Frank, Melvin

The Court Jester

Danny Kaye spoofs Robin Hood and Scaramouche in this inventive slapstick swashbuckler. Portraying the clownish but good-hearted entertainer Hawkins, he infiltrates the court of the corrupt Basil Rathbone (up to his usual brand of cruel villainy) disguised as the legendary king of jesters, Giacomo. After a court sorceress hypnotizes Hawkins into believing he is also a legendary assassin, Hawkins has more identities than he can keep straight, and Kaye zips back and forth between them at, literally, a snap of the fingers. Comic highlights include a wonderful sword fight with Rathbone in which he constantly switches identities, and the classic "chalice from the palace/vessel with pestle" wordplay as Hawkins plays "hide the poison" and forgets where it is. With comely Glynis Johns as his spy-in-arms love interest, Angela Lansbury as the scheming princess, and Mildred Natwick as the dotty spellcaster, this is Danny Kaye at his comic best. --Sean Axmaker

Li'l Abner

This is one movie musical that doesn't bother adapting its stage presentation for the big screen: Li'l Abner cheerfully uses brightly colored, patently fake backdrops and stage sets for its mythical setting. And why not? A movie musical based on a cartoon strip is about as far from reality as you can get. Al Capp's legendary comic about the hillbilly denizens of Dogpatch was brought to Broadway by the estimable comedy team Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, who also produced the movie. Along with sampling Capp's world (the pursuit of noncommittal Abner by Daisy Mae on Sadie Hawkins Day is a major plot device), the movie is a goofy record of 1950s attitudes and concerns--in fact, Dogpatch is threatened with destruction when the government wants to use it as an atomic test site. The actors' Broadway delivery has a deadening effect after a while, and some of the makeup is downright weird (think the Whos in the live-action Grinch). Gene de Paul's music is unmemorable, but Johnny Mercer's lyrics provide considerable fun, and the athletic dances are based on Michael Kidd's stage choreography. Plus, the movie honors Capp's eye for impossibly bodacious women by casting Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones and Stella Stevens (her first movie role) as Appassionata Von Climax. --Robert Horton

LI'L ABNER, the beloved cartoon strip from Al Capp, takes place in the hillbilly town of Dogpatch, which is deemed the most useless community in America. When the city is chosen as a test site for A-bombs, its colorful citizens take up the good fight, with lots of fun and merriment.

Walk Like a Man

He stands to inherit a fortune if he can ever get off all fours! Award-winning comedian Howie Mandel unleashes howls of laughter in this hilariously outrageous comedy co-starring Christopher Lloyd and Cloris Leachman. Bobo Shand (Mandel) is a real wild man. In fact, he may not really be a man at all! Lost in the mountains as an infant and raised by a pack of wolves, Bobo has spent his entire life chasing rabbits and barking at the moon. Now, he's being brought back to civilization just in timeto claim a $30 million inheritance. But only if he can leave his wacky, flea-bitten ways behind him and learn to Walk Like a Man.

The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox

There's one scene in the middle of The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox--with Goldie Hawn and George Segal carrying on a foreign language conversation that stumbles across French, German, and Italian (with a little Yiddish thrown in)--that qualifies as a memorably funny double-talk sequence. The rest of this broad Western quasi-spoof is pretty coarse. Segal is a cardshark who appropriates a bag full of cash; Goldie is a dancehall girl without the heart of gold. This is one of those comedies where you can understand perfectly well why the two romantic leads feel antagonism toward one another--both are pressing way too hard under the direction of veteran comedy guy Melvin Frank. The movie labors in the shadow of Blazing Saddles, which at least got the conventions of the Western right. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is invaded by Bobby Vinton singing "Lemon Drops, Lollipops and Sunbeams," at which point you may wish Mel Brooks's cowpokes would come riding across the backlot and onto the screen. --Robert Horton

Goldie Hawn and George Segal star in this rough and tumble comedy that bounces from San Francisco's Barbary Coast to the wilderness of Utah. The Dirtwater Fox (George Segal) is a slick gambler who wants to hold on to the $40,000 he's stolen from a gang of outlaws. The Duchess (Goldie Hawn) is a scheming saloon singer who wants to become a "real lady." But once they team up, they begin to realize that what they really want is each other. Mixing clever dialogue with plenty of action, this sassy spoof of the Old West is made all the more fun by it's two very talented stars.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue

Mel Edison, a soon-to-be-unemployed advertising executive, is driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown by New York City living. In an attempt to escape from a garbage strike, nosy neighbors and an unreliable air conditioner in the middle of a head wave, Mel and his long-suffering wife Edna visit his brother in the country. Unfortunately, the dark cloud of tribulation seems to follow Mel in this comic nightmare.

Strange Bedfellows

A Touch of Class

It's tame in hindsight, but A Touch of Class brought much-needed prestige to the romantic-comedy trend of the early and mid 1970s. Glenda Jackson won an Oscar® for her performance as a savvy London divorcée who falls in love with married insurance agent George Segal, and the film surprised critics by earning a Best Picture nomination as well. Chemistry's the key, with Jackson and Segal equally adept at bickering and making up (and she even has a gay male friend, long before that became a genre cliché). What begins as a routine affair--complicated by a wide spectrum of lightly comedic pitfalls--ends with mutual love and the dilemma it creates. Writer-director Melvin Frank keeps the dialogue briskly intelligent, and while he can't match Neil Simon word for word, Touch mines the same romantic territory that was perfected in Simon's later hit The Goodbye Girl. Consider them a fine double bill, with A Touch of Class ranking a respectable second. --Jeff Shannon

The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox

There's one scene in the middle of The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox--with Goldie Hawn and George Segal carrying on a foreign language conversation that stumbles across French, German, and Italian (with a little Yiddish thrown in)--that qualifies as a memorably funny double-talk sequence. The rest of this broad Western quasi-spoof is pretty coarse. Segal is a cardshark who appropriates a bag full of cash; Goldie is a dancehall girl without the heart of gold. This is one of those comedies where you can understand perfectly well why the two romantic leads feel antagonism toward one another--both are pressing way too hard under the direction of veteran comedy guy Melvin Frank. The movie labors in the shadow of Blazing Saddles, which at least got the conventions of the Western right. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is invaded by Bobby Vinton singing "Lemon Drops, Lollipops and Sunbeams," at which point you may wish Mel Brooks's cowpokes would come riding across the backlot and onto the screen. --Robert Horton

Goldie Hawn and George Segal star in this rough and tumble comedy that bounces from San Francisco's Barbary Coast to the wilderness of Utah. The Dirtwater Fox (George Segal) is a slick gambler who wants to hold on to the $40,000 he's stolen from a gang of outlaws. The Duchess (Goldie Hawn) is a scheming saloon singer who wants to become a "real lady." But once they team up, they begin to realize that what they really want is each other. Mixing clever dialogue with plenty of action, this sassy spoof of the Old West is made all the more fun by it's two very talented stars.

Man's Favorite Sport? / Strange Bedfellows