Zapped! (1982)

A high school science nerd gains telekinetic powers after a laboratory accident and uses them for revenge upon bullies.

Director:

Robert J. Rosenthal

Writers:

Bruce Rubin, Robert J. Rosenthal

Stars:

Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Robert Mandan

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Baio	...	Barney Springboro
Willie Aames	...	Peyton Nichols
Robert Mandan	...	Walter J. Coolidge
Felice Schachter	...	Bernadette
Scatman Crothers	...	Dexter Jones
Roger Bowen	...	Mr. Springboro
Mews Small	...	Mrs. Springboro (as Marya Small)
Greg Bradford	...	Robert Wolcott
Hilary Beane	...	Corrine Updike
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Rose Burnhart
Heather Thomas	...	Jane Mitchell
Hardy Keith	...	Roscoe Brown
Curt Ayers	...	Art
Merritt Butrick	...	Gary Cooter
Jennifer Chaplin	...	Melissa Granger

Storyline

Barney Springboro and Peyton Nichols are fun-loving high school students working on a science project with white mice. When one of the mice begins to move food toward itself with out touching it, Barney finds he has accidentally discovered a formula for telekinetic powers. Now, how much trouble can a high school kid who can move things with just his mind get into?

---

Plot Keywords:

stockings | high school prom | sexual fantasy | clothes torn off | public nudity | 

---

Taglines:

An A+ comedy you have to get your hands on!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Whiz Kid

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$16,897,768

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apple / Rose,City Films,Embassy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie poster artist was Michael Backus. He was paid $5,000. The artist's signature appears on the "Zapped!" poster as (1) An 'MJB' monogram on Scott Baio's pink polo shirt (2) a 'Backus' signature on the Gilbert Stewart George Washington portrait and (3) 'Backus' on the ruler flying through the air. It was his first commercial assignment and it launched Backus Studios.

---

Goofs

The blond-haired member of the Penguin baseball team was seen in the Prom sequence wearing a suit and tie ensemble. Later when Barney used his telekinetic powers to rip his pants off, revealing his Rolling Stones red bikini briefs, he is now wearing a tuxedo.

---

Quotes

Walter J. Coolidge: Dexter, do you have your pass key on you?
Dexter Jones: Sure do, Mr. C. What do you need?
Walter J. Coolidge: My key doesn't seem to work in this lock.
Dexter Jones: We all seem to have that same problem sometimes, now don't we?

---

Crazy Credits

Reportedly, Avco Embassy president Blossom Kahn was named an executive producer on the picture, but instead received an Executive in Charge of Production credit for the Embassy production house.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Rebel Set (1992)

---

Soundtracks

Just for Fun
Music by Charles Fox
Lyrics by Stephen Geyer (as Steve Geyer)
Performed by Rick Derringer

User Reviews

Scott Baio rules!

And I ain't joshin'.

Why Scott Baio gets the proverbial shaft when great actors are discussed is beyond me. Here's a cat who has dated all the hottest tail and was the driving force behind what is arguably the edgiest, most acerbic teen flick ever in "Zapped!" ... yet he is often mentioned in the same breath with the two-headed Corey Monster (Haim and Feldman) and his frequent, far less dramatically astute compatriot, Mr. Willie Aames. Such degradation is tantamount to a travesty.

This movie is a cutting comedic triumph. Baio's character makes incisive observations about the empty rhetoric of adolescence, and challenges authority not only with his telekinetic powers, but alcohol, tobacco and sex. And let's examine the telekinesis closer -- is it just another one of those blessing-and-a-curse afflictions that finds the right guy or girl? Absolutely not. We're talking about a uniquely Zen ideal, a manifestation of a young man's private internal nirvana in the laboratory of the local high school. Beakers move, brooms sweep up debris, roulette wheels spin out of control, dad tosses liquid laxative all over himself uncontrollably ... this is a celluloid incarnation of unrivaled genius.

Alas, who am I kidding? This movie is stupid bad. And yet I still love it, dammit. So sue me.