12 contestants on the 6th season...
(credited as Steven Guttenberg) as Jerry.
"Bullshit or Not" (directed by Dante):
- Henry Silva
Henry Silva is an American actor who has played a wide variety of movie roles.Silva was born in Brooklyn, New York of Sicilian and Spanish descent...
as Himself.
- Sarah Lilly as Prostitute.
"Critics' Corner" (directed by Dante):
- Roger Barkley
Roger Barkley was an American radio personality, based in Los Angeles, California, best remembered for his work with Al Lohman as part of The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI....
(credited as Barkley) as Herbert.
- Al Lohman
Al Lohman was a Los Angeles, California radio personality who, along with Roger Barkley, had the top-rated morning drive The Lohman and Barkley Show on KFI Los Angeles through most of the 1970s and early 1980s...
(credited as Lohman) as Frankel.
- Archie Hahn
Archie Hahn is an American character actor and improviser best known for his appearances on the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway?. He is also well known for appearing in This Is Spinal Tap, Phantom of the Paradise, and many Joe Dante films...
as Harvey Pitnik.
- Belinda Balaski
Belinda Balaski is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her large supporting role in Joe Dante's The Howling , and has continued to appear in most of Dante's films including an important role in "Piranha" and cameos in "Gremlins", "Gremlins 2", "Matinee", and Small Soldiers...
as Bernice Pitnik.
- Justin Benham as Pitnik Boy.
- Erica Gayle as Pitnik Girl.
"Silly Pâté" (directed by Weiss):
- Corey Burton
Corey Burton is a voice actor, perhaps best known as Count Dooku, Ziro the Hutt and Cad Bane in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Brainiac in the DC animated universe, Spike Witwicky and the Decepticon Shockwave in the Transformers Universe, and as Captain Hook in Disney's Return to Never...
as Announcer.
- T.K. Carter as Host.
- Phil Proctor as Mike.
- Ira Newborn
Ira Newborn is an American musician and composer, best known for his work composing motion picture soundtracks.Among the many movies Newborn has scored or for which he’s written songs are Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Uncle Buck, Planes, Trains and Automobiles,...
as Fred.
- Karen Montgomery as Karen.
"Roast Your Loved One" (directed by Dante):
- Archie Hahn
Archie Hahn is an American character actor and improviser best known for his appearances on the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway?. He is also well known for appearing in This Is Spinal Tap, Phantom of the Paradise, and many Joe Dante films...
as Harvey Pitnik.
- Belinda Balaski
Belinda Balaski is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her large supporting role in Joe Dante's The Howling , and has continued to appear in most of Dante's films including an important role in "Piranha" and cameos in "Gremlins", "Gremlins 2", "Matinee", and Small Soldiers...
as Bernice Pitnik.
- Justin Benham as Pitnik Boy.
- Erica Gayle as Pitnik Girl.
- Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal in the FOX situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he has won two Emmy Awards. Other notable roles include Dr...
as Paramedic #1.
- Robert Picardo
Robert Picardo is an American actor. He may be best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Joe "The Meat Man" Morton on Home Improvement, Coach Cutlip on...
as Rick Raddnitz.
- Rip Taylor
Rip Taylor is an American actor and comedian.-Comic trademarks:Taylor is known for his high-voiced yells, wacky toupée, and handlebar moustache over a perpetually toothy grin...
as Himself.
- Slappy White
Slappy White was an American comedian and actor. He worked with Redd Foxx on the Chitlin' circuit of stand-up comedy during the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared on the television shows Sanford and Son, Blossom, and Cybill and in the films Mr...
as Himself.
- Jackie Vernon as Himself.
- Henry Youngman as Himself.
- Charlie Callas
Charlie Callas is an American comedian and actor most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin...
as Himself.
- Steve Allen
Steve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen, American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3*Steve Allen, British musician, lead singer of Liverpool rock band Deaf School...
as Himself.
"Video Pirates" (directed by Weiss):
- William Marshall as Pirate Captain.
- Tino Insana
Tino Insana is an American actor, voice actor, writer, and film producer from Chicago, Illinois.Insana's highly-distinguishable voice has been featured in many animated television series, most notably Disney's Darkwing Duck as Dr. Reginald Bushroot and Bobby's World as Bobby's Uncle Ted...
as Mr. Sylvio.
