The Wild Party (1975)

With the arrival of talking pictures, a silent film comedian (a Fatty Arbuckle-type) throws a lavish party to try and save his failing career. His plan is to release one last, great silent ... See full summary »

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

Walter Marks (screenplay), Joseph Moncure March (narrative poem)

Stars:

James Coco, Raquel Welch, Perry King

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Coco	...	Jolly Grimm
Raquel Welch	...	Queenie
Perry King	...	Dale Sword
Tiffany Bolling	...	Kate
Royal Dano	...	Tex
David Dukes	...	James Morrison
Chris Gilmore	...	Nadine (as Annette Ferra)
Eddie Lawrence	...	Kreutzer (as Eddie Laurence)
Bobo Lewis	...	Wilma
Don De Natale	...	Jackie
Dena Dietrich	...	Mrs. Murchison
Regis Cordic	...	Mr. Murchison (as Regis J. Cordic)
Jennifer Lee Pryor	...	Madeline True (as Jennifer Lee)
Mews Small	...	Bertha (as Marya Small)
Baruch Lumet	...	Tailor

Storyline

With the arrival of talking pictures, a silent film comedian (a Fatty Arbuckle-type) throws a lavish party to try and save his failing career. His plan is to release one last, great silent epic. In HD.

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Plot Keywords:

based on poem | film within a film | period drama | movie flop | wild party | 

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Taglines:

Talk about WILD!

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, Raquel Welch and costume designer Ron Talsky were in a personal relationship around the time this movie was made and released. Talsky also designed Welch's clothes for The Last of Sheila (1973), Kansas City Bomber (1972), The Three Musketeers (1973), and The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974).

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Queenie: Now get outta here, Romeo, I gotta put on my diamonds!

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Connections

Featured in Do What You Love: Class of 1984 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Singapore Sally
(uncredited)
Written by Walter Marks

User Reviews

Unintentionally hilarious!!!

One critic said it never had a release in the states which is wrong. I saw it in a theater in Princeton, N.J. It was long before the Merchant/Ivory rep kicked in. James Coco was probably the closest they could come to a Fatty Arbuckle look-a-like, but his performance is miserable. When he realizes that he has no backers for his new film and his mistress Queenie has run off with Perry King, he stands on the landing of his staircase and drunkenly berates the remaining guests at his party. The funny thing is that the camera never moves, nor are there any cutaways from him. He just goes on and on when someone should have yelled cut. Raquel Welch's musical numbers were, I suppose, meant to entice lusty revelry among the guests, but she's not that talented. Leave that sort of thing to Mae West. The whole project smacks of Golan-Globus amateur theatrics. Bad writing, bad acting, bad lighting, bad cinematography.

Details

Official Sites:

Merchant Ivory Productions [United States] MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

March 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wild Party

Filming Locations:

Mission Inn - 3649 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Merchant Ivory Productions, The Wild Party Production Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 100 min (director's cut) 88 min (video) 108 min (DVD) (director's cut) 108 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1