The Groove Tube (1974)

A collection of skits that make fun of 1970s television, featuring early appearances by Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer.

Director:

Ken Shapiro

Writers:

Lane Sarasohn, Ken Shapiro

Stars:

Ken Shapiro, Richard Belzer, Chevy Chase

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Shapiro	...	Ko-ko / Boss / 'Near You' Singer / Robert Elgin / Mahetma Yenta / Lionel Elgin / Dancing Man ('Just You - Just Me')
Richard Belzer	...	Rodriguez / Leo Batfish / The President / The Hooker
Chevy Chase	...	The Fingers / Geritan / Four Leaf Clover
Buzzy Linhart	...	The Hitchhiker
Richmond Baier	...	The Girl
Berkeley Harris	...	The Rich Guy
Jennifer Welles	...	The Geritan Girl
Roy Wallace	...	The Gorillas
Kirtus Allen	...	Gorilla
Laura Glicken	...	The Gorillas
Hal Fore	...	Gorilla
Jennifer Zens	...	The Gorillas
Leo Petrie	...	Gorilla
Lane Sarasohn	...	The Dancing Policeman / The Assassin
Paul Norman	...	Mouth Appeal / Sex Olympics

Storyline

A collection of skits that make fun of television. Everything from commercials to the nightly news are spoofed. Chevy Chase makes a brief (as well as his debut), appearance.

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Plot Keywords:

television | commercial | new york city | three word title | female frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

The most hilarious and wildest movie is here!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1975 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Dealers

Filming Locations:

25 Sutton Pl S, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$20,447,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

K.S. Productions,Syn-Frank Enterprises,Zeta

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Groove Tube (1974)'s "Channel One Evening News" skit and its tagline, 'Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow,' was the direct inspiration for "Weekend Update" on Saturday Night Live (1975). Chevy Chase, the original Weekend Update anchorman, was featured in this film, although Ken Shapiro played the Channel One anchorman in the movie.

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Goofs

The opening of the "Channel One Evening News" skit includes a roll call of the reporters to be featured in the program. Among the reporters mentioned is "Freddie Fagu in Minneapolis," but Fagu's segment is missing from the skit.

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Quotes

Rodriguez: [having swallowed a large amount of marijuana in order to evade the police] Do you know we just ate enough shit to kill a fucking army?

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Alternate Versions

An edited PG-rated version was released as a double feature with a similarly edited "Kentucky Fried Movie".

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Connections

Spoofs ABC's Wide World of Sports (1961)

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Soundtracks

Just You, Just Me
Written by Jesse Greer and Raymond Klages
Arranged by Danny Trifan
Sung by Ken Shapiro

User Reviews

Dated? Yes... But, worth a look.

When you view this movie you should keep in mind that it was written and filmed in the early 1970s. Pretty dated but real damn funny for it's time.

For those of you that are in your early twenties, it should give some of you an idea of what your parents thought was funny and in your face back then.

Most people didn't have cable TV and those that did didn't have 100 stations to choose from and it was 7 years before Mtv was invented. Most of us were relegated to watching 3 channels if you watched TV at all.

This is also why anyone over 40 will tell you the first 5 years of SNL are better than all of the others combined.

The best segments are the Cooking Show, Brown 25 and KOKO the Clown.

In any case you may find humor in some of the segments or not. It is still worth watching from a nostalgic or historical perspective.