Deathrow Gameshow (1987)

Chuck Toedan's the host of a gameshow featuring death row convicts competeing in life-or-death contests in hopes of cheating the executioner or, at the very least, winning some nice prizes ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Pirro

Writers:

Alan Gries (additional material), Mark Pirro

Stars:

John McCafferty, Robyn Blythe, Beano

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John McCafferty	...	Chuck Toedan
Robyn Blythe	...	Gloria Sternvirgin
Beano	...	Luigi Pappalardo
Darwyn Carson	...	Trudy
Mark Lasky	...	Mama Pappalardo / Spumoni
Bill Whitehead	...	Don Stuart
Kent Butler	...	Stage Manager
Debra Lamb	...	Shanna Shallow
Paul Farbman	...	Dinko
David Martinson	...	Page
Felicia Cavazos	...	Page
Esther Elise	...	Groupie
Jim Bruce	...	Featured Convict
Zachary Harris	...	Featured Convict (as Zach Harris)
Paul Bruno	...	Featured Convict

Storyline

Chuck Toedan's the host of a gameshow featuring death row convicts competeing in life-or-death contests in hopes of cheating the executioner or, at the very least, winning some nice prizes for their next of kin. Not surprisingly, Chuck has made more than a few enemies, from outraged viewers trying to ban his show, to families of losing contestants looking for revenge. A hitman hired by one such family has shown up at Chuck's office, and he'll need to enlist the help of his most outspoken critic to keep from ending up like most of his contestants.

---

Plot Keywords:

death | show | hitman | prize | convict | 

---

Taglines:

Chuck Toedan Wants You ... To Die Laughing!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Crown International Pictures Pirromount Pictures

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Death Game

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pirromount Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Chuck Toedan: Why are you here? You want me to proof-read your picket signs?
Gloria Sternvirgin: I wouldn't let you proof-read M&Ms!

---

Crazy Credits

The producers wish to thank everyone who bothered to stick around and read all these credits, it was very nice of you. Now go home goddamn it!

---

Connections

References The Running Man (1987)

---

Soundtracks

"Deathrow Gameshow"
Words and Music by Mark Pirro, Gregg Gross and Joyce Mordoh
Performed by Joyce Mordoh

User Reviews

It Stinks

Deathrow Gameshow takes a potentially hilarious premise and wastes it. It has a few humorous scenes interspersed with a lot of crud. A bit of satire, in this case, does not go a long way.

The film's low budget does it in. With a title like Deathrow Gameshow, you would expect a lot of funny death sequences. However, few of the deaths are actually shown on screen, probably due to the lack of a special effects budget. Instead, the film relies on scenes of a fat man chewing spaghetti with his mouth open for laughs.

Also, the acting plain reeks. The lead is boring, as is the supporting cast. The line delivery is amateurish and stilted. Only a few of the jokes, such as a reference to a character as a "human rectum," manage to survive.