Description

In 1979, Gilda Radner threw a sommerlong party and Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. Share the fun as Gilda's Saturday Night Live alter-egos take on new comedy material not even the Not Ready for Prime Time Players were quite ready for. Among the many highlights: Emily Litella substituting for a Bedford-Stuyvesant teacher who's been the unfortunate victim of a "stubbing". Lisa Hoopner whining through "The Way We Were". Roseanne Roseannadanna grossing out grads at the Columbia School of Journalism. And joining in for even more hip happiness are several of Gilda's SNL cohorts. Paul Schaffer (Late Night with David Letterman) plays straight man and plays up a musical storm. Father Guido Sarducci, rock critic and gossip columnist for the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano, reveals the astonishing "Kennedy/Lincoln Coincidenza" and poses a new model for higher education: the five-minute university. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

hilarious as well as touching
This video is great for the SNL fans and will remind you of all of Gilda's wonderful characters from the show, along with special appearances from Paul Shaeffer and Don Novello (Father Guido). The other great thing about this taping is that it also captures all the excitement of the "live" show production itself. The cameras follow Gilda as she runs off for costume changes and often cuts to backstage during segway sketches. As for the material itself, Gilda is a pure student of "Truth in Comedy" (probably from her Second City roots). Much of the humor is in her portrayal of common characters and moments in ones' life. This show brings fond memories and clever comedy writing. Her ending piece of "touch me with our clothes on" and her story of cuddling up to Carl Reiner records always brings a tear to my eye, even though the lyrics are also very funny in itself. Although there is some "dirty words" to animals, the comedy is not really "blue"...the censored version often shown on TV is still just as funny. This show is a great rememberance of the beautiful and funny woman the late Gilda Radner was.

RADNER + NICHOLS = GENIUS
How I remember the summer of 1979... Senior in High School, passing the Winter Garden Theater in NY, wishing I was lucky enough to have tickets to see "Gilda Radner, Live From New York".

Saturday Night Live was a huge hit with a phenomenal blend of innovative talent. One of the best of course, Gilda Radner. Thanks to Mike Nichols, this production was brought to the screen for all to enjoy.

Here, Gilda showcases all of her most famous characters. Everyone from Emily "Nevermind" Litella to Rosanne "It's ALWAYS SOMETHING" Rosannadanna. The film is made up of several skits separated by the craziness of Don "Father Guido Sarducci" Novello. Though all the material is somewhat dated, It comes across well, but may be hard to understand by viewers under 30. Mike Nichols even takes us backstage in "real time" to show us how a Broadway show really works.

Great musical parodies including "Let's Talk Dirty To The Animals" and "Goodbye Saccharine" sung by Gilda as "Rhonda Weiss" complete with 60's like backups "The Rhondettes"(Rouge). Ironic that before Gilda sings, she exclaims (re: the FDA banning saccharine from the market) that, "Statistics prove, that most guys... prefer skinny girls with cancer... over healthy girls with bulging thighs..." Poor Gilda, how I only wish you were the latter...

Legacy Of Gilda
Gilda Radner was hands down the funniest woman in history. From her comedic roles on the big screen, to the timeless characters she portrayed on the small screen. In my mind, Gilda will live forever. From the funny, chubby girl from Detroit, to the skinny, outrageous comedic. Not to be overlooked, this video was made at the height of her popularity on Saturday Night Live. All her classic characters are portrayed, from Emily, to Lisa, to Roseanne! Although Gilda's life was cut short, her spirit and laughter will live forever! LA DOLCE GILDA!!!!

Gone But Not Forgotten
This video is a loving tribute to Gilda. Why is this video not on DVD. Gilda is gone, but not forgotten, at least not by me. It's time to move Gilda out of the video age and into the digital age, before even DVDs are obsolete.
The characters Gilda plays are so funny. Tragic she had to die. She was so full of humor and warmth.
Ohhh!, Well, never mind.

It just doesn't get any better than Gilda Radner.
We all lost a friend in 1989. I know that's how I feel. Gilda was one of those RARE people whose heart and kindness penetrated through to her audience during performances. You felt like you KNEW her.

Fans of Gilda and "Saturday Night Live" will thoroughly enjoy this video. "Gilda Live" includes almost all of the comedienne's most beloved characters. Lisa Loopner, Judy Miller, Roseanne Roseanna-danna, Emily Litella and Candy Slice and the Slicers are all featured. The segment where Roseanne Roseanna-danna is a featured speaker at a college graduation will have you howling with laughter. She's also brilliant here playing Emily Litella as a substitute teacher. You see, Emily has been called in because the regular instructor was involved in a "stubbing." The hilarity ensues after that. Finally, my favorite part of the show is when Lisa Loopner sings "The Way We Were." It's a trifle sad since we know what happens to Gilda and I was moved to tears, but that in itself shows how beautifully the segment is/was done. Powerful. The only main character of Gilda's that I can think of that you WILL NOT see is Baba Wawa.

Father Guido Sarducci does several comedic pieces in this film basically to give Gilda time to take a breath and get into costume for the next skit. I've never found Father Guido very funny and some of his material here drags on. I couldn't wait for Gilda to return to the stage. Guido's last diatribe in the movie about how sinners must pay God (literally with cash) for each of their sins is pretty funny. The rest of his stuff I could have done without.

You'll also see a very young Paul Shaffer. I never knew Paul had hair! *laugh*

If you're a Gilda Radner fan, this is a must for your collection. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Most importantly, you'll remember that Gilda Radner was a great performer and a better person. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Gilda is indeed a legend
I really enjoy Gilda's work, She is sweet sincere and above all very funny. This video may as well have been called "The best of Gilda on SNL" because there isn't a lot of non SNL footage. I think Gilda fans MUST own this tape... if you're not a fan, Shame on you! But you will be after you see this tape! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Belushi is all that jazz
I mean, despite what I say, I think everyone should go out and get their hands on this. And anything else related to the great, late John Belushi RIP.
This is SNL from the start. 1975. Its inception. Coming in at just around an hour, you could do with more. The entertainment in this show just flies past. Soon enough, you're grabbing for the remote and winding it back to the start to watch it all over again.
The Blues Brothers are here. Belushi's mute samurai character is here. (If you're not familiar with this, here's another reason to get this). Belushi being Joe Cocker, Marlon Brando (two impersonations he excelled at) and a whole lot more.

Its nice to see a comic on the brink of super stardom coming into his own like this. (You'll also recognise Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner among others cropping up).
Although brief, one of my favorite sketches is the 'Little Chocolate Donuts' spoof advert. That's to my taste and so is John Belushi.

