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

The name of Howard Hesseman's pimp character was "Smooth Walker". The amount of money that Walker owed to mob boss Mom was $80,000.

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Goofs

Much of the audio doesn't match Diavolo's lips in the limo surround scenes.

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Quotes

Karen Blittstein: 'Morning, Stretch. Are you getting taller or did I break a heel?

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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

References In the Heat of the Night (1967)

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Soundtracks

Bustin' Loose
Performed by Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers
Courtesy of Source Records

User Reviews

Campy as heck

This is not the type of movie you watch for the clever plot and well-defined characters. This is a cheap, bawdy comic romp to be enjoyed with the fellas at a weekend get-together or at a bachelor party. Where else can you see a nubile young Fran Drescher wearing next to nothing and James Brown urging a crowd of scantily clad dancers to "get up offa that thang" in the same movie?

Nothing wrong with a little mindless entertainment, especially since Dr. Detroit doesn't pretend to be anything else.