Tunnel Vision (1976)

Directors:

Neal Israel
Bradley R. Swirnoff

Writers:

Michael Mislove (writer) and
Neal Israel (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Laugh or get off the pot.

Plot:

A committee investigating TV's first uncensored network examines a typical day's programming, which includes shows...

Plot Keywords:

Television | Spoof | Sitcom | Fictional Game Show | Irreverence

Cast

Phil Proctor	...	Christian A. Broder
Howard Hesseman	...	Senator McMannus
Dan Barrows	...	Senator Polanski
Stephen Feinberg	...	Proctologist
Ron Silver	...	Dr. Manuel Labor
Roberta Kent	...	Mrs. Betty Purvis
Edwina Anderson	...	Melanie Edwards
Ernie Anderson	...	Quant O'Neill / Subway Reporter / Announcer
James Bacon	...	Gene Scallion
Kurt Andon	...	Man at breakfast / Doctor
Lorry Goldman	...	Pierre Skooché / Son
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Marie (as Lynn Marie Stewart)
Gerrit Graham	...	Freddie (as Gerritt Graham)
Pamela Toll	...	Street Attendant
Gene Pistilli	...	Dying Man

Also Known As:

Tunnelvision

Runtime:

70 min | USA:95 min (uncut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

International Harmony

Trivia:

Movie debut of announcer Dick Tufeld, the voice of the robot from the TV series "Lost in Space" (1965).

Quotes:

Tom: Well, don't worry about your breath or your armpits, Al. It's your personality that stinks.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Freaks and Geeks: Noshing and Moshing (#1.15)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Tunnelvision

Dated yet intellectual raunchy comedy

If you don't think today's American comedies have been dumbed down, you should give TUNNEL VISION a look. Crude and tasteless, extremely dated, but very, very smart. It's amazing how many jokes you miss because here, it's all in the writing. Sure, kids today won't get a lot of the 70's pop and political references, but if you actually paid attention in your history and political science classes (as well as TNN and TVLAND), it shouldn't be a problem. Can you say that about TOMCATS and AMERICAN PIE? The wraparound segments of a federal hearing pertaining to the effects on the nation for watching the Tunnel Vision network are eerily prophetic given the current Media Marketing Responsibility Act Lieberman and Clinton and Kohl are trying to push. Politically Correct viewers may balk at some of the bits on race, but the film skewers everybody, plus it's obvious that there's more going on then just a cheap laugh at different minority (and majority) groups' expense. TUNNEL VISION is more than just an old sketch comedy movie from the 70's, and it's sad that most modern comedies can't approach the cerebral humor on display here.