The House of Blue Leaves (25 May 1987)

Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy dreams of being a successful songwriter. What his mistress, Bunny Flingus, who lives downstairs from his Queens apartment won't tell him -- and what his ... See full summary »

Directors:

Kirk Browning, Jerry Zaks

Writers:

John Guare (play), John Guare (screenplay)

Stars:

Swoosie Kurtz, John Mahoney, Christine Baranski

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Swoosie Kurtz	...	Bananas Shaughnessy
John Mahoney	...	Artie Shaughnessy
Christine Baranski	...	Bunny Flingus
Julie Hagerty	...	Corrinna Stroller
Ben Stiller	...	Ronnie Shaughnessy
Richard Portnow	...	Billy Einhorn
Debra Cole	...	Little Nun
Patricia Falkenhain	...	Head Nun
Jane Cecil	...	Second Nun
Ian Blackman	...	MP / El Dorado bartender
Brian Evers	...	The White Man / El Dorado Bartender

Storyline

Zoo attendant Artie Shaughnessy dreams of being a successful songwriter. What his mistress, Bunny Flingus, who lives downstairs from his Queens apartment won't tell him -- and what his insane wife, Bananas, tries to get through to him -- is that Artie's songs stink. On Oct. 4, 1965, the day Pope Paul visits New York City, Bunny convinces Artie to call his old school buddy Billy Einhorn, a famous film director from Los Angeles, to finagle a job writing music for Billy's movies. (After all, Bunny feels that with the Pope here, there must be "miracles in the air.") But before Artie can reach out to Billy, Artie's son, Ronnie, goes AWOL from Fort Dix, secretly preparing to blow up His Holiness at Yankee Stadium. Instead, when the bomb explodes prematurely, the victims include a deaf film starlet and two Sisters of Charity ... but no Pope.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | stage | based on play

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1987 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Brandman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Guare's 'The House of Blue Leaves' was originally staged in 1966 by the 'Eugene O'Neill' Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut.

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Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

User Reviews

outstanding

This was incredible. The storyline was so compelling. I saw it on stage and then saw the televised version which was taped off the stage. I would give anything to find a copy of it. The acting was top notch and it is interesting to see a young Ben Stiller. Also excellent was Swoosie Kurtz and John Mahoney who many people relate to the television show Frasier. The story starts out comically and becomes more and more interesting until the incredible finale which I won't give away. I remember seeing it in the theater and you could have heard a pin drop. A truly powerful story with an incredible ending. I hope that in the future there is some type of re-broadcast or at least making it available for purchase on DVD.