The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

David Zucker (written by) &
Jim Abrahams (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

This movie is totally out of control!

Plot:

Series of short, highly irreverent, and quite often tasteless skits.

Plot Keywords:

Spoof | Hare Krishna | Gorilla | Kennedy Assassination | Decapitation

Cast

Marilyn Joi	...	Cleopatra Schwartz (segment "Cleopatra Schwartz")
Saul Kahan	...	Schwartz (segment "Cleopatra Schwartz")
David Zucker	...	Man (segment "His New Car") / Technician #2 (segment "Eyewitness News") / Grunwald (segment "Courtroom")
Marcy Goldman	...	Housewife (segment "Household Odors")
Dulcie Jordan	...	Guest #1 (segment "Household Odors")
Gracia Lee	...	Guest #2 (segment "Household Odors")
Sheila Rogers	...	Guest #3 (segment "Household Odors")
Joseph G. Medalis	...	Paul Burmaster (segment "High Adventure") (as Joe Medalis)
Barry Dennen	...	Claude LaMont (segment "High Adventure")
Colin Male	...	Spokesman (segment "Argon")
Ed Griffith	...	Host (segment "Danger Seekers")
Robert Starr	...	Rex Kramer (segment "Danger Seekers")
Richard Gates	...	Boy (segment "Eyewitness News") (as Rick Gates)
Tara Strohmeier	...	Girl (segment "Eyewitness News") (as Tara Strohmeir)
Neil Thompson	...	Newscaster (segment "Eyewitness News")

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:16 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

KFM Films

Trivia:

Because of the low budget and poor funding, the movie was shot with a variety of different cameras at any locations that were available, using actors willing to work for near-nothing paychecks. Likewise, in order to offset the potential of the few investors pulling out due to objectionable material, the less-offensive portions were filmed first, saving the raunchy stuff for last (or just plain keeping it hidden until the last minute). The end credits (proclaiming "in order of appearance" and then beginning with cast members introduced 2/3 of the way into the movie) are actually the order in which the skits were supposed to appear; the makers ran out of money and couldn't afford to create new ones.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the Fist Full of Yen segment (00:51:42), as the prisoners are escaping to battle Klahn's army, on the wall to the right, you can clearly see the shadow of one of the crew directing the prisoners out of the scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Newscaster: The popcorn you are eating has been pissed in. Film at eleven.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Blues Brothers (1980)

Soundtrack:

Carioca

Good GOD!

This is one of the most insane movies ever made. Watching it twenty-five years later, I'm still amazed that any studio actually gave the go-ahead to this shameless eruption of outrageous bad taste, politically incorrect madness and outright lunacy. It's the kind of film everyone would like to make if they had the money and the resources, and then proudly show off to their friends over beer and Pringles whilst beaming "Ain't I a genius?"! Honestly, it's that good.

The Zucker brothers were obviously highly influenced by the Monty Python way of thinking (though without the benefit of an Oxbridge education), and it shows in segments like 'AM Today', 'Death Appeal', the interview where the microphone grabs all the attention, 'Danger Seekers' (not for the easily offended, but it cracks me up every time), the courtroom sketch and the central 'A Fistful Of Yen' spoof, which rips into every chop-socky film ever made, and even finds room to spoof the Wizard Of Oz...like I said, Good GOD! Another unforgettable sketch is the soft-porn parody 'Catholic High School Girls In Trouble', if only for that jaw-dropping scene with Uschi Digart (credited here as Ursula Digard) in the shower, and the corny-but-hysterical "Marilyn Chambers recreating her classic role / roll" quickie.

A barrel full of laughs. Not for all tastes, but a hundred times better than the Airplane / Top Secret / Naked Gun movies that followed. See you next Wednesday...