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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

---

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).

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Morons from Outer Space (1985)

---

Soundtracks

Lonesome No More
Lyrics by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (as Kurt Vonnegut)
Music by Michel Legrand
Sung by Madeline Kahn

User Reviews

How bad was this movie? Read on and see.

Recently I've been re-reading the Vonnegut catalog. All the books brilliant in their own way. I picked up Slapstick and started reading it again when everything clicked. The horrible movie I saw on cable as a kid was based on this book. I never connected the two because of how the movie takes the book, shreds it, puts a hollywood sheen on it, dripped slime on it, then pooted it out unto the world. Horrifying. I have very vivid memories of my mother watching this film and commenting on how horribly sad it was. I responded that the book was sad. She then responded that the book was good. No fault lies with the cast. It's just another example of the old connundrum, Vonnegut books don't translate well to film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1982 (France)

Also Known As:

Slapstick

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