- Donald Gibb
Donald Gibb , sometimes credited as Don Gibb, is an American actor with an imposing 6ft-4in frame, best known for portraying the large, dimwitted fraternity brother "Ogre" in several installments of the Revenge of the Nerds film series.Raised in California, Gibb attended the University of New...
as Graceless Pirate.
- Frank Collison
Frank Collison is an American actor known to television audiences as the hapless telegrapher Horace Bing in the series Dr Quinn.-Early life:...
as Grizzled Pirate.
- Bill Taylor as Gruesome Pirate.
"Son of the Invisible Man" (directed by Gottlieb):
- Ed Begley, Jr.
Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
as Griffin.
- Chuck Lafont as Trent.
- Raye Birk
Raye Birk is an American film and television actor famous for playing the role of Papshmir in the first and last of the Naked Gun movies. He was the main villain in Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult...
as Vanya.
- Pamla Vale as Woman in Pub.
- Larry Hankin
Larry Hankin is an American actor, performer, director and producer.Hankin studied acting at Syracuse University. He is known for his roles in TV shows Friends and Seinfeld; as well as for his major role in the movie Escape from Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood...
as Man in Pub.
- Garry Goodrow as Checker Player.
- Roger La Page as London Bobby.
"French Ventriloquist's Dummy" (directed by Dante):
"Art Sale" (directed by Gottlieb):
- John Ingle
John Ingle is an American actor known for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital.-Career:...
as Felix Van Dam.
"First Lady of the Evening" (directed by Weiss):
- Angel Tompkins
Angel Tompkins is an American actress and Golden Globe nominee, who appeared in several films and television shows.-Career:...
as First Lady.
- Terence McGovern as Salesman.
- Michael Hanks as Announcer.
"Titan Man" (directed by Weiss):
- Matt Adler
Matt Adler is an American actor. He is known for his work in the 1980s: Dream a Little Dream, Teen Wolf, White Water Summer.Adler has been married to Laura San Giacomo since 2000.-Filmography:...
as George.
- Kelly Preston
Kelly Preston Travolta is an American actress and former model.-Early years:Preston was born as Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Linda, was an administrator of a mental health center, and her father, who worked for an agricultural firm, drowned when Preston was three years...
as Violet.
- Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor with a career that spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:...
as Mr. Gower.
- Howard Hesseman
-Early life:Hesseman was born in Lebanon, Oregon, the son of Edna and George Henry Hesseman. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, a policeman. Hesseman attended the University of Oregon, and was later a founding member of the San Francisco-based...
as Rupert King.
- Steve Cropper as Customer.
- Christopher Wolf (credited as Chris Wolf) as Mascot Bip.
"Video Date" (directed by Landis):
- Marc McClure
Marc A. McClure is an American actor. McClure was born in San Mateo, California.-Superman film series:His best known role was perhaps in the 1978 classic Superman, playing photographer Jimmy Olsen. McClure reprised his role as Jimmy Olsen in Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for...
as Ray.
- Russ Meyer
Russell Albion Meyer was an American motion picture director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, actor and photographer....
as Video Salesman.
- Corinne Wahl as Sharri.
- Andrew Dice Clay
Andrew "Dice" Clay is an American comedian. Dice performed his first HBO Special in Philadelphia called, The Diceman Cometh, in 1989, and had his first starring role in a feature film as the title character in The Adventures of Ford Fairlane in 1990...
as Frankie.
- Willard E. Pugh
Willard Earl Pugh is an American actor with numerous film and television credits. He has appeared in notable mainstream Hollywood films such as The Color Purple and Air Force One as well as genre films such as Robocop 2 and Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy...
as Speaking Cop.
"Reckless Youth" (directed by Dante):
- Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge.-Early life:...
as Mary Brown.
- Paul Bartel
Paul Bartel was an American actor, writer and director. Bartel was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy Eating Raoul, which he wrote, starred in and directed.-Biography:...
as Doctor.
- Herb Vigran
Herbert "Herb" Vigran was a well-known American character actor in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1980s. Over his 50-year career, he made over 350 television and film appearances.-Career:...
as Agent.
