What's Up, Doc? (1972)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Peter Bogdanovich (story)
Buck Henry (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 March 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music | Romance

Tagline:

A screwball comedy. Remember them?

Plot:

Two researchers have come to San Francisco to compete for a research grant in Music. One seems a bit distracted...

Plot Keywords:

Jewel | Hotel | Prehistoric | Love | Spy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Judy Maxwell
Ryan O'Neal	...	Dr. Howard Bannister
Madeline Kahn	...	Eunice Burns
Kenneth Mars	...	Hugh Simon
Austin Pendleton	...	Frederick Larrabee
Michael Murphy	...	Mr. Smith
Philip Roth	...	Mr. Jones (as Phil Roth)
Sorrell Booke	...	Harry
Stefan Gierasch	...	Fritz
Mabel Albertson	...	Mrs. Van Hoskins
Liam Dunn	...	Judge Maxwell
John Hillerman	...	Mr. Kaltenborn
George Morfogen	...	Rudy, the Headwaiter
Graham Jarvis	...	Bailiff
Randy Quaid	...	Professor Hosquith

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (DVD rating) | Finland:S | Norway:12 | Sweden:Btl | USA:G | West Germany:12 | Australia:G | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

22nd Avenue & Balboa Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Saticoy Productions

Trivia:

Liam Dunn was primarily a casting director before Peter Bogdanovich offered him the role of Judge Maxwell.

Goofs:

Continuity: While Eunice decides to take Howard's rocks back to his room, she hurriedly puts her wig on and it teeters on her head messily. When she opens her door and walks down the hall, her wig is neat and fitting perfectly.

Quotes:

Eunice: Now, tell me how you are going to introduce yourself.
Howard: What? Oh, well, I'll probably say something like "Hello there, Mr Larrabee. I'm Howard."
Eunice: You are not.
Howard: I am not Howard.
Eunice: You are not going to say "Hi, my name's Howard." Anyone could say that! Anyone.
Howard: Anyone named Howard.

Movie Connections:

References A Wild Hare (1940)

Soundtrack:

Santa Lucia

Silly slap stick humour at its best

This film really does make the equivalent Carry On movies extremely juvenile. Very rarely, if at all does this film delve into lavatorial/innuendo humour. All of its humour is based on slapstick and a terrific script full of one-liners that you never tire of viewing. They could have made a sequel, but then the humour would have soured in the same way that the Naked Gun or Airplane films did. All the characterisations are spot on, everyone except Striesand is portrayed as being bumbling unsubtle fools including the CIA and Russian spys. It's basically a change to see the Americans not taking themselves seriously for once. Kenneth Mars is very amusing as O'Neal's opponent for the music grant. Of particular note is the car chase in San Francisco in an exaggerated Bullitt style. Granted, it is very dated - it's 1972 and chequered flares and velvet is much in evidence, but this adds to the film's charm. It is one of the few films that I was sad to see ending...