Spaceballs (1987)

A rogue star pilot and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a Princess and save the galaxy from a ruthless race of beings known as Spaceballs.

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan

Stars:

Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Brooks	...	President Skroob / Yogurt
John Candy	...	Barf
Rick Moranis	...	Dark Helmet
Bill Pullman	...	Lone Starr
Daphne Zuniga	...	Princess Vespa
Dick Van Patten	...	King Roland
George Wyner	...	Colonel Sandurz
Michael Winslow	...	Radar Technician
Joan Rivers	...	Dot Matrix (voice)
Lorene Yarnell Jansson	...	Dot Matrix (as Lorene Yarnell)
John Hurt	...	John Hurt
Sal Viscuso	...	Radio Operator
Ronny Graham	...	Minister
Jim J. Bullock	...	Prince Valium (as JM J. Bullock)
Leslie Bevis	...	Commanderette Zircon

Storyline

On the peaceful planet Druidia, King Roland attempts to marry his daughter Princess Vespa to Prince Valium, but Vespa and her loyal droid Dot Matrix escape during her wedding. After wasting the fresh air on the distant planet Spaceball, the good-for-nothing President Skroob orders the archvillain henchman Dark Helmet to kidnap Princess Vespa to force King Roland to provide them with the code to Druidia's atmosphere. Under those circumstances, the seasoned mercenary Lone Starr and his trusty half-human, half-canine sidekick Barf will attempt to save the princess in distress, while at the same time, the ruthless loan shark Pizza the Hutt is after them. But in the end, only he who can harness the mystical and mighty force known only as "The Schwartz", will be able to save the day.

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Plot Keywords:

parody | star wars spoof | sci fi spoof | winnebago | rescue | 

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Taglines:

May The Farce Be With You.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Planet Moron

Filming Locations:

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,700,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,600,000, 28 June 1987

Gross USA:

$38,119,483

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2013 television interview (shorty before receiving the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award), Mel Brooks stated that he personally obtained George Lucas' full permission to parody any and all things Star Wars-related but, on one condition, that absolutely no merchandise of any kind be produced from the film. This is the reason why all Yogurt and the Dinks do is merchandising (it is also why none of the merchandise seen in the film was ever mass produced or publicly sold in any way).

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Goofs

When Barf interrupts Lone Starr's attempt to lift the statue, Lone Starr lowers his hand, which causes him to drop the statue. In the next shot showing the statue on Barf's foot, Lone Starr's hand is raised again, just for a second.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Radio Operator: Colonel Sandurz!
Colonel Sandurz: What is it, Sergeant Ricco?
Radio Operator: You told me to let you know the moment Planet Druidia was in sight, sir.
Colonel Sandurz: So?
Radio Operator: Planet Druidia's in sight, sir.
Colonel Sandurz: You're really a Spaceball. You know that, don't you?
Radio Operator: Thanks, sir.

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Crazy Credits

In the style of the "Star Wars" movies, there are no opening credits, only the title followed by a crawl.

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Alternate Versions

UK version was edited to remove the f-word, uttered when the ships self-destruct cancellation button wouldn't work. In 2000 the film was resubmitted to the BBFC and rated 12 in its uncut form.

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: Mr. Yin Presents (2010)

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Soundtracks

Heartstrings
Performed by Berlin
Produced by Robert Ezrin (as Bob Ezrin)
Courtesy of Geffen Records and PolyGram International Music BV
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

A Groovy Film

This film is stupid, pointless and has got to be one of the best comedies in existence alongside "Monsters, inc.". If you're feeling low, this film will cheer you up unbelievably. "May the Schwartz be with you". It has an endless line of rib-cracking gags ("Let's jam the catapult" says a character at a certain stage in the film. they then toss a jar of jam at the catapult. Another great gag is when the bad guys are chasing after the good guys, instead of going at light speed they go at "ludicrous" speed. Every space film you could think of is spoofed in this film, from "Planet Of The Apes" to "Star Wars". There's even a spoof of "It Happened one Night" (the bride running away from the wedding). Whether the weather is cold or hot see this film, and remember, if the combination on your suitcase is 1,2,3,4 you had better change it. Enjoy!