Where's Poppa? (1970)

When an attorney meets the girl of his dreams, he fears that his batty mother will scare her off, so he schemes to eliminate the senile old woman.

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

Robert Klane (screenplay by), Robert Klane (based on his novel)

Stars:

George Segal, Ruth Gordon, Ron Leibman

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Gordon Hocheiser
Ruth Gordon	...	Mrs. Hocheiser
Ron Leibman	...	Sidney Hocheiser
Trish Van Devere	...	Louise Callan
Barnard Hughes	...	Colonel Hendricks
Vincent Gardenia	...	Coach Williams
Rae Allen	...	Gladys Hocheiser
Paul Sorvino	...	Owner of 'Gus & Grace's Home'
William LeMassena	...	Judge (as William Le Massena)
Michael McGuire	...	Army Lawyer
Rob Reiner	...	Roger
Joe Keyes Jr.	...	Gang Leader
Israel Lang	...	Mutha
Garrett Morris	...	Garrett
Arnold Williams	...	Arnold

Storyline

When New York attorney Gordon Hocheiser meets Louise Callan, the girl of his dreams, he schemes to eliminate his aging, senile mother, even though he promised his late father that he'd always take care of her. He fears that his batty mom's eccentricities will shortly lead to Louise's departure.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | caretaker | dementia | central park manhattan new york city | undercover | 

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Taglines:

I wish momma would stop saying that! Yeah.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Penny Marshall, who was married to Rob Reiner at the time, can be seen sitting in the front row during the trial near the beginning of the movie.

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Goofs

When Gordon puts the old trunk in the trunk of his car, its top is up. In the next shot the trunk is over on his side with the rounded top to the left. Later, out of the city, the trunk's top is to the right.

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Quotes

Gordon Hocheiser: I don't even know your name.
Louise Callan: Louise.
Gordon Hocheiser: [sings] Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise...

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Crazy Credits

Bill Adams and Vic Ramos are listed in the opening credits, which had no character names, but are not in the end credits, which listed the character names. On the other hand, Fuddles was not in the opening credits but listed last in the end credits.

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Alternate Versions

Home video version features a different ending, showing a defeated George Segal climbing in bed with his mother and telling her: "Here's Poppa!"

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Connections

Spin-off Where's Poppa? (1979)

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Soundtracks

Move It!
Music by Jack Elliott
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Sung by June Jackson (as Mr. June Jackson)

User Reviews

hilariously tasteless and tastelessly hilarious

You think the hair gel scene in "There's Something About Mary" is disgusting? You think the scene in "Big Daddy" where the kid practices spitting to the ground and sucking it back up is tasteless? You clearly have not witnessed the sheer hilarity of "Where's Poppa?" If you wanna see some tasteless humor done right, see this movie (no offense to "There's Something About Mary" or "Big Daddy", which are still very funny).

"Where's Poppa?" is unrelenting! Laugh-out-loud funny! Never a dull moment!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1971 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Going Ape

Filming Locations:

NYPD 26th Precinct, 150 West 68th Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Where's Poppa Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White (fantasy sequence) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1