The Hollywood Knights (1980)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Floyd Mutrux

Writers:

Floyd Mutrux (story) and
Richard Lederer (story) ...

Release Date:

30 May 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

At last, a motion picture that moons a man on the land.

Plot:

Led by their comedic and pranking leader, Newbomb Turk, the Hollywood Knights car gang raise hell throughout Beverly Hills on Halloween Night...

Plot Keywords:

Halloween | High School | Hollywood Sign | Drive In Restaurant | Beverly Hills California

Cast

Robert Wuhl	...	Newbomb Turk
Tony Danza	...	Duke
Fran Drescher	...	Sally
Leigh French	...	Jacqueline Freedman
Randy Gornel	...	Wheatly
Gary Graham	...	Jimmy Shine
Sandy Helberg	...	Officer Clark
James Jeter	...	Smitty
Stuart Pankin	...	Dudley Laywicker
P.R. Paul	...	Simpson
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Suzie Q
Gailard Sartain	...	Bimbeau
Julius Averitt	...	Earle
Richard Schaal	...	Nevans
Steve Ballard	...	Mechanic

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

A&W Root Beer - Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Casablanca Filmworks

Trivia:

Duke's yellow '57 Chevy was "Popular Hot Rodding" magazine's famous "Project X" test car. The transmission was damaged during filming (you can see the smoke roll over the top of the car when the engine gets hurt during the race with the Cobra).

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Tony Danza's name appears in the opening credits, but is missing from the ending credits.

Quotes:

Bimbeau: [singing to the theme of Lawrence of Arabia] Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia. He was an English Guy. He came to fight the Turkish.

Movie Connections:

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Soundtrack:

Baby Love

hot rods from heck

We first saw this little opus on cable, and rushed out to get a blank tape right away. The first major film for Tony Danza, Michelle Pfieffer, and Robert Wuhl, "The Hollywood Knights" is funny, gross, bawdy, and nostalgic all at the same time. Is it a rip-off of "American Graffiti"? Um, yeah, but it's still a very funny film in its own right. Is it gross and lewd in spots? Well. . .yeah, but we can think of more egregious examples, like "Porky's". Does it deserve an "R" rating? Not when you consider some of the other dreck that's been put in the can. Undoubtedly the most memorable scene is Newbomb's rendition of "Volare'" in the school gym; a masterpiece of lowbrow humor, but funnier than. . .well, you can fill in the blank. Bottom line: a small-budget gem, if you can take it. If you're easily offended, lighten up. After all, there's LOTS worse out there!