Slapstick of Another Kind (1982)

A rich, beautiful couple give birth to deformed alien twins who, when their heads are together, are the smartest kids on the planet.

Director:

Steven Paul

Writers:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (novel) (as Kurt Vonnegut), Steven Paul

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Lewis	...	Wilbur Swain / Caleb Swain
Madeline Kahn	...	Eliza Swain / Lutetia Swain
Marty Feldman	...	Sylvester
John Abbott	...	Dr. Frankenstein
Jim Backus	...	President of the U.S.
Samuel Fuller	...	Col. Sharp
Merv Griffin	...	Anchorman
Pat Morita	...	Ah Fong - the Chinese Ambassador
Virginia Graham	...	Gossip Specialist
Ben Frank	...	Quentin - the Handyman
Cheire Harris	...	Maria - the Maid (as Cherie Harris)
Robert Hackman	...	Study Hall Supervisor
Eugene Choy	...	Lum Fung
Ken Johnson	...	Horace
Peter Kwong	...	Chinese Astronaut

Storyline

Caleb Swain and his wife Lutetia are a rich couple deemed to be the most beautiful of all the beautiful people by the press. This changes when Lutetia gives birth to oversize, deformed twins named Wilbur and Eliza. Unknown to them, the twins are really an alien brother-and-sister team implanted in Lutetia to solve the world's problems. When they are apart they are not much smarter than a potted plant, but together they are an intellectual force to be reckoned with. Their closeness is put to the test when a series of events threatens to keep the twins apart. Mixed in with all this is a miniaturized Chinese ambassador who needs the twins' help to make a deal for the sale of gravity.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | twins | alien | chinese | voice over narration | 

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Taglines:

Extra-terrestrials have never been this spaced-out before [DVD]

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "making" of this movie: can be found on YouTube.

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Goofs

The boom mic is visible in the scene where the staff at the mansion is attempting to cheer up Eliza after Wilbur is taken to military school (on full frame 1.33:1 prints; the prints cropped to 1.85.1 mask the boom out).

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Alternate Versions

In the original 1982 cut of the film, Eliza sings a song called "Lonesome No More" (which is part of the title to the original novel "Slapstick") after the staff tries to cheer her up after Wilbur is taken to military school. Michel Legrand wrote the music, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. wrote the lyrics and Madeline Kahn sings the song in the character of Eliza. This clip also occurs before the flying saucer with the Japanese inside fly into the attic window where she is staying. In the 1984 US release, the song is still credited in the final credits, but has been edited out of the movie. The 2005 German DVD "Director's Cut" of the film also omits the song.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Jerry Lewis/Dabney Coleman (1984)

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Soundtracks

Puttin' Our Heads Together
Music and Lyrics by Randy Bishop
Performed by Randy Bishop and Bonnie Paul
Produced by Spencer Proffer for Pasha
Music Engineered by Duane Baron
Coordinated by John Lombardo
Published by The Grand Pasha Publisher and S. Paul Music Company
Available on Pasha/CBS Records

User Reviews

This one sat on the shelf for two years....and I'm surprised it wasn't for forever!

"Slapstick of Another Kind" is a surprise to watch. After all, I've never seen it included on a list of the worst movies ever made...but clearly it deserves to be there. Obviously SOMEONE thought the film was god-awful, as the studio shelved it for two years before ultimately releasing it! This is because this film is super- bizarre, totally unfunny and an awful chore to watch. Rarely have I ever seen anything THIS tedious and awful!! And, as far as entertainment goes, I think it's preferable to stare at vomit for 90 minutes than watch this movie.

When the film begins, there is a really crappy outer space scene where disembodied beings talk about sending twins to the United States to help them out. Apparently, they sent two to China but with poor results. As for the Chinese, they are all just a few inches high and fly about in UFOs!

When the children are born to their rich and sophisticated parents, they are hideous and the doctor (Frankenstein...ha, ha?!) advises the parents to abandon them to his care. And for 15 years, they are pretty much left on their own while the servants just party. During this time, on their own, they learn a billion and one things and are very bright--but they look and act really stupid much of the time. In fact, it's insultingly awful, as the film appears to make fun of the intellectually challenged.

Later, the President of the United States arrives in Air Force One (powered by chicken crap) because the Chinese tell everyone the twins are 'America's greatest resource'...and things don't go very well during the visit. What happens next? Who cares....but see this film if you must!

Not one bit of this film is the least bit funny or worthy of your attention. It's loud, boorish and annoying from start to finish. A god-awful mess of a film that NEVER should have been released and marks one of the lowest points in cinematic history. While almost no one has seen Jerry Lewis' "The Day the Clown Cried" (as he refuses to allow it to be released because, presumably, it's THAT bad), it cannot be as awful as this film he and Madeline Kahn made- -presumably because someone was holding them captive or threatening to shoot their families.

Air Force One, apparently, isn't the only thing running on chicken crap!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1982 (France)

Also Known As:

Slapstick of Another Kind

Filming Locations:

The Rindge House - 2263 South Harvard Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1