John is the king of Comedy
To those of you who have watched john belushi, you know how funny he is. As the sumari, he rules, or as captain kirk, he rules. Buy this video.

Not the best, but still worth seeing
I was happy to get a videotape that included some of the best and funniest moments in John Belushi's brief but brilliant career as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast. However, I was disappointed in the selection of material. Whoever chose the performances evidently feels that Belushi had as much or more to offer the world as a singer than he did as a comedian. This is a mistake, I think. Belushi was adept at imitating well-known performers like Joe Cocker and Roy Orbison, but this type of "appreciative imitation" does not hold long-term viewer appeal, really. This preoccupation with Belushi's musical talents carries over in an overexposure of Belushi and Ackroyd's "Blues Brothers" act. This was amusing in its time, with its accompanying social justice subtext (e.g., "Hey, we middle-class white guys can really appreciate the unheralded music of our soulful black brothers"). But twenty years later, it sounds hackneyed and overexposed. The Blues Brothers were good amateur blues musicians, but they were, in fact, amateurs, and not worth listening to/watching repeatedly.

There are some funny Belushi skits on the tape, including his Brando imitation as "The Godfather" and one amusing "Samurai" episode. But some of the greatest Belushi classics are missing. For example, if one Samurai episode was to be included, it surely should have been "Samurai Night Fever," which featured co-star O.J. Simpson (who, whatever his crimes and human weaknesses, was a dynamite SNL host). There also should have been a good Belushi commentary that included his famous "But nooooooooo!"

At the end of the tape there is a "montage" sequence in which are included snippets of a number of very funny Belushi skits that would have been better than some of those included in this tape. Maybe there should be a "More of the Best of John Belushi" sequel. I hope so. END ... Read more

Reviews (1)

You don't have to love the classics to love this!
Gilda is truely the best woman on the show! Infact she is the only female castmember with a video with her best sketches on it. And when I say best, I mean best! I've made all my friends sit through it and they loved it! She is deffinately da bomb diggity on SNL!!!!!! She is able to play characters of all ages. If you like Chris Farley/ Mike Myers movies, this for you! If you like to laugh a lot, this is for you! If you don't even know who I'm talking about, this is for you! So go out and bye it! It's a really good price too! And just remember, if you're only a fan of SNL during the ninetie's spartan spirit type time, like me, I can assure you, you will LOVE this!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"Crystal and Radner Support the Animalympics"
What really makes this film different than any of the animated movies made here in the 90s by Disney, Warner Bros., Fox or any other, is that it includes the late 70s style put in to effect by the music and songs of 10CC member Graham Gouldman and animation created by Steven Lisberger, Roger Allers and John Norton. What's even better are the voices by Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer and Michael Fremer as the team who supply numerous talent to all the TV crew of Z.O.O. and the animal atheletes themselves competing in similar Olympic sports like ours. All of this are what makes the TV film "Animalympics" a joy to watch for all children. The only thing that seperates the film from earning 5 stars is the dialogue and sound recorded which makes it a little hard to sound out, but it's not Dolby Stereo's fault. Hmmm, perhaps they should remaster it in THX. Lisberger Studios, 1979, Not Rated.

One of the best!
I first saw this movie when it was shown on HBO and my family was young. The quality of the tape we made was horrible, but we all just loved to sit and watch it over and over again. Every year we waited for the olympics to roll around hoping to see this classic, but it never showed up on tv.

When I found it here at Amazon I jumped at the chance to own it again and was delighted to find that it held the same magic now that it did almost 20 years ago!

Billy Crystal and Gilda Radner are absolutely magnificent with their voice characterizations. I've always thought the segment with "Dogri-La" was a little rediculous and added nothing to the film.

I was totally blown away, however, when I saw on Amazon that this film is rated *R*! Why the adult rating? This has to be Amazon's rating, as it is not rated on the case. I suggest parents use their own discretion, but I see absolutely nothing in this film that suggests a rating less than PG!

All in all, this film is a classic and would be enjoyed by people of all ages. A classic!!

Z.O.O. ON YOU!!!
I have such fond memories of this film...I can't even hum the melody of "With You I Could Run Forever"..without a tear coming to my eye...Saw it as a kid and been searching for it ever since so that my husband and kids can enjoy it like I did.
I'm saving my pennies until someone re-releases it on DVD!
Fave scene...? The Contessa (a beautiful female Hawk) fencing with the Barron (a disgusting warthog) and winning the gold!!!

Barbara Warbler
I remember loving this movie when I was a kid. It is extremely imaginative and highly entertaining. It is also pretty clever - the ostrich (I think) commentator is Barbara Warbler, and she talks with a lisp. Granted, I'm pretty sure I didn't really get it at the time, but it is very intelligent humour considering it's aimed at little kids.

My absolute favourite part - the Calamari Brothers bobsled team. And the alligator diver guy when he dances like John Travolta. I think I memorised that dance.

I am so happy I came across this - I'm totally going to buy it and refresh my memory! If you have kids - you should absolutely buy this and let them watch it over and over and over and over again.

I loved this as a kid... saw it on HBO
I can't wait for them to release a DVD version.

My favorite part was the diving scene and the music that played during it.

Awesome animation, very funny at times, lots of jokes and also jokes of the time period for pop culture.

Jason ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hilarious and Brilliant
This is one of the best Halloween animated pieces of all time. It is very clever and extremely funny. This is not just for children, it is just as much for adults. It's one of my family's favorites, right up there with the Great Pumpkin. It is intelligent and original in it's themes and style. Gilda Radner's performance as the witch is priceless. She holds nothing back in her hilarious portrayal. The animated expressions and reactions on the witch's face are pure genius. The music and theme song is brilliant as well.

This animated special deserves a quality DVD release. Hopefully it will one day get the attention it deserves.

this IS scary.......
I must admit, I found the story and crude animation rather entertaining (hence the four stars). I really don't know if this is something that children should view. The character "Rotten" has a stereotypical Italian-American New York accent. The young girl's name is "Tender" (I won't even dare to comment on this). When the witch turns a woman into a vampire, the woman has bat wings and is dressed in underwear and bra...not so much a vampire, but a "Vamp". The females are drawn very provocatively whereas they have large breasts and look as though they are naked or wearing spandex. In the beginning of the feature the witch says "Hark!" but it sounds too closely like a four letter expletive beginning with "F." When the rest of the people beg to be changed into scary characters the witch says "Come to my mansion and I'll turn everybody on!" at which point she spins around and her drab clothing turns into a flashy red dress with a garter belt peeking from underneath. In conclusion I would suggest viewing this before allowing your children to watch. Very young children may not notice the stereotypes and sexual innuendo, but use discretion. The box for the VHS tape says "For Ages 4 to 12." - I think they meant "For Ages 18 to 24."

