Bad movie that was good for the soul, bad for the brain!

Skidoo (1968)

 

 

​There are bad films in this world. Ones that are meant to “die” and go away, but my friends and I refuse to let them. There are films of such god-awful despair that we search them out, share them with each other, typically on Monday nights. We call it “Boys Nite”.

We have been slacking lately in our “bad” film choices of late (too many good movies have been available) so I thought I would reenergize us with the worst possible film I could find. It’s called Skidoo. The film is a musical comedy from 1968. It is quite possibly the worst Hollywood studio film I have ever seen. Funny thing is, I can’t get it out of my mind.

​The film is a trippy-hippie comedy starring people who have no business being near this movie: Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Groucho Marx, Peter Lawford, Frankie Avalon, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, George Raft, Mickey Rooney and directed by the great Otto Preminger. If you don’t know who these folks are, simply Wikipedia and then come back with a sense of awe and despair at this film. I guess that was the point. Taking the fishes out of the water and making an old fashioned comedy of errors in the hippie era…. with musical numbers that include singing and dancing trash cans. It is mind boggling.

​The plot, such as it is, deals with Gleason playing a former mob guy forced for the sake of his family, to do one more job for “God” (Groucho Marx in his final film role). His wife (Channing) and his hippie loving daughter attempt to track“God” down and find their missing husband/father. Tagging along are an assorted cast of characters and Gleason’s character trapped in prison trying to make an escape. Even writing this gives me a headache, you should see what happens when drug scenes and musical numbers (particularly Channing’s painfully earworm rendition of the title song) are added.

​The film is famous for the “first five minutes” that involves nothing more than a flipping television screen and several bad commercial parodies. While actually pretty innovative at the time, the parodies themselves are travesties involving fat jokes and gun violence. When Slim Pickens shows up as a LSD fed phone operator it all just becomes too much to take.

 

Interesting Notes:

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It has been reported that Jackie Gleason’s performance in this film cost him the starring role in The French Connection.

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Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and director Otto Preminger would receive accolades within the year as playing The Riddler, The Joker, The Penguin and Mister Freeze in the TV show: Batman.

 

Skidoo is not a very good musical comedy, or comedy, orreally a very good movie. It is just a nightmare of a movie that must be seen to be believed.  Also stick around for the end credits that are not only shown, but put to song. Beware of this one kids!

3-21-14

​This week went by much too quick. My usual St. Patrick’s Day debauchery was definitely my last go-around at the level I have been trying to keep for the last several years. I am just too old and feel like I am missing out on a lot of the festivities with my family because I am too busy pounding down beers. I won’t do that again.

I did see the trashy good time that was 300: Rise of an Empire. Eva Green is tremendously over-the-top and the movie was made for her to steal. You can read my review here:

http://www.kyforward.com/2014/03/james-halcomb-300-rise-of-an-empire-isa-fabulous-mess-much-like-my-weekend/

I love COSMOS and think it is the best show currently on network TV. It is enlightening and sometimes very funny.

Reading and writing are my first loves and are becoming my primary focus. So if I am going to read, why not start with the “good” book. I have made several attempts to go from start to finish, but have been unsuccessful. It is now on my Kindle and I have set a goal for July 18th, my 40th birthday. When I get done with Genesis, I will put down some thoughts.

The other goal I have is concerning health and weight loss. I have a goal of 220 lbs by next St. Patrick’s Day, which is only approximately 20 lbs, but I also plan on getting in all around better shape by running in the Shamrock Shuffle 3K. I know I am surrounded by support in this effort.  Wish me luck!

Actually, more than anything today, I am looking forward to spending time with my family this week. My sister-in-law turned 30 this week; my father-in-law celebrates a 70th this weekend. The best part is that I am still not 40! HA! I am fighting it tooth and nail as you can plainly read.

This post is kind of a holding pattern. I have several pieces for www.kyforward.com I am working on and I like my new job. They are meshing together pretty well. I still hope someday I can leave the 9-5 behind for full time writing. I still suffer from “big dream syndrome”.  Maybe someday soon I push the right button and everything will fall into place. If not, well I still love typing my thoughts out. It is a groovy hobby.

 

Piece and hair grease….