What's Up, Doc? (1972)

The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Buck Henry (screenplay), David Newman (screenplay)

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbra Streisand	...	Judy Maxwell
Ryan O'Neal	...	Howard Bannister
Madeline Kahn	...	Eunice Burns
Kenneth Mars	...	Hugh Simon
Austin Pendleton	...	Frederick Larrabee
Michael Murphy	...	Mr. Smith
Philip Roth	...	Mr. Jones (as Phil Roth)
Sorrell Booke	...	Harry
Stefan Gierasch	...	Fritz
Mabel Albertson	...	Mrs. Van Hoskins
Liam Dunn	...	Judge Maxwell
John Hillerman	...	Hotel Manager
George Morfogen	...	Headwaiter
Graham Jarvis	...	Bailiff
Randy Quaid	...	Professor Hosquith

Storyline

Two researchers have come to San Francisco to compete for a research grant in Music. One seems a bit distracted, and that was before he meets her. A strange woman seems to have devoted her life to confusing and embarassing him. At the same time a woman has her jewels stolen and a government whistle blower arrives with his stolen top secret papers. All, of course have the same style and color overnight bag.

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Plot Keywords:

hotel | neo screwball comedy | jewel | mix up | love | 

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Taglines:

A screwball comedy. Remember them?

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Glimpse of Tiger

Filming Locations:

1000 Bush St. San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$66,000,000, 31 December 1972

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Saticoy Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Judy Maxwell is seen outside on the ledge of the hotel, it was filmed on a sound stage in Burbank, however, the long shot of Judy hanging on the ledge is actually a stunt woman who was hired to dangle from a building in Westwood, California.

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Goofs

When Howard and Judy are arguing on parallel escalators, he is walking up a down escalator while she is calmly riding an up escalator stepping down slightly as she walks so that they remain side by side. A second later, the focus shifts to a point of view shot from Howard's angle, but it shows his escalator going up. The focus shifts again, and Howard calmly steps off the top of his escalator three or four steps ahead of Judy, despite the fact that she should have had the easier ride.

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Quotes

Howard: I'm not repeating myself. I'm not repeating myself. Oh, God, I'm repeating myself.

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Connections

References Battleship Potemkin (1925)

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Soundtracks

Santa Lucia
(uncredited)
Written by Teodoro Cottrau
Performed by Peter Bogdanovich

User Reviews

I Always Wanted To Marry Eunice Burns

Well I simply can't resist to join what at a glance seems to be a very affectionate army of fans of this film - which is not only in my top three favourites of all time, but most definitely the funniest hour and a half ever registered on celluloid. I first saw it in 1974 - I was nine - and instantly fell under the spell. Frisco never looked prettier, flairs were fluttering, volkswagen beetles were zooming around, the muzak coming out of lifts and hotel lobbies is just as I remember it, the hair was only beginning to get big, but the aspirins were already huge...in the midst of all this, Streisand delivers like a sniper and actually looks sexy and desirable, O'Neal does his bespectacled Iowa music professor with all the dizziness of sex on legs that he was, and the cast generally glide through two separate crescendos of stupid situations, fuelled by dialogue in break neck speed, each more hilarious than the previous, all inexorably slipping into general uproar and mayhem at every turn.

But it's due to Madeline Kahn's ability to send one into hysterics with as much as opening her mouth that the film is a screwball comedy masterpiece, far superior than "Bringing Up Baby" to which it's nauseatingly compared to. The relish with which she bites into the character of Eunice Burns, in a role made for her down to the last breath in the script - is spectacular, as is its result on screen. In my mind it only compares to Jean Hagen's Lina Lamont effort in "Singin' In The Rain" - the only other single funniest female episode on screen.

Other than that, one liners, with which this stuff is packed to the rafters are still in circulation today - kept alive by enthusiast fans of seemingly all generations. This is a true comedy classic that hasn't lost any of it's breeziness, funk, sexiness and freshness with years. Dumb, twisted and invigorating all at once it's a true gem. Watch it and feel your I.Q. drop, and get hooked by all means. Or miss at your own peril.

In fact, I think I might just watch it again - now.

10/10, full on. :-)