IMDb > Stir Crazy (1980)
Stir Crazy
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Stir Crazy (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Stir Crazy (1980) -- Along the way to California, Pryor and Wilder stop in a small town and take a job requiring them to wear woodpecker costumes. When two crooks don identical outfits and rob the local bank, Pryor and Wilder are arrested for the crime.

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Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   6,224 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Bruce Jay Friedman (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Stir Crazy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
12 December 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Only these two pigeons could dress up as woodpeckers... more
Plot:
Skip and Harry are framed for a bank robery and end up in a western prison. The two eastern boys are... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Rapped And Tagged | Producers Corner: Stir Crazy
 (From Fangoria. 26 October 2009, 1:59 AM, PDT)

Wilder Curses Movie Swear Words
 (From WENN. 25 March 2008, 7:58 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Pryor and Wilder make a great team more (33 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Gene Wilder ... Skip Donahue

Richard Pryor ... Harry Monroe
Georg Stanford Brown ... Rory Schultebrand

JoBeth Williams ... Meredith

Miguel Ángel Suárez ... Jesus Ramirez (as Miguelangel Suarez)

Craig T. Nelson ... Deputy Ward Wilson

Barry Corbin ... Warden Walter Beatty
Charles Weldon ... Blade

Nicolas Coster ... Warden Henry Sampson

Joel Brooks ... Len Garber
Jonathan Banks ... Jack Graham
Erland van Lidth ... Grossberger (as Erland Van Lidth De Jeude)
Lewis Van Bergen ... Guard #1
Karmin Murcelo ... Teresa Ramirez
Franklyn Ajaye ... Young Man in Hospital
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Additional Details

Runtime:
108 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder improvised many of their scenes together. more
Quotes:
Blade: The rodeo clown is the most DANGEROUS job, 'cause he gets CLOSEST to the BULL. He gets the BEST of the BULL! HOOK to the left! HOOK to the right! And if the bull rider's in trouble, he's gotta protect him, even if it means gettin' his ribs pulled out, or bein' freight-trained...
Harry Monroe: Freight-trained?
Blade: Run over, just like a freight train, only with a bull, it's worse, cause a freight train don't BACK UP and FINISH the JOB. Later on I'll show you how to lie out on the stretcher when the ambulance comes.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Watch Her Dance more

FAQ

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Pryor and Wilder make a great team, 4 April 2009
7/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

Two guys doing a bank promotion dressed as Big Bird are mistaken for the bank robbers who stole their costumes in "Stir Crazy," a 1980 film starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, who worked so well together in several films.

Two friends, Skip and Harry (Wilder and Pryor) both lose their jobs and leave New York City, planning to work their way to the west coast. When the unfortunate situation described above happens, they wind up in prison. The naive Skip (Wilder), an aspiring playwright, takes notes and Harry (Pryor), facing the reality of the situation, is terrified. In prison, they meet the very gay Rory (Georg Stanford Brown), the sweet Jesus (Miguel Angel Suarez), who misses his girlfriend Teresa, the huge, scary Grossberger (Erland van Lidth de Jeude) who turns out to be a pussycat with a beautiful singing voice, the miserable guard (Craig T. Nelson) and the warden (Barry Corbin). When it's discovered that Skip has a natural ability to ride a mechanical bull, the warden enters him in a rodeo where he has a huge bet with another warden (Nicholas Coaster). Harry, Skip, Rory, Grossberger, and Jesus plan an escape to take place at the rodeo.

Very funny film, with one of the highlights being Pryor in the prison hospital because he was told he had to have his appendix out, though they had already been removed. Skip is advised that in order to get the team he wants at the rodeo, he needs to turn down the warden's request that he ride. Putting Hank in the hospital is just one ploy to break him down. The scene is hilarious.

Pryor and Wilder work beautifully together, the street smart black and the naive dreamer. There's always something so sweet about Wilder and nervous about Pryor, one walking into obvious danger while the other one desperately tries to pull him out, that just worked in all their films. It's also a rare chance to see the uniquely talented Erland van Lidth de Jeude, a huge, 6'6" Dutch heldentenor who qualified for the Olympics in wrestling, was a teacher, an MIT graduate, and had his own computer company. An absolutely amazing man who died 7 years after this film.

Lots of fun. Recommended.

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Stir Crazy - officially the 37th funniest film ever made The_Johnson
Whats your favorite Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor movie? mda-11
my favorite scene homesick251960
Outdated?? tops_418
Who played... am_buglet_82
Remake SisterJack
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