Witch's Night Out
Terrific music!! Really interesting animation--not the stuff on the box!!! Fine story. However, the producers of this video elected to sell it in SLP rather than SP, probably to save a few pennies. Ergo, if you are looking for a high quality picture, you will not find it in this product!

A lot of fun for the whole family
I just watched this video for the first time in a good many years, and found that I remembered almost every line of dialogue in it! So you can tell that it made a strong initial impression on me. The animation is basic in the extreme, but the backgrounds are quite nice and the character design of the witch is excellent--some of her facial expressions are extremely amusing. (She rather puts me in mind of Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard.") The script is very funny--I think adults can enjoy it just as much as children. Great for watching around Halloween! The only drawback to this tape is that it's recorded in EP, the slowest VHS speed, so the video quality isn't as good as it could be.

Great for kids on a joyous and scary halloween night.
Great for the kids and the kids at heart. If you're looking for a fun filled movie that will have you laughing and having a good time with a little Halloween twist to it, then this is the movie for you. I always watched this movie as a kid and enjoyed it a great deal. I hope others will too. ... Read more

Description

When the First Daughter is kidnapped by an African tribe, the President must do what he can to keep them from sacrificing her.A political satire about an inept U.S. President, his dysfunctional family, and his scheming advisors. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Comedy Central from somewhere in the deep dark midwest.
For you who think a all movies are supposed to have some earth shattering plot that moves you in some way this movie is not for you. If on the other hand you have a reasonable grip on reality and understand that comedies are supposed to be funny then this movie is for you. It is a compilation of skits loosly tied together in a theme about a pathetic presidential administration floundering to find a solution to the nations problems. The humor is excellent, and the characters are well played by a very good cast. This is just an opinion and does not reflect the views of ...... or ....., but it should. Thanks for listening.

Funny as Saturday Night Live in parts
This is a stupid movie and not really worth releasing on DVD because you only want to see it once or twice, to point out the few jokes to other people. However, because it was written by Buck Henry and co-starred Gilda Radner, it sometimes has the feeling of Saturday Night Live. In one scene, the President is waving at a crowd with a mechanical dummy, knowing that the people hate him and may want to assassinate him. A woman throws a tomato and knocks the dummy's head off and the crowd is confused as it rolls in the street. It is a little politically incorrect, as it makes fun of native African cultures, but does not rely on ethnic humor.

Stinks Out Loud
Bob Newhart is truly one of America's most inventive and enduring comedians with one of the most successful television and nightclub careers ever. Sadly his film efforts, with the exception of 1971's riotous 'Cold Turkey', have been mostly flat out disasters with this awful film topping the list. There is probably no more agonizing experience than having to sit through an UNfunny comedy and it is hard to imagine one less comical than 'First Family'. Bob Newhart plays the President of the United States and Harvey Korman has a role as a U.N. Ambassador at which I tried to force a smile but didn't quite make it. The rest of the movie isn't even worth mentioning. Like Bob Newhart? Listen to his albums, they're priceless, this film is worthless.

Disappointing
Being a fan of Bob Newhart, Madeline Kahn and Gilda Radner I was very disappointed with this movie, crass humor has worked well in many movies but failed miserably here, it wasn't funny at all!

A very funny political spoof.
Gilda Radner has never been funnier, and with this great movie, she should have won the academy award. Starring Bob Newhart, madeline kahn, Gilda Radner, and Bob Dishy, it focuses on what REALLY happens in the white house, or in this case the nut house! A few jokes don't work, but if you can find this movie you will start laughing. Very rare movie, and only about 300 in New York! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

It Came....and it went!
This movie was loosely based on the Medved brothers' book "The Golden Turkey Awards" which lampooned some of Hollywood's worst movies. Nowadays Michael Medved is best known for being the "family values" movie critic; but in the 1970's he and his brother, Harry, were among the pioneers who ushered in the bad movie lovers phenonmenon with a couple of hysterically funny books ripping some really awful movies to pieces. "It Came from Hollywood" was an attempt to capitalize on the growing cult of bad movie lovers by actually showing clips of some of the worst movies ever put on celluloid and having commentary done by big name comic actors.

Unfortunately, the movie is mixed a bag. It made the HUGE mistake of actually mixing footage of good movies in with the real horrors. Also the comic skits by Ackroyd, Candy, Radner, and, Cheech and Chong are mostly hit and miss. However, the film clips that illustrate such cinematic disasters as "Horror at Party Beach," "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and the work of Ed Wood are for the most part hilarious.

"It Came from Hollywood" was a finacial disaster. It disappeared from movie theaters in record time which prompted one writer to quip, "It Came. . .and it went!" The Medved brothers, who worked as consultants for the movie, would continue to write about bad movies. In the ultimate irony they placed "It Came from Hollywood" in their book on the filmdom's greatest flops- "The Hollywood Hall of Shame."

Very funny stuff, total camp!
I saw this film when I was a child on HBO. My siblings and I used to watch it multiple times, we loved it! It isn't high art but the clips are silly and the scenes inbetween them are a blast. The late John Candy, and Gilda Radner are both hysterical. I could see why this movie may not have made it on the big screen, it isn't really suited for that type of venue. But it is a campy video delight. If you like watching bad movies for fun, they you will love watching bad movies spoofed by some of the funniest people in comedy.

Worth renting for sure!
I don't know if I would buy this but it's definitely worth renting if you like the wit of the old SNL cast. Gilda Radner is great as well as John Candy, even Dan Akroyd is good even though he usually bothers me for a reason I still can't figure out. Cheech and Chong are very, very funny and I didn't even like them in the old days so that says something - somebody obviously held them back just a little bit (but not too much) and in this film it really works - there are some very funny parts. As for the clips of the various B movies they are GREAT - not too long but not too short. They give you just enough of each of these horrible movies without you getting bored (ever sat through the entire Killer Tomatoes?, if so you'll know what I mean). In retrospect I really can't complain about this film at all. I think they did a really good job of it and it's definitely worth a watch.

"What were they thinking?!?"
That's what you will ask yourself while you watch the worst collection of films ever made for audiences ever! You'll get a kick out of seeing how cheesy the sets and costumes were, and of course, they give a big HATS OFF! to Ed Wood, "King of the D Movie." Only for those who think today's movies are lousy -- think you have it bad now? Watch what audiences during the 50s-71 had to deal with!!

