Doctor Detroit (1983)

A timid college professor, conned into posing as a flamboyant pimp, finds himself enjoying his new occupation on the streets.

Director:

Michael Pressman

Writers:

Bruce Jay Friedman (story), Carl Gottlieb

Stars:

Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Donna Dixon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Aykroyd	...	Clifford Skridlow / Doctor Detroit
Howard Hesseman	...	Smooth Walker
Donna Dixon	...	Monica McNeil
Lydia Lei	...	Jasmine Wu
T.K. Carter	...	Diavolo Washington
Lynn Whitfield	...	Thelma Cleland
Fran Drescher	...	Karen Blittstein
John A. Maloney	...	Commodore
Pershing P. Anderson	...	Stretch
William Munchow	...	Professor Artel
Ed Meekin	...	Professor Durant (as Edward Meekin)
Hank Salas	...	Johnny
Rudolph Kovar	...	Carson (as Rudolf Kovar)
Kate Murtagh	...	Mom
Peter Elbling	...	Guptor

Storyline

Clifford Skridlow teaches at a small Chicago college run by his father. Conned into managing four prostitutes by their pimp, who skips town to escape the mob boss known as Mom, Clifford draws on his course in medieval literature in his quest to save the women from Mom.

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Plot Keywords:

pimp | lingerie | college professor | voyeurism | voyeur | 

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Taglines:

He's making the world safe for insanity.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr. Detroit

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$10,375,893

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black Rhino Productions, Brillstein Company, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pulp bawdy novelist Harold Robbins was thanked in the closing credits.

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Goofs

Handle on the passenger-side roof of the tow truck, not duplicated on the drivers-side of the roof (obvious prop). A low camera angle used to conceal the prop.

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Quotes

Johnny: I'm gonna kick your ass!
Clifford Skridlow: [as Doctor Detroit] I warn you, I'm a chiropractor! I will use my skills negatively!

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits, we see "Coming soon: Doctor Detroit II, the Wrath of Mom."

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Mitchell (1993)

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Soundtracks

Luv - Luv
Performed by Devo
Courtesy of Backstreet Records
Devo produced by Devo
Devo appears courtesy of Warner Bros. Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Doctor Detroit

I remember seeing this movie on VHS while I worked at a video rental store in the 80's. I thought it was a funny campy movie but Hey! I like these kind of movies now and then. I always like Dan Akroyd movies so it didn't matter if this was not up to snuff with the likes of Ghostbusters or Blues Brothers. It was hard to believe he made that film then. I recently acquired this movie on laserdisc just about a week ago. I had not seen the movie since the 80's. I since taped over my VHS dub many years ago. It was great to sit down and have a few laughs and once again see the 'Doctor' in action. The picture is clean with only a few spots and scratches. The sound is only analog and not digital but delivers very surprising and powerful for an older movie. It's a fun film never the less. Yeah! it was no box office smash or a great comedy or action film, but there's just something about these lesser movies that brings you back to a better time. Dan does a great job even with the film's downfalls. Hey he got a great wife out of the deal marrying Donna Dixon from the film! It falls in the category with the likes of 'Howard the Duck'. Both were box office failures but there are still those devoted fans out there still searching for these 'gems' everyday. So for me the 'Doctor' is always 'in' my movie collection.