What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)

In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.

Directors:

Woody Allen, Senkichi Taniguchi

Writers:

Woody Allen, Julie Bennett,

Stars:

Tatsuya Mihashi, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tatsuya Mihashi	...	Phil Moscowitz (archive footage)
Akiko Wakabayashi	...	Suki Yaki (archive footage)
Mie Hama	...	Teri Yaki (archive footage)
John Sebastian	...	Himself (as The Lovin' Spoonful)
Tadao Nakamaru	...	Shepherd Wong (archive footage)
Susumu Kurobe	...	Wing Fat (archive footage)
Sachio Sakai	...	Hoodlum (archive footage) (as A No Star Cast)
Hideyo Amamoto	...	Cobra Man (archive footage)
Tetsu Nakamura	...	Foreign Minister (archive footage) (as A No Star Cast)
Osman Yusuf	...	Gambler (archive footage) (as A No Star Cast)
Woody Allen	...	Himself / Dub Voice / Projectionist
Zal Yanovsky	...	Himself (as The Lovin' Spoonful)
Joe Butler	...	Himself (as The Lovin' Spoonful)
Steve Boone	...	Himself (as The Lovin' Spoonful)
Frank Buxton	...	Dub Voice (voice)

Storyline

So you want Plot? Woody Allen bought a Japanese spy movie, removed the voice track, and replaced it with one of his own. He doesn't seem to have bothered with the original script at all. Typical Joke: "Back off! My secret spy camera has taken pictures of you all through your clothes. Unless you release me, your naked photos will be sold in every school yard in Tokyo within the hour. Unless you are totally comfortable with your body, you must release me." Very funny, but also very unusual.

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Plot Keywords:

egg salad | recipe | prologue | dancing | reverse footage | 

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Taglines:

WOODY ALLEN STRIKES BACK!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

2 November 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lily la tigresse

Filming Locations:

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Benedict Pictures Corp., National Recording Studios, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 76 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The addition of The Lovin' Spoonful was a studio imposition to bump up the running time. Woody Allen was so incensed by this that he threatened to sue the studio, although he later recanted when the film became a hit.

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Goofs

When the Port of Yokohama is shown, the captions call it "Yokahama".

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Quotes

Wing Fat: [Surronded by Shepard Wong's henchman] Ha, ha, ha! The joke's on you, I threw that suitcase overboard to my henchman. He's right out there!
Guy On The Boat: Hey boss! Hey Boss! I got the bag! Oh, I'm such a terrific henchman!

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Crazy Credits

Woody Allen is laying on a couch eating an apple while a woman stripper is taking her black dress and undergarments off in front of him. Meanwhile the end credits scroll up on the right side of the screen. The credits say: The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. And if you have been reading this instead of looking at the girl, then see your psychiatrist, or go to a good eye doctor (the credits now scroll faster and give and eye test): E 1 FP 2 TOZ 3 LPED 4 PECFD 5 EDFCZP 6 FELOPZD 7 DEFPOTEC 8 LEFODPCT 9 FSFPTFED 10 ????????? 11 By this time, the stripper is about to remove her underwear. Woody stops her and says, "I promised I'd put her in the film somewhere." (only his voice is dubbed) THE END (appears in the lower left)

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Connections

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

User Reviews

Oh come on you bunch of sourpusses!

It's not "Manhattan", it's not "Sleeper" and it's not "Small Time Crooks" but it's funny, it's wacky in that 60's way and it's not the bad stinker of a movie people here think it is. Watch it with a some friends or some beer (or both) and just enjoy it. Sour grapes because Woody did what a lot of film nerds want to do? And the whole "Saracen pigs! Saxon dogs! Roman cow!" when Phil Moskowitz karate chops villains is a precursor to Austin Powers' "judo chop". This movie is a one off, and a pretty good one off as well.

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