The Ritz (1976)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Terrence McNally (play)
Terrence McNally (writer)

Release Date:

26 December 1976 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

...your key to hilarity.

Plot:

On his deathbed Carmine Vespucci's father tells him to "get Proclo". With "the hit" on, Gaetano tells...

Plot Keywords:

Bathhouse | Gay Bathhouse | Lip Synching | Rain | Amateur Night

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Weston	...	Gaetano Proclo
Rita Moreno	...	Googie Gomez
Jerry Stiller	...	Carmine Vespucci
Kaye Ballard	...	Vivian Proclo
F. Murray Abraham	...	Chris
Paul B. Price	...	Claude Perkins
Treat Williams	...	Michael Brick
John Everson	...	Tiger
Christopher J. Brown	...	Duff
Dave King	...	Abe Lefkowitz
Bessie Love	...	Maurine
Tony De Santis	...	Balloon Man
Ben Aris	...	Patron With Bicycle
Peter Butterworth	...	Patron In Chaps
Ronnie Brody	...	Small Patron

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Courtyard Films

Trivia:

F. Murray Abraham, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, Jack Weston and Paul B. Price play the roles they created in the original Broadway production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carmine first calls Claude from backstage, Claude's wig is pulled forward. When he says, "Fashionable," the wig is far back on his head in the close-up. When it returns to the long shot, the wig is forward again.

Quotes:

Claude Perkins: [trying to seduce Gaetano] You'll never guess what I had for dinner tonight, so I'm just going to tell you.
Gaetano Proclo: I beg your pardon?
Claude Perkins: A nice ground-pork meatloaf with mozzarella, mashed potatoes covered with gobs of gravy, carrots floating in butter and chunks of avocado with roquefort dressing. Couldn't you just die?
Gaetano Proclo: [confused] I don't know what I could just.
Claude Perkins: And then for dessert German choclate cake with two scoops of mocha walnut ice cream.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Everything's Coming Up Roses

I Never Laughed So Hard

It was 1976, Tehran Iran. Terry, also American, and I were bored at work and on the spur of the moment decided to skip out and check out the Tehran Film Festival. Boy, did we have no idea what we were getting in for.

It just so happened that the next film on the bill was The Ritz. We knew nothing about it, but we hailed our driver, raced downtown to the theater, and made it in just in time.

Before long, we were rolling on the floor. Truly, we couldn't hold on to our seats, I can't speak for Terry but the tears were just pouring down my face from laughter. And what made this worse was that, in a mostly packed theater, it seemed that most of the time the two of us near the back were the only ones laughing. Oh, every once and while the Farsi sub-titles would catch-up and the rest of the theater would let out a good laugh, I guess they were having a good time, but it was amazing to us how much was being missed, even some of the visual humor.

I suppose we were both just overdo for some comic relief, but I've watched this film again through the years and it remains one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Jack Weston as the everyman-victim is perfect, as is Rita Morena as a never-quite-been, trying with varying degrees of success, to retain her dignity, her temper, and her dreams. And the rest of the cast -- who can you fault?

Yes, from the dark opening deathbed scene, to all the madcap mistakes that follow, this is farce that at times sinks almost as low as the Three Stooges, but keeps sailing from floor to floor with surprise laughs at every turn.

Some folks can't seem to get past the subject matter, I guess. But if you can find this movie, and you can open your mind beyond the lifestyle to just enjoy all the zaniness that happens, then hang on to your towel!