When I was a boy!
When I Was 8 years old my dad rented this film. I remember all the in-side jokes, SNL cast and of course Cheech& Chong. It became a staple of my pop culture world, I lost track over the years and now 20 years later I now go back the the place in my head. Most kids my age never saw or heard of this film, well I love Star Wars too, but I went beyond that. In 1982 Bill Paxton's Fish Heads video and It Came From Hollywood were my cult favorets at 8 years old, amazing how some things never change. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One Of the Greatest Holiday Classics Of All Time
I can't believe nobody's reviewed this yet! This is one of my favorite holiday specials ever -- can't quite call it a "Christmas" special, b/c it's not about Chirstmas, really. It's about snow.

This 1974 half-hour classic is a product of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and features the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. Mind you, this special first aired a year or so before these two actors premiered on Saturday Night Live -- quite an artifact.

The story is simple: it takes place in a time before winter had snow, and winter is just an all-round terrible season because of it. So, the townsfolk decide to travel to The Ministry of Winter to make a complaint to Winter in person. Unfortunately, they leave right before Christmas, so most of the townsfolk end up turning back. The only people who stay are Goodly, Nicely, Rotten, Malicious, Small, Tender, and (I think) Zowie. Actually, I don't think his name is Zowie at all, but it's something like that. I think it starts with a "B". He's big and red and shaggy all over - kind of like the Lorax trees from that Dr. Suess book. Anyway...

FYI, Goodly & Rotten are voiced by Dan Aykroyd. Nicely & Malicious are voiced by Gilda Radner, and she provides a narrated introduction.

NOTE: ***SPOILERS IN NEXT PARAGRAPH***
So Goodly, Nicely, Rotten, et. al., get to the Ministry of Winter, and they meet the Secretary of Cold, but she won't let them see Winter without an appointment. She gives them really sloppy directions on how to get to the office that makes the appointments, and so Goodly, Nicely, et. al, get lost in the building. They get separated in pairs, and Goodly and Nicely find their way to Winter's office. They make their case to Winter to make the season nice, but he says no. Meanwhile, Rotten and Malicious set a bomb to blow up the Ministry of Winter, which was their plan all along. Small, Tender, and Zowie (or whatever) accidentally make their way into Winter's office and, without seeing him, comment about how sad Winter must be. He is sad, so he starts crying, which freezes and turns to snow. Small and Tender love the snow immediately, and it puts out the fuse of the bomb that Rotten and Malicious set. Winter is happy for the first time, and all seven of the characters are able to ride the snow back to town just in time for Christmas. And so now we have snow. The end.

I can't say enough about how great this TV special is. The original production quality is cheap, VERY cheap, but it only works to make the special more charming. Almost all of the sound effects are provided by the actors ("TROMP! TROMP! TROMP!" when the people march, "Creeeek..." when a door creeks open), which adds a really nice touch. The background art is very minimal. In fact, all of the animation is cheap. To make up for it, the drawings are stylistically rendered in a fashion that makes the lack of production quality work in its favor. BUY or RENT this on DVD or VHS today! You'll be pleasantly surprised! Used copies of this on VHS are EXTREMELY cheap, too (I saw one listed for $0.98!!!), so I would suggest you go out and add this to your annual Christmas viewing. I watch this every holiday season, and it never ceases to warm my heart.

Oh, and keep an eye out for the scene with the effemminate talking trees. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fell out of my chair laughing!
Literally, I did fall out of my chair laughing, as I have never in my life seen 'Saturday Night Live', as we don't get it over here in England!
There was a feeling whilst watching this video, that the scenes had been carefully chosen, as the video is produced by Belushi's wife, Judy and it comes across as a personal collection.
Highlights include Blues Brothers routines, especially 'Soul Man' when Jake and Elwood suddenly leap into a frenetic dance, Olympia Restaurant "cheesebuga, cheesebuga, cheesebuga, cheesebuga" (you'll understand when you see it), Don Vito Corleone in group therapy, a ballistic, pouring-beer-down-shirt Joe Cocker, but the best has to be 'Samurai Delicatessen' - the great comedians are not just verbal, they are physical - pure bloody genius.
What amazes me about Belushi is that he could take on anybody and play them to perfection - Vito Corleone, Joe Cocker, James T Kirk, heck, I bet even Beethoven was impressed.
The only pity (which is why I don't give it 5 out of 5) is that the tape runs only an hour long, but to be fair, there are little excerpts in the final credits.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy watching one of the funniest men who ever walked the face of this earth.

Belushi's greatest character skecthes performed on SNL!
John Belushi made Saturday Night Live history on television as a legend of comedy in the seventies like his impressions of "Killer Bees", "Samuari", "Joe Cocker", "Jake Joilet" one of the Blues Brothers and the greek restaurant owner saying these famous lines CHEESE BURGER! CHEESE BURGER! SORRY NO COKE WE JUST HAVE PEPSI!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fell out of my chair laughing!
Literally, I did fall out of my chair laughing, as I have never in my life seen 'Saturday Night Live', as we don't get it over here in England!
There was a feeling whilst watching this video, that the scenes had been carefully chosen, as the video is produced by Belushi's wife, Judy and it comes across as a personal collection.
Highlights include Blues Brothers routines, especially 'Soul Man' when Jake and Elwood suddenly leap into a frenetic dance, Olympia Restaurant "cheesebuga, cheesebuga, cheesebuga, cheesebuga" (you'll understand when you see it), Don Vito Corleone in group therapy, a ballistic, pouring-beer-down-shirt Joe Cocker, but the best has to be 'Samurai Delicatessen' - the great comedians are not just verbal, they are physical - pure bloody genius.
What amazes me about Belushi is that he could take on anybody and play them to perfection - Vito Corleone, Joe Cocker, James T Kirk, heck, I bet even Beethoven was impressed.
The only pity (which is why I don't give it 5 out of 5) is that the tape runs only an hour long, but to be fair, there are little excerpts in the final credits.
So, sit back, relax and enjoy watching one of the funniest men who ever walked the face of this earth.

Belushi's greatest character skecthes performed on SNL!
John Belushi made Saturday Night Live history on television as a legend of comedy in the seventies like his impressions of "Killer Bees", "Samuari", "Joe Cocker", "Jake Joilet" one of the Blues Brothers and the greek restaurant owner saying these famous lines CHEESE BURGER! CHEESE BURGER! SORRY NO COKE WE JUST HAVE PEPSI!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Originally hatched in 1978 as a short film parody for Saturday Night Live, this expanded, 70-minute mockumentary on a trend-setting quartet of British mop-tops bloomed into one of Eric Idle's better projects outside Monty Python.Taking the career (and hagiography) of the Beatles and inverting them quite nicely, Idle conjures up four doppelgangers who offer the familiar mannerisms but practically none of the intelligence of their models. If that sounds like the same gag that powered This Is Spinal Tap (which emerged six years later), it is, with the crucial difference that Idle's lampoon is precise where Tap was consciously generic.

