Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) teams up with Hawaiian detective Harry Hoo (Joey Forman) to track down his old enemy, The Claw (Leonard Strong) in The Amazing Harry Hoo. Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, this episode was first broadcast on 12 March, 1966. The episode is a little problematic in that you have a…
Tag: slapstick
Lake Michigan Monster (2018) – Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
I loved Hundreds of Beavers so I was eager to check out an earlier film from the creative duo behind it, Lake Michigan Monster. Sharing some of the film’s creative styles, it’s shot in black and white, made to look like a throwback to yesteryear, and has a goofy sense of humor that slides from…
Family Ties (1987/1988) – Anniversary Waltz, Miracle in Columbus, and The Play’s the Thing
Hot on the trail of last week’s clip show comes an episode that was produced in 1983 for the second season. For some reason it sat on the shelf until 1987. Written by Alan Uger, this episode was finally broadcast on 16 December, 1987. It’s Steven (Michael Gross) and Elyse’s (Meredith Baxter) 20th Anniversary. While…
Family Ties (1985) – Family Ties Vacation
Season Four of Family Ties gets to a shakey start with a pretty terrible made-for-TV movie that sees the Keaton family jetting across the ocean to England. Taking the family out of their sit-com environment where they can deliver messages, and important themes, and delve into ethical situations and putting them in a slapstick version…
Zombies on Broadway (1945) – Gordon Douglas
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book by director John Landis, moves on to the realm of the mad scientist, leaving werewolves behind. And the first one I dove into was this genuinely funny film from 1945. It’s marred by moments of racism, but the rest of it proves to be very enjoyable. It what…
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) – Rudy De Luca
They aren’t all going to be winners as I continue to sink my fangs into the vampire chapter in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book. This stinker from 1985 boasts a pretty solid cast, but is terribly written (and directed) by Rudy De Luca. Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley Jr. share the dubious honor…
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) – Mel Brooks
It was going to happen sooner or later. I was going to come across the first of the parody/comedy films that sprang up around vampires as I continue to work my way through the highly enjoyable Monsters in the Movies written by John Landis, and released through DK Canada. So it’s time to let Mel…
Tag (2018) – Blu-Ray Review
Hitting blu-ray and DVD today from Warner Brothers is Tag, the new comedy starring Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher and Jeremy Renner. Based loosely on a true story, which is hilarious and entertaining in its own right, Helms, Renner and Hamm along side Jake Johnson and Hannibal Buress play childhood friends that have been…
Star Trek: How Much For Just the Planet? (1987) – John M. Ford
Set phasers to absurd! I dug into the next Trek Pocket Book in the series before I dive into the next Dark Tower instalment, and this one left me a little dubious. The book is basically a musical comedy, and it doesn’t always work, but it is steeped in nods to other Trek writers, classic…
Jerry Lewis: 10 Films Collection
No matter one’s opinion of Jerry Lewis, you can’t deny he had an effect on slapstick, and comedy during the 50s and 60s. Paramount Pictures now releases a ten movie collection spanning that era that showcases Lewis’ talent both in front of and behind the camera in a set that shares some of his classic…
The Mind Reels 