Doctor Detroit (1983)

A timid college professor, conned into posing as a flamboyant pimp, finds himself enjoying his new occupation on the streets.

Director:

Michael Pressman

Writers:

Bruce Jay Friedman (story), Carl Gottlieb,

Stars:

Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Donna Dixon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Aykroyd	...	Clifford Skridlow / Doctor Detroit
Howard Hesseman	...	Smooth Walker
Donna Dixon	...	Monica McNeil
Lydia Lei	...	Jasmine Wu
T.K. Carter	...	Diavolo Washington
Lynn Whitfield	...	Thelma Cleland
Fran Drescher	...	Karen Blittstein
John A. Maloney	...	Commodore
Pershing P. Anderson	...	Stretch
William Munchow	...	Professor Artel
Ed Meekin	...	Professor Durant (as Edward Meekin)
Hank Salas	...	Johnny
Rudolph Kovar	...	Carson (as Rudolf Kovar)
Kate Murtagh	...	Mom
Peter Elbling	...	Guptor

Storyline

Clifford Skridlow teaches at a small Chicago college run by his father. Conned into managing four prostitutes by their pimp, who skips town to escape the mob boss known as Mom, Clifford draws on his course in medieval literature in his quest to save the women from Mom.

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Plot Keywords:

pimp | college professor | city name in title | prostitution | dual identity | 

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Taglines:

He's making the world safe for insanity.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 1983 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Dr. Detroit

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Rhino Productions, Brillstein Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Illinois license plate on Dan Aykroyd's car is BDR-529; this is the same plate that was on the Bluesmobile in The Blues Brothers.

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Goofs

Handle on the passenger-side roof of the tow truck, not duplicated on the drivers-side of the roof (obvious prop). A low camera angle used to conceal the prop.

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Quotes

Clifford Skridlow: [posing in court as Thelma's brother, upon hearing the bailiff read from the docket] I can't believe my ears! This is an outrage! Let me see that thing. I mean this is outrageous, ridiculous! Let me see that. Why, I demand satisfaction! Get the arrestin' officer in here! I will tar and feather the scalawag!

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, we see "Coming soon: Doctor Detroit II, the Wrath of Mom."

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Connections

References The Blues Brothers (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Yo Skridlow"
Performed by T.K. Carter and Dan Aykroyd
Courtesy of Backstreet Records

User Reviews

The Doctor is "IN"!

DOCTOR DETROIT (1983) **1/2 Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Donna Dixon, Fran Drescher, TK Carter, George Furth, James Brown. Aykroyd has a field day as milquetoast college professor who unwittingly is enlisted by a pimp to assume the identity of a ganglord mack daddy as the eponymous not-to-be-trifled man about town. Frequently funny especially his tete a tete with his archenemy, Mom, in a junk yard: `Mom, I'm gonna rip off your head and s**t down your neck!' Brown's appearance livens things up with a neat, goofy dance spotlight for the antic Aykroyd