In telling the saga of the Rutles, Idle (who doubles as earnest narrator and McCartney-esque Rutle Dirk McQuigley) works from a rich and immediately familiar trove of pop lore, and he has a ball revisiting and reinventing milestones from the Fab Four's fabled history. The attention to period detail helps elevate the gags further, but Idle's real secret weapon is Neil Innes, standing in as Ron Nasty, the Rutles' answer to John Lennon:it's Innes who serves as the musical architect for the wonderful Beatles parodies that give All You Need Is Cash a delicious kick, and Innes, a one-time principal in the legendary Bonzo Dog Band, is gifted enough to capture the band's lyricism and energy as well as their shifting sense of style.

With the blessing and on-camera participation of George Harrison, and wry cameos from Mick Jagger and Paul Simon, All You Need Is Cash is a perfect companion to the Beatles' own glorious screen comedies and a great antidote to sanctimonious pop documentaries. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (63)

A must for Python, Beatles fans
What's genius about the Rutles is this: Watch the Rutles, and then watch one of the Beatles documentaries (the Compleat Beatles, etc) - then note that the Rutles was made PRIOR to any of the decent Beatles documentaries, yet looks like a parody of the real deal.
This mockumentary pre-dates Spinal Tap, and takes a different approach - by chronicalling supposed "source" material - news reels, press conferences, etc. The approach works well for Eric Idle, and the music by Neil Innes is perfect - slightly silly, but more Beatles than Weird Al.
The knowledge of the Beatles - their personal history, their tv appearances, their scandals, etc - is so well known by Idle - makes this mockumentary spot-on accurate, and all the more funny.

The DVD is worth having. If you have this on VHS, you've got a pretty lousy transfer from the original 16mm film. The film was restored and retransfered for DVD, and it casts the movie in a whole new light of clarity.

The bonus material isn't much to write home (or Amazon) about, but it's nice to have the stuff added on such a low priced DVD.

terrific sendup of Beatlemania stands up well after 25 years
In 1978 it was easy to remember Beatlemania, and this sendup of the mass hysteria was spot-on and hilarious. Starting as a skit for Saturday Night Live, and popular enough to get built into a feature-length film, this Eric Idle project is layered with jokes, spoofs, terrific songs, and great cameos by George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Paul Simon and Idle's wife, and it is still very funny 25 years later.

DVD extras are quite good. Eric Idle's commentary is excellent -- informative and entertaining. There are also 4 deleted scenes that last about 18 minutes; a photo gallery with 29 pictures; a "Play Songs Only" option, where you ee only the film's songs (Goose Step Mama, Number One, Between Us, With a Girl Like You, Hold My Hand, I Must Be in Love, Living in Hope, and Ouch!).

The look and sensibility of the film are exactly right, the writing is VERY funny, and the songs are surprisingly Beatle-like and quite listenable. If you are a Beatles or Monty Python fan, or if you just love good comedy, you will probably get a real kick out of this.

Side Splitting Hilarious
The movie was made more than 20 years ago, but retains its relevance as the Beatles continue to be a cultural icon. While the Rutles was not originally intended to be a full length movie, the product is great.

The project was completed long before John Lennon's murder, so all four members could approve the project. The Beatles are spoofed by the characters in the unique personality traits possessed by each member of the fab four and their scandals. The one-liners and song parodies prove Eric Idle's value to Monty Python and strength as comedic writer. The parody on Yoko Ono being "... a Nazi who's father invented World War II" is hilarious. Look for a scene midway through the song "Ouch!" in which Idle can not even control his own laughter at the monsterous woman in a bikini. I bet it a was too hard to get through a take with a straight face. This is a must for Beatles fans and Monty Python fans.

Idle and Innes compliment each other perfectly
This little treasure is something that all Beatles fans, Python fans and early SNL fans should own. It's the one thing that Idle says he is most proud of, and for good reason. His little bits, which perfectly parody the Beatles that Idle so adored, fit seamlessly into Innes' fantastic songs. Idle comments that Innes' songs added another dimension to the Beatles songs they're based off of rather than becoming shameless parodies (are you listening Weird Al?) and he is quite right.

The film contains moments of comic genius, but mind you they're mostly subtle moments of comic genius. The people I've run into that didn't think this film is funny at all tend to like the blatant, loud, American-style humor. So be patient with the humor, enjoy the music and discover the true genius of the Rutles.

By the end of the film, I almost cared more about the fictional Rutles than I did about the actual Beatles. (And I'm a huge Beatles fanatic) It's just a fantastic, fun film for those who can appreciate the true, witty humor.

Attention All Beatle Fans: BUY THIS!
If you're a Beatle fan, and for some reason you've never heard of this film, immediatley purchase this DVD!
IT is the ultimate parody of Beatlemania. The Rutles was initially released as a made for NBC TV film in 1978. Created by the Saturday Night Live team and Eric Idle (Monty Python), it has a distinct British flavor and Pythonesque sense of humor. It is basically a "mockumentary". Here's an example: after "Nasty" (John Lennon) proclaims the Rutles are bigger than God, the public is outraged, and start burning Rutle records. Record sales soared, people were buying them just to burn them! It turns out that the journalist who interviewed Nasty was hard of hearing. Nasty said the Rutles were bigger than "Rod" (Stewart)!!
The mockumentary covers the entire Beatle phenomenon up to their break-up.
The film gained more fans on video, and is now a bonafide cult classic. The music by Neil Innes (who wrote songs for Python) is superb, and he is perfect as John Lennon. Eric Idle plays McCartney and directs. The songs parodies are also on cd. They are amazingly Beatle-like.
The film is never critical, but made as a tribute with large doses of humor. The harsh aspects of Beatlemania are lightened. For example, Brian Epstein does not die in Rutleland, he accepts a teaching post in Australia.
Even if you are not a Beatle fan, this film is still a lot of fun, although you may not get all of the references. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Overshadowed by his high-profile leads in such '70s landmarks as Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jack Nicholson's remarkably complex turn in this raucous yet ultimately somber road movie also remains his most underrated. As the snarling, hedonistic, but emotionally lost Navy lifer Billy Budduskey, Nicholson teams with fellow sailor "Mule" (Otis Young) on a seemingly simple duty of escorting a naive thief (Randy Quaid) from the Norfolk naval base to the brig in Massachusetts. Though polar opposites--Mule is hard-nosed Navy, while the first image of Budduskey shows him asleep in a chair, tattered and tattooed, gripping a near-empty bottle of cheap wine--both sailors learn that the 18-year-old will lose eight years of his life for a petty theft, and agree to cram his lost years into one booze-, sex-, and drug-infested (lost) weekend. From bizarre religious ceremonies to drunken nights in New York brothels, the two sailors provide all the sins they can think of, while their charge, Meadows, appears to go along just to please his escorts. The older sailors are definitely having more fun, essentially projecting all of their own lost freedom onto Meadows. The young sailor's ultimate doom mirrors the daily prison lived by both Budduskey and Mule, and director Hal Ashby hangs a decisive air of bleakness and claustrophobia over screenwriter Robert Towne's profane humor. When the question of whether to let the poor teenager escape ultimately arrives for the two sailors, the final decision is relatively pointless: in or out of prison, all three men are trapped by the Establishment and their own lost free will. --Dave McCoy ... Read more

Reviews (19)

An Unsung Classic
Directed by Hal Ashby, who made such powerful commentaries on life in America as SHAMPOO, COMING HOME, BEING THERE and the cult-favorite HAROLD AND MAUDE, THE LAST DETAIL offers the story of three U.S. Navy sailors on a toot--and at the time of its 1973 release it was chiefly noted as the most profane film to achieve a mainstream release. The passage of time has dimmed that profanity's bite, but nothing can dim the power of its performances, it's darkly funny story, or the director's bitter vision of both life in the Navy and the urban decay of 1970s America.

Two Navy-lifers (Jack Nicholson and Otis Young) are ordered to escort a young sailor (Randy Quaid) to a military prison, where he will do eight years followed by dishonorable discharge for attempting to steal a charity jar containing forty dollars. Once the trip gets underway, they realize the young sailor is essentially an innocent--and they set out to show him a good time before he is locked away. And their idea of a good time ranges from a bout of hard drinking in a hotel room to a brawl in a men's restroom to an evening with New York hookers. Along the way, Nicholson and Young gradually realize that they are just as much in prison as Quaid will soon be--victims of their own ennui, serving out their sentences in a military that fosts coarseness, frustration, and mindless machisimo as a matter of course.

The performances are excellent throughout. This was the film that launched Nicholson to stardom--but it is also a film that allows us to see what Nicholson could do before he became immured in the trappings of his own fame and collapsed into self-characture: he is every bit as good here as he would be in ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and CHINATOWN. Otis Young, an actor whose career never quite took off, is Nicholson's equal here, balancing Nicholson's excesses with his no less firey but considerably more commonsense role. And Randy Quaid scores an equally memorable performance as the young sailor, while Carol Kane gives a memorable turn as one of the hookers they encounter in their travels. Watch closely and you'll also discover a very young Gilda Radner as a member of a religious cult.

In spite of the noteriety it received upon release, like many of the best films of the 1970s THE LAST DETAIL has fallen through the cracks to become a largely unsung classic. Fashion changed, and with the advent of Ronald Regan, the stock market boom, and two decades of heavy-handed materialism Americans abandoned their cinematic realism and social statement in favor of big budget, special effects heavy, and largely escapist film. But the pendulum inevitably swings back, and now that we face serious issues both at home and abroad such films as THE LAST DETAIL are at last, perhaps, beginning to come into their own. Strongly recommended.

You Can See Different Worlds When You Join the Navy
Jack Nicholson is a performer with the rare ability to completely immerse himself in a chosen role and convince the audience of the stark reality of his performance. Playing Navy Signalman First Class Billy "Badass" Buddusky in Hal Ashby's 1973 film rendition of Darryl Ponicsan's novel, "The Last Detail" is a sterling example of that uncommon talent. Rough-edged but understanding, crude but compassionate, Buddusky and fellow "lifer" Gunner's Mate First Class "Mule" Mulhall (skillfully portrayed by Otis Young) are "detailed" as armed Shore Patrol guards to escort a young sailor, Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid) from Norfolk, Va. to a naval prison in Portsmouth, NH in order to serve an eight-year sentence after being convicted at a court-martial of petty theft. The five-day journey northward is an adventure for all three. Sympathizing with Meadows's plight, apprised of his utter naivete and realizing his sentence far exceeds the severity of the offense, Buddusky and Mulhall conduct their version of a cram course in traditional male rights of passage--ranging from a drunken spree in Washington, D.C. to duking it out with Marines in New York City and getting their charge sexually initiated with a Boston prostitute--if for no other reason than to give him some taste of what he will not be experiencing for a long time and to teach him in some small way to assert himself as an individual. The novel and the film (which was released almost immediately after the book hit the racks) was initially hailed as a polemic against what many believed was the cold indifference of the military establishment. However, since that time, it has been judged more a compelling "slice of life" drama about the complexities of everyday human behavior and how it is shaped by our own decisions and by entities beyond our immediate purview. And, more importantly, it forces us to think about how our ever-more-complicated society is increasingly unable to find ways to help its young people constructively mark transition into adulthood. END

Yo-Di-Lo-Di-Lo-Yeh-Dee-Hooooooooo!!!!
Ohhh, Jack! How hard you make it for your fans to decide which one of your films is the best. This one ai'nt restricted to the navy, but to any enlisted U.S. serviceman, past, present or future. If only the chaser duties I did from Ft Bragg to Camp Lejeune were this classic....

SIMPLY THE BEST
When I first saw this great film I was living in Australia and this was my first taste of east coast 70"s USA in winter and it was spot on.Since then I have spent many a long cold winter in Pa ,thats why I now live happily in Fla. Other reviewers have told the story of the film really well but I feel that this was easily Nicholsons best as he nails every scene without smothering his two "shipmates: .I will turn on this masterpiece of real life just to see a certain scene when I have the time.The beginning; " when you"re in the navy , and you"re in transit no one knows where the f--k you are, so go tell the M A A to go f--k himself." or to relive the bar scene where Nicholson loses it when the bartender refuses to serve the kid as they try to show him a good time before he goes to the brig for 8 years.Yes it is certainly a film that ranks with the greats , I watch it regularly and I strongly recommend it to anyone 17 years and older.

For Every Navy Enlisted Man (or Person)

If you've ever been (or are) a U.S. Navy Petty Officer, you have to see this movie. It is the most true-to-life depiction of life as a sailor ever put on the screen. The daily grind, the trudging through the system as lifers, then the highs of getting out and going crazy; it's all here in perfect detail, acted with perfect intonation by all three leads.

Other Amazon reviewers have commmented on the language of the characters, making the constant profanity out to be a kind of social or emotional statement. Believe me (as a six-year veteran and first class petty officer, in the Navy just about when this movie was made), there is nothing in this script that has not been said by every sailor every day in every routine situation; it's just the common argot of every enlisted man who ever served in the U.S. Navy -- not a social statement. In fact, I wonder how Towne got it so perfect. Even the detail of Nicholson's character (who is a Signalman) talking across the room by waving his fingers as signal flags is right on; I remember seeing every signalman I ever knew doing the same thing.

