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 | human in outer space | sci fi spoof | winnebago | 

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Taglines:

Revenge of the Schtick.

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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:

$6,613,837, 28 June 1987

Gross USA:

$38,119,483

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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

After production on this movie was completed, Daphne Zuniga signed on for The Fