The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Rowland Barber (book)
Norman Lear (writer)

Release Date:

22 December 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

If You Can't Stand The Terrific Girls (10 Count 'Em 10) There's Always The Comics

Plot:

Rachel arrives in New York from her Amish community intent on becoming a dancer. Unfortunately Billy...

Plot Keywords:

Amish | Stripper | Female Nudity

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 16	10:45 AM	TMC
Tue. July 21	7:45 AM	TMC

Cast

Jason Robards	...	Raymond Paine
Britt Ekland	...	Rachel Elizabeth Schpitendavel
Norman Wisdom	...	Chick Williams
Forrest Tucker	...	Trim Houlihan
Harry Andrews	...	Jacob Schpitendavel
Joseph Wiseman	...	Louis Minsky
Denholm Elliott	...	Vance Fowler, Secretary of the Society for the Supression of Vice
Elliott Gould	...	Billy Minsky
Jack Burns	...	Candy Butcher
Bert Lahr	...	Professor Spats
Gloria LeRoy	...	Mae Harris
Eddie Lawrence	...	Scratch
Dexter Maitland	...	Duffy
Lillian Hayman	...	Singer in Speakeasy
Richard Libertini	...	Pockets (as Dick Libertini)

Also Known As:

The Night They Invented Striptease

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for suggestive content and brief nudity.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Tandem Productions

Trivia:

Burlesque legend Joey Faye was stand-in for the incomplete scenes of Bert Lahr who passed away during filming.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Rachel says she has never kissed a man without a beard but an Amishman does not shave his beard after he becomes married.

Quotes:

Jacob Schpitendavel: I need your help, Louis Minsky. My daughter will not be welcome in my home if she stays the night to dance upon your son's stage. There is a train in 51 minutes. You must tell your son to see she is on it.
Louis Minsky: You see this chair? Tell it to dance. See if it listens. That's how much my Billy listens to me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Alice: The Night They Raided Debbie's (#9.13)" (1985)

Soundtrack:

The Night They Raided Minsky's

Love those Amish...

Everyone may know William Friedkin for "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist", but this gem from before his heyday will always come to my mind. During the movie's first few minutes, you're not exactly sure where it's going, but then we meet Rachel Schpitendavel (Britt Ekland), an Amish woman who has just arrived in 1920's New York City. Not quite sure where to go in this bustling metropolis, she goes to Billy Minsky's Burlesque House. Of course, she doesn't know that burlesque involves some stuff that is perpetually anathema to the Amish lifestyle. But performer Raymond Paine (Jason Robards Jr) sees some real potential in her. Meanwhile, there are two forces at work against Rachel's potential success: her father has arrived in town to take her back to the farm, and the police are seeking to shut down the burlesque house.

Overall, "The Night They Raided Minsky's" is one of those nostalgia pieces that always has something coming. Interestingly, it was also a debut and farewell: Elliott Gould made his film debut playing Billy Minsky, and Bert "Cowardly Lion" Lahr plays a role too (he actually died while they were filming). Maybe this movie's not a masterpiece, but it's truly got something for everyone. Cool.