If you were ever in the enlisted Navy, you must see this movie. It'll bring it all rushing back. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not Just Belushi's Shadow
I watched this last night and was blown away. Dan Ackroyd is sooo underrated. People always mention Chevy, Belushi, and Bill Murray, but Dan Ackroyd was the anchor to the whole shebang. If you watch this, notice how he never seems to screw up. He's always on cue, even when he's a mile a minute sleazy salesman in a fake ad. This is saying a lot, considering it was live TV in front of millions. But most of all, he's hilarious. There's Fred Garvin..Male Prostitute; the guy accused of producing dangerous Halloween costumes...like the Johnny Adventure Action Set (or something like that), which includes oily rags and a giant Zippo. He also did a Christmas toy one (not included here, unfortunately) which was simply a bag of nails. The Wild and Crazy Guys are included, as well as Elwood, and the Coneheads. Omitted, unfortunately, is his Point/Counterpoint, featuring the famous line, "Jane, you ignorant slut"; but see this anyway. It's a reminder of just how great and innovative and irreverent the Not Ready for Prime Time Players were. And how brilliant Dan Ackroyd was and is.

Its hilarious!
He is one of SNL's funniest comedians. It has all his best sketckes all rolled up into one. I recomend this video to anyone. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"Crystal and Radner Support the Animalympics"
What really makes this film different than any of the animated movies made here in the 90s by Disney, Warner Bros., Fox or any other, is that it includes the late 70s style put in to effect by the music and songs of 10CC member Graham Gouldman and animation created by Steven Lisberger, Roger Allers and John Norton. What's even better are the voices by Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer and Michael Fremer as the team who supply numerous talent to all the TV crew of Z.O.O. and the animal atheletes themselves competing in similar Olympic sports like ours. All of this are what makes the TV film "Animalympics" a joy to watch for all children. The only thing that seperates the film from earning 5 stars is the dialogue and sound recorded which makes it a little hard to sound out, but it's not Dolby Stereo's fault. Hmmm, perhaps they should remaster it in THX. Lisberger Studios, 1979, Not Rated.

One of the best!
I first saw this movie when it was shown on HBO and my family was young. The quality of the tape we made was horrible, but we all just loved to sit and watch it over and over again. Every year we waited for the olympics to roll around hoping to see this classic, but it never showed up on tv.

When I found it here at Amazon I jumped at the chance to own it again and was delighted to find that it held the same magic now that it did almost 20 years ago!

Billy Crystal and Gilda Radner are absolutely magnificent with their voice characterizations. I've always thought the segment with "Dogri-La" was a little rediculous and added nothing to the film.

I was totally blown away, however, when I saw on Amazon that this film is rated *R*! Why the adult rating? This has to be Amazon's rating, as it is not rated on the case. I suggest parents use their own discretion, but I see absolutely nothing in this film that suggests a rating less than PG!

All in all, this film is a classic and would be enjoyed by people of all ages. A classic!!

Z.O.O. ON YOU!!!
I have such fond memories of this film...I can't even hum the melody of "With You I Could Run Forever"..without a tear coming to my eye...Saw it as a kid and been searching for it ever since so that my husband and kids can enjoy it like I did.
I'm saving my pennies until someone re-releases it on DVD!
Fave scene...? The Contessa (a beautiful female Hawk) fencing with the Barron (a disgusting warthog) and winning the gold!!!

Barbara Warbler
I remember loving this movie when I was a kid. It is extremely imaginative and highly entertaining. It is also pretty clever - the ostrich (I think) commentator is Barbara Warbler, and she talks with a lisp. Granted, I'm pretty sure I didn't really get it at the time, but it is very intelligent humour considering it's aimed at little kids.

My absolute favourite part - the Calamari Brothers bobsled team. And the alligator diver guy when he dances like John Travolta. I think I memorised that dance.

I am so happy I came across this - I'm totally going to buy it and refresh my memory! If you have kids - you should absolutely buy this and let them watch it over and over and over and over again.

I loved this as a kid... saw it on HBO
I can't wait for them to release a DVD version.

My favorite part was the diving scene and the music that played during it.

Awesome animation, very funny at times, lots of jokes and also jokes of the time period for pop culture.

Jason ... Read more

Amazon.com

For a few years in the mid-1970s, thanks mostly to his collaboration with Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder was the hottest name in comedy. His films with Richard Pryor made him such a star that he was given the chance to write and direct--a big mistake. The nadir was this slow-moving, self-conscious Americanization of the French bedroom comedy Pardon Mon Affaire. Wilder plays an American executive who glimpses a gorgeous woman and turns his life and his marriage upside down in his misguided pursuit of an unattainable ideal. Heavy-handed sex farce doesn't get much help from Wilder, who does himself no favors as a director; LeBrock is a worthy object of obsession, but she deserves a better movie. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hilariously Funny!!!!
This is a funny movie from start to finish it is about Gene Wilder and his friends as they cheat on their mates and the consequences that they pay for doing this it stars Gene Wilder, Kelly LeBrock, and Gene's wife Gilda Radner this movie is good from start to finish I love this whole movie this is a hilariously funny I love it and I enjoy it so therefore I would reccommend anyone who likes Gene Wilder to buy this video because it is so funny and you will enjoy it is so very funny and I would reccommend anyone who likes comedy to purchase it this movie will make you laugh from beginning to end!!!!

Still Entertaining
I have seen "The Woman In Red" back in the 80's, and I just bought the DVD recently when it came out. Watching it again did not seem as joyful as it did 15 years ago. Anyway, it was worth watching.

Special Treat
There is a cool little thing that happens in this movie and you won't want to miss it. They show Kelly LeBrock's bush.

Magical, Musical Mayhem......
LeBrock & Wilder, the most unlikely of couples are thrown together through a tram-re-launch advertising campaign, run by Wilder. Wilder with his spark of romance long extinguished through his 'very ordinary' marriage to Judith Ivey and his fashion sense lodged 10 years in the past embarks on a comedy of errors as he attempts to woo the sparkling LeBrock. The supporting cast are superb as a constant supply of fuel for Wilders amazing comedic skills. His observation of the male ego when it comes into contact with a beautiful woman is incisive and uncomfortably familiar. With an accompanying soundtrack by the legendary Stevie Wonder, this movie stands out as one of the unsung heroes of the eighties, the irony being that 'I just called to say I love you' was one of the most sung hits of the decade. A valued addition to any Video collection, which should be visited on regular basis.

