Johnny Dangerously (1984)

Set in the 1930s, an honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writers:

Harry Colomby, Jeff Harris

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Joe Piscopo, Marilu Henner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Johnny Kelly / Johnny Dangerously
Joe Piscopo	...	Danny Vermin
Marilu Henner	...	Lil
Maureen Stapleton	...	Ma Kelly
Peter Boyle	...	Jocko Dundee
Griffin Dunne	...	Tommy Kelly
Glynnis O'Connor	...	Sally
Dom DeLuise	...	The Pope
Richard Dimitri	...	Roman Troy Moronie
Danny DeVito	...	Burr
Ron Carey	...	Pat
Ray Walston	...	Vendor
Dick Butkus	...	Arthur
Byron Thames	...	Young Johnny
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Desk Sergeant

Storyline

Set in the 1930s, an honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | newspaper boy | nightclub | organized crime | gangster | 

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Taglines:

WANTED * MICHAEL KEATON * for being wacky, outrageous & rude in the 'new' hit comedy

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Johnny peligroso

Filming Locations:

Stage 2, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,124,395, 31 December 1985

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edgewood Productions,Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ray Walston: As a vendor.

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Goofs

Towards the beginning after Johnny initially meets mobster Dundee in his car. After the car leaves you can see the license plate on the rear . It is an undated New York plate with white letters on a dark background. That type was used in 1910 or 1911, not the kind that was used in the 1920's and 1930's which displayed the exact year that they were issued.

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Quotes

Johnny Dangerously: [after bathroom has exploded] Take it easy!
Jocko Dundee: Take it easy? I'm standing here with my dork in my hand!

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Crazy Credits

After the opening credits, you see "1935" on the screen. A car in the near lane of the street drives behind it. Then, another car (in the far lane) runs into the number sitting on the road, and smashes it to pieces.

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Alternate Versions

Around the time of the Columbine shootings, Comedy Central removed Danny Vermin's line (referring to his specially made 88 Magnum) "It shoots through schools.".

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Connections

Spoofed in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

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Soundtracks

This Is The Life (Theme From 'Johnny Dangerously')
Written by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
Performed by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
[title song]

User Reviews

"Hmm... Johnny's getting laid!"

Hilarious, under rated gangster spoof about an essentially good hearted boy who grows up to be Johnny Dangerously (Michael Keaton), AKA: John Shannon, who uses his ill gotten gains to support his family - his ailing mom and send his little brother to law school, of all places. Things get sticky though when an old foe (Joe Piscapoe) comes after Johnny and his girlfriend (Marilu Henner) and Johnny's own brother tries to come after him as part of his mission to clean up the city.

Lots of great gags, like Johnny advising kids to chew gum instead of smoking, Johnny's jail house striped suit, the running gag of Joe Piscapoe's character saying that certain members of his family did something to him "once... ONCE.", the running gag of Johnny's brother being unable to resist the temptation of sex, and of course, the fireworks that go off whenever Johnny gets laid.