Matilda (1978)

A small-time talent agent discovers an amazing boxing kangaroo and figures to use it as his stepping-stone into the big time.

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Timothy Galfas, Paul Gallico (book)

Stars:

Elliott Gould, Clive Revill, Harry Guardino

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elliott Gould	...	Bernie Bonnelli
Clive Revill	...	Billy Baker
Harry Guardino	...	Uncle Nono
Roy Clark	...	Wild Bill Wildman
Karen Carlson	...	Kathleen Smith
Art Metrano	...	Gordon Baum
Lionel Stander	...	Pinky Schwab
Roberta Collins	...	Tanya Six
Larry Pennell	...	Lee Dockerty
Gary Morgan	...	Matilda
Robert Mitchum	...	Duke Parkhurst
Lenny Montana	...	Hood #1
Frank Avianca	...	Hood #2
Joe De Fish	...	Hood #3
Pat Henry	...	Hood #4

Storyline

A former English boxing champion, Billy Baker, arrives in America with a kangaroo with an unusual talent for boxing. Needing to support himself, he reluctantly joins up with a small time talent agent featuring the kangaroo, Matilda (who's a male kangaroo despite the feminine name) as a carnival act. But when the world heavyweight boxing champion, Lee Dockerty, offers to take Matilda on at the carnival to impress a girlfriend, and Matilda KO's Dockerty into the middle of next week with a single punch, Billy and his marsupial friend are catapulted into the big time, with Matilda now headlining main boxing events, and soon ready to challenge Dockerty for his championship title. This attracts the notice of a mob boss who wants control of Matilda and his growing fame and fortune, and an activist determined to see Billy and Bernie stopped for promoting cruelty to animals. It will take all of Bernie's wits, Billy's wisdom, and Matilda's punching speed and power to get themselves all through ...

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Plot Keywords:

boxing | kangaroo | boxing champion | talent agent | looking at the camera | 

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Taglines:

Quirky family fun that packs the meanest of punches!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1978 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Boks nu, Matilda

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This picture about a boxing Australian kangaroo was not actually an Australian movie but was an entirely American production.

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Goofs

When Bernie confronts Kathleen outside her apartment, one dog (the bloodhound) follows her up the steps when she goes back inside. In the next shot, it is back down at the bottom of the steps with Bernie.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Billy Baker: Life's grand. Isn't it?

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood's Top Ten: Scenes to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth (2011)

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Soundtracks

Waltzing Matilda
(uncredited)
Lyrics by A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson
Music by Christina Macpherson

User Reviews

Dreadful attempt at a kiddie flick.

Extremely bad, deservedly one of the biggest financial disasters of the decade. There was little potential in a supposed feel-good kiddie movie about a boxing kangaroo trying to beat the human world champion, but it didn't have to be this bad. For instance, they could have trained a real kangaroo instead of using a ham actor in a cheap, heavy, molting kangaroo suit that bears no resemblance to an animal, even with the animatronic facial expressions. And if you've ever wondered why Elliot Gould's career tanked in the late seventies, this is a big reason. He tries to make up for the bad kangaroo by hamming it up and desperately trying to be cute. And they didn't have to have such an annoying, sexist romance subplot either.

Incredibly bad, but not enjoyably bad like an Ed Wood film. For serious Bad Film buffs only.