Bright, breeezy, BEAUTIFUL!
An excellent comedy which makes the most out of Gene Wilder's considerable comic talent. THE WOMAN IN RED is a charming, simple romp following the adventures of shy Teddy who is infatuated with a beautiful model (Le Brock - so who can blame him! )Wilder is just so funny from when he shows himself as the world's worst horserider (who used to teach it to earn pocket money, of course!), to throwing a mock tantrum in his bath or verbalising his pseudonym (Irving...Julius Irving) to a hotel keeper. The picture remains a treasure with fine visual gags and Stevie Wonder's fabulous theme song "I Just Called To Say I Love You." So, if you need an added sparkle in your day see it...or see it again! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Radner and Wilder Rule!! Delightful Mystery Spoof!!
The beautiful and reknowned late Gilda Radner with Gene Wilder rule in this delightful mystery spoof about a mistaken murder.Check it out!!Gilda, we all love and miss you dearly!! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"Crystal and Radner Support the Animalympics"
What really makes this film different than any of the animated movies made here in the 90s by Disney, Warner Bros., Fox or any other, is that it includes the late 70s style put in to effect by the music and songs of 10CC member Graham Gouldman and animation created by Steven Lisberger, Roger Allers and John Norton. What's even better are the voices by Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Harry Shearer and Michael Fremer as the team who supply numerous talent to all the TV crew of Z.O.O. and the animal atheletes themselves competing in similar Olympic sports like ours. All of this are what makes the TV film "Animalympics" a joy to watch for all children. The only thing that seperates the film from earning 5 stars is the dialogue and sound recorded which makes it a little hard to sound out, but it's not Dolby Stereo's fault. Hmmm, perhaps they should remaster it in THX. Lisberger Studios, 1979, Not Rated.

One of the best!
I first saw this movie when it was shown on HBO and my family was young. The quality of the tape we made was horrible, but we all just loved to sit and watch it over and over again. Every year we waited for the olympics to roll around hoping to see this classic, but it never showed up on tv.

When I found it here at Amazon I jumped at the chance to own it again and was delighted to find that it held the same magic now that it did almost 20 years ago!

Billy Crystal and Gilda Radner are absolutely magnificent with their voice characterizations. I've always thought the segment with "Dogri-La" was a little rediculous and added nothing to the film.

I was totally blown away, however, when I saw on Amazon that this film is rated *R*! Why the adult rating? This has to be Amazon's rating, as it is not rated on the case. I suggest parents use their own discretion, but I see absolutely nothing in this film that suggests a rating less than PG!

All in all, this film is a classic and would be enjoyed by people of all ages. A classic!!

Z.O.O. ON YOU!!!
I have such fond memories of this film...I can't even hum the melody of "With You I Could Run Forever"..without a tear coming to my eye...Saw it as a kid and been searching for it ever since so that my husband and kids can enjoy it like I did.
I'm saving my pennies until someone re-releases it on DVD!
Fave scene...? The Contessa (a beautiful female Hawk) fencing with the Barron (a disgusting warthog) and winning the gold!!!

Barbara Warbler
I remember loving this movie when I was a kid. It is extremely imaginative and highly entertaining. It is also pretty clever - the ostrich (I think) commentator is Barbara Warbler, and she talks with a lisp. Granted, I'm pretty sure I didn't really get it at the time, but it is very intelligent humour considering it's aimed at little kids.

My absolute favourite part - the Calamari Brothers bobsled team. And the alligator diver guy when he dances like John Travolta. I think I memorised that dance.

I am so happy I came across this - I'm totally going to buy it and refresh my memory! If you have kids - you should absolutely buy this and let them watch it over and over and over and over again.

I loved this as a kid... saw it on HBO
I can't wait for them to release a DVD version.

My favorite part was the diving scene and the music that played during it.

Awesome animation, very funny at times, lots of jokes and also jokes of the time period for pop culture.

Jason ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One Of the Greatest Holiday Classics Of All Time
I can't believe nobody's reviewed this yet! This is one of my favorite holiday specials ever -- can't quite call it a "Christmas" special, b/c it's not about Chirstmas, really. It's about snow.

This 1974 half-hour classic is a product of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and features the voices of Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. Mind you, this special first aired a year or so before these two actors premiered on Saturday Night Live -- quite an artifact.

The story is simple: it takes place in a time before winter had snow, and winter is just an all-round terrible season because of it. So, the townsfolk decide to travel to The Ministry of Winter to make a complaint to Winter in person. Unfortunately, they leave right before Christmas, so most of the townsfolk end up turning back. The only people who stay are Goodly, Nicely, Rotten, Malicious, Small, Tender, and (I think) Zowie. Actually, I don't think his name is Zowie at all, but it's something like that. I think it starts with a "B". He's big and red and shaggy all over - kind of like the Lorax trees from that Dr. Suess book. Anyway...

FYI, Goodly & Rotten are voiced by Dan Aykroyd. Nicely & Malicious are voiced by Gilda Radner, and she provides a narrated introduction.

NOTE: ***SPOILERS IN NEXT PARAGRAPH***
So Goodly, Nicely, Rotten, et. al., get to the Ministry of Winter, and they meet the Secretary of Cold, but she won't let them see Winter without an appointment. She gives them really sloppy directions on how to get to the office that makes the appointments, and so Goodly, Nicely, et. al, get lost in the building. They get separated in pairs, and Goodly and Nicely find their way to Winter's office. They make their case to Winter to make the season nice, but he says no. Meanwhile, Rotten and Malicious set a bomb to blow up the Ministry of Winter, which was their plan all along. Small, Tender, and Zowie (or whatever) accidentally make their way into Winter's office and, without seeing him, comment about how sad Winter must be. He is sad, so he starts crying, which freezes and turns to snow. Small and Tender love the snow immediately, and it puts out the fuse of the bomb that Rotten and Malicious set. Winter is happy for the first time, and all seven of the characters are able to ride the snow back to town just in time for Christmas. And so now we have snow. The end.

I can't say enough about how great this TV special is. The original production quality is cheap, VERY cheap, but it only works to make the special more charming. Almost all of the sound effects are provided by the actors ("TROMP! TROMP! TROMP!" when the people march, "Creeeek..." when a door creeks open), which adds a really nice touch. The background art is very minimal. In fact, all of the animation is cheap. To make up for it, the drawings are stylistically rendered in a fashion that makes the lack of production quality work in its favor. BUY or RENT this on DVD or VHS today! You'll be pleasantly surprised! Used copies of this on VHS are EXTREMELY cheap, too (I saw one listed for $0.98!!!), so I would suggest you go out and add this to your annual Christmas viewing. I watch this every holiday season, and it never ceases to warm my heart.

Oh, and keep an eye out for the scene with the effemminate talking trees. ... Read more