Hot to Trot
Encyclopedia
Hot to Trot is a 1988 comedy film released by Warner Bros.
It stars Bobcat Goldthwait
as an investment broker, Dabney Coleman
as the head of the company Bobcat works for and John Candy
as the voice of a horse
that helps Bobcat's character make smart decisions in investing. The original music score was composed by Danny Elfman
. The film's tagline is: "When I talk, you're gonna laugh yourself hoarse."
" stable) wins the race, after a promise of getting his teeth capped spurs extra speed out of him, enabling him to win the photofinish- which showed Don sticking his teeth out over the finish line first. They both get the girl of their dreams and the film finishes happily.
in Bobcat Goldthwait
's role. Elliot Gould was the original voice of the horse. After a poor test screening of the film, the horse's half of the script was rewritten by future Monk creator and executive producer Andy Breckman
in an effort to make the film funnier. John Candy
was hired to re-record the horse's voice; he ignored the new script and improvised
the dialogue instead.
The movie was re-released on VHS in 1998 as part of their "Warner Bros. Hits" collection. It is available on DVD through the Warner Archive program.
Marketing the film, featured newspaper ads advertised promotional 1-800 number, that when called, contained a several minute recorded message from John Candy (as Don the Talking Horse) telling jokes, and talking a bit about the movie. "Hi! I'm Don the Talking Horse! First, how's about a coupla jokes?!"
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
It stars Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
as an investment broker, Dabney Coleman
Dabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
as the head of the company Bobcat works for and John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
as the voice of a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
that helps Bobcat's character make smart decisions in investing. The original music score was composed by Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
. The film's tagline is: "When I talk, you're gonna laugh yourself hoarse."
Plot
Fred Chaney (Goldthwait) inherits a horse named Don from his dead mother. He discovers Don is a talking horse (he can also speak the language of several other animals), who had belonged to his father. He also discovers Don has a talent for picking out great investments in the stock market. After a couple of good tips, Fred is reluctantly given a job as a broker by his stepfather Walter Sawyer (Coleman). After a few disasters, including a bad tip involving poisoned animal feed, the two are left penniless, but with one last chance: to enter Don in a horse race which will win them all Sawyer's prized horses, along with Satin Doll, a beautiful white horse on whom Don has a crush. Don (having entered the race from the "Pepperidge FarmPepperidge Farm
Pepperidge Farm is a commercial bakery in the U.S. founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which in turn was named for the pepperidge tree, Nyssa sylvatica. Since 1961, the company has been owned by the Campbell Soup Company...
" stable) wins the race, after a promise of getting his teeth capped spurs extra speed out of him, enabling him to win the photofinish- which showed Don sticking his teeth out over the finish line first. They both get the girl of their dreams and the film finishes happily.
Production
The original cast for the film included Joan RiversJoan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
in Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait
Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film and television director. He is commonly known for his energetic, ravenous stage personality, his dark, acerbic black comedy, and his gruff but high-pitched voice.- Early life :Goldthwait was born in Syracuse,...
's role. Elliot Gould was the original voice of the horse. After a poor test screening of the film, the horse's half of the script was rewritten by future Monk creator and executive producer Andy Breckman
Andy Breckman
Andy Breckman is a television and film writer and a radio personality. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series Monk on the USA Network, and is co-host of WFMU radio's long-running conceptual comedy program Seven Second Delay...
in an effort to make the film funnier. John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
was hired to re-record the horse's voice; he ignored the new script and improvised
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
the dialogue instead.
The movie was re-released on VHS in 1998 as part of their "Warner Bros. Hits" collection. It is available on DVD through the Warner Archive program.
Reception
The film was widely panned by critics during its release and was a disappointment at the box office. It was nominated for five Razzie Awards including Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Goldthwait), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst New Star (Don the talking horse).Marketing the film, featured newspaper ads advertised promotional 1-800 number, that when called, contained a several minute recorded message from John Candy (as Don the Talking Horse) telling jokes, and talking a bit about the movie. "Hi! I'm Don the Talking Horse! First, how's about a coupla jokes?!"