Scavenger Hunt (1979)

To inherit a fortune, various addressees of a will must compete in a wild scavenger hunt to collect selected items, but cannot be simply bought.

Director:

Michael Schultz

Writers:

Steven Vail (story) (as Steven A. Vail), John Thomson (adaptation) (as John Thompson)

Stars:

Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Benjamin	...	Stuart Selsome
James Coco	...	Henri
Scatman Crothers	...	Sam
Ruth Gordon	...	Arvilla Droll
Cloris Leachman	...	Mildred Carruthers
Cleavon Little	...	Jackson
Roddy McDowall	...	Jenkins
Robert Morley	...	Bernstein
Richard Mulligan	...	Marvin Dummitz
Tony Randall	...	Henry Motley
Dirk Benedict	...	Jeff Stevens
Willie Aames	...	Kenny Stevens
Stephanie Faracy	...	Babbette
Stephen Furst	...	Merle
Richard Masur	...	Georgie Carruthers

Storyline

Milton Parker has made millions inventing and selling games. Upon his death, his relatives and domestic staff gather for the reading of the will. However, Old Mr. Parker is a game player to the last, and his will stipulates that a Scavenger Hunt will be held to determine the beneficiaries of his sizeable estate. The winning team gets all the money, the rest get nothing.

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Plot Keywords:

pantyhose | black pantyhose | female stockinged legs | game | scavenger hunt | 

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Taglines:

Winner takes all!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film forced Disney to scrap its' plans to release, Midnight Madness, then called "The Great All-Nighter" to release it's film around the Christmas holiday after Twentieth Century-Fox who was distributing the film nailed down the Christmas time release for this film and also because both films had a similar theme in that they were both scavenger hunt/team competition films with alot at stake. Disney then released Midnight Madness in February 1980, two months after this film was released.

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Goofs

Just before Jeff, Kenny & Lisa head back to the house to drop the first load of stuff in their van following the laughing gas scene, Lisa is still wearing the outfit (minus one or two items) she was in when the will was read. When they return to unload what they collected she is wearing a checkered shirt & jeans, yet had no change of clothes.

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Quotes

Mildred Cruthers: Why that worm! What's he trying to prove? Georgie and I are his legitimate heirs. Why should we have to play some dumb game just to get what's rightfully ours? I'm going to contest this will!
Charles Bernstein: That's the point, Mrs. Cruthers. This will is a contest.

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Crazy Credits

The letters of the film's title scatter across the screen and an animated ostrich appears.

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Alternate Versions

CBS edited 20 minutes from this film for its 1982 network television premiere.

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Connections

Referenced in Rat Race (2001)

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Soundtracks

You're the Only One That I Ever Needed
by Willie Aames
Produced by Bones Howe
Courtesy of Lorimar Records
©1979 British Rocket Music Publishing Co. and Neon Baby Music

User Reviews

The title of this film says it all

There's no doubt what this film is about. "The Scavenger Hunt" tells one in the title what is going to fill the screen for nearly two hours. Once the principal players are introduced, in the reading of the millionaire's will, it's bedlam and mayhem as the prospective heirs tear out in teams to win the scavenger hunt.

The trouble with such a short, direct plot is that the continuum of racing about, antics and mishaps begins to wear thin way before the end of the film. The only way to keep one's interest is to provide variety in the escapades of snatching items, which the film does. But, even with that it doesn't have enough humor. The laughs are few and far between.

There isn't that much of a screenplay or script for the shenanigans here. Most of the cast do an adequate job. Richard Benjamin overplays Stuart Selsome to the point of his seeming hammy. On the other hand, Cloris Leachman as Mildred Carruthers is the best performance of the lot for her wild and wacky character.

It's an okay film if one doesn't have much else to do, provide you can catch it free on TV or streaming.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Scavenger Hunt

Filming Locations:

Centre City Building, 233 "A" Street, San Diego, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melvin Simon Productions, SA Vail Productions, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1