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:

Tue. July 21	7:45 AM	TMC
Sun. July 26	9:20 AM	TMC
Wed. July 29	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:

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

Goofs:

Continuity: In the closeup of Rachele's breasts, her hair lies over her left shoulder. When the camera shows her face and upper torso in the next shot, her hair is not over her shoulder.

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:

Spoofed in "Get Smart: The Day They Raided the Knights (#4.16)" (1969)

Soundtrack:

Take Ten Terrific Girls

Hey, Mr Producers....

I will make this prediction NOW....that within 5 years we see THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKYS turned into a $100 per seat Broadway stage smash.......all the elements are there and like APPLAUSE or THE PRODUCERS one adds reworked or new songs and gives this bawdy burlesque treat a re tread. What this film is about, and the tawdry bump and grind style is a sitter for another go. Have another look at the film.......I'm right about this. Not a big success on first release, it eventually found an audience with THE PARTY, but somehow it is MINSKYS that is actually a better film and a more rewarding film. It was also Bert Lahr's final performance as he died during filming.