MOVIE MOVIE (1978)

Writer Larry Gelbart called his idea DOUBLE FEATURE, an affectionate pastiche/parody of ‘30s movie genres: Kid-to-Champ Boxing pic (think KID GALAHAD/’38); Girl-to-B’way-Star musical (think 42ND STREET/’33); bonus WWI-Daredevil-Flyboy trailer (DAWN PATROL/’30 meets CEILING ZERO/’36). With Stanley Donen as producer/director and actors (even sets) double-cast: boxing in b&w; musical in TechniColor. Good fun, though the boxing pic suffers, as do so many parodies, by delivering less drama and laughs than the real thing. Still, other than the pleasant, but derivative songs, pretty stylish doings. (Great line to his driver as the boxer is being taken home: ‘It’s the next slum.’) With George C. Scott going from cigar-chewing manager/trainer Eddie G. Robinson to brilliantined Warner Baxter’s worn out showman; Red Buttons doing double Frank McHugh sidemen; Trish Van Devere an excellent good girl, less so as B’way meanie (calling Madeline Kahn!); Eli Wallach as Barton MacLane². Plus Harry Hamlin debuting his fat, luscious lips as a John Garfield up-and-coming fighter (physically perfect, too bad they let him in on the joke). Even better, Barry Bostwick, a leggy, blue-eyed wonder doing eccentric dancing a la Hal Leroy (choreographed by Michael Kidd) in the Dick Powell male ingenue spot. Back-loaded with musical ‘numbos,’ the long finale really zings! Compare with Martin Scorsese trying one of these things in ‘Happy Endings,’ mercifully stricken from the originally cut of NEW YORK, NEW YORK/’77.*

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *While the film earned a mixed reception (not here!), NEW YORK, NEW YORK did have a mind-blowing trailer, capped with a classic Stanley Donen crane shot rising over Liza Minnelli on the title tune.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Look quick to catch Donen intro’ing Reinking at a nightclub and later as a cabbie. ALSO: Beware editions that have the boxing pic in color. (Or adjust color saturation to zero.)