- Tracy Hutchinson as Floozie.
- Mike Mazurki
Mike Mazurki was an American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. His towering 6' 5" presence and intimidating face usually got him roles playing tough guys, thugs, strong men, and gangsters.Mazurki was born Mikhail Mazurwski in Tarnopol, Galicia, Austria-Hungary...
as Dutch.
- Frank Beddor
Frank Beddor is a former world champion freestyle skier, a film producer, actor, stuntman, and author. He produced There's Something About Mary and Wicked....
as Ken.
Critical reception
Amazon Women on the Moon has a rating of 64% on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films. The name derives from the historical cliché of throwing tomatoes and other produce at stage performers if a performance was particularly bad.- History :...
, based on 11 reviews, indicating a mixed critical response.
The majority of critical opinion agreed that the quality was inconsistent throughout the film.
VarietyVariety is a weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily...
called it "irreverent, vulgar and silly... [with] some hilarious moments and some real groaners too."
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
in the
Chicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by the Sun-Times Media Group, which filed for bankruptcy protection on March 31, 2009.-History:...
felt that the exercise was somewhat unnecessary: "Satirists are in trouble when their subjects are funnier than they are."
Janet MaslinJanet Maslin is an American journalist. She is best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times.-Personal:Maslin graduated from the University of Rochester in 1970, with a B.A. degree and a major in mathematics . She was once married to record producer Jon Landau...
of the
New York Times, in a largely positive review, described the film as "an anarchic, often hilarious adventure in dial-spinning, a collection of brief skits and wacko parodies that are sometimes quite clever, though they're just as often happily sophomoric, too."
Certain portions of the film were singled out for praise. "The funniest episode probably is "Son of the Invisible Man," directed by
Carl GottliebCarl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
, in which
Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
plays a man who thinks he is invisible but is not," wrote the
Chicago Sun-Times. "The film's best sight gags come from
Robert K. WeissRobert K. Weiss is an American film and television producer. His productions include films by director John Landis, producer Lorne Michaels, and the “Z. A. Z.” team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. He also co-created the science-fiction TV series Sliders...
, who deserves kudos for the inspired idiocy of his
Amazon Women segments," was the opinion of the
New York Times.
In a retrospective article for
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books and popular culture. Unlike celebrity-focused publications US Weekly, People, and In Touch Weekly, EWs primary concentration is on entertainment...
, Chris Nashawaty called this film "the beginning of the end of Landis' career." He cited the episodes featuring
Monique GabrielleMonique Gabrielle is an American model and actress.Gabrielle was the Penthouse Pet of the Month for December 1982. Since then, she has had a career as a B-movie actress. Many of Gabrielle's films have had overtly erotic overtones. Although she was in the 1982 adult film Bad Girls IV , she did...
,
Archie HahnCharles Archibald "Archie" Hahn was a German-American athlete, and one of the best sprinters in the early 20th century....
,
Ed Begley, Jr.Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
and
David Alan GrierDavid Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color...
as "inspired," but criticised others for their failure: "You'll never see
Michelle PfeifferMichelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress. She made her screen début in 1980, but first garnered mainstream attention with her appearance in Scarface...
look as trapped as she does in her skit with
thirtysomethingthirtysomething is an American television drama about a group of baby boomers in their thirties. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick for United Artists Television and Bedford Falls Productions, and distributed for ABC by MGM/UA Television Group. It premiered in the U.S. on...
s Peter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his role as Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething. He left the series in 1991 to pursue an interest in directing.-Career:...
, or Joe PantolianoJoseph Peter "Joe" Pantoliano is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos, and for his role as Cypher in The Matrix.-Personal life:...
and Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is an American actor, comedian, and former talk show host. He is best known for his talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which ran between 1989 and 1994. He is also well known for his roles in the films Coming to America and Harlem Nights. Hall is single and has never been married...
as unfunny as they are in their skits."
See also
The Kentucky Fried MovieThe Kentucky Fried Movie is an American comedy film, released in 1977 and directed by John Landis. The film's writers were the team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. This same team would go on to write and direct Airplane!, Top Secret! and the Police Squad! television show and its...
(1977), a similarly-formatted anthology comedy from
John LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson; Landis has also done many horror projects.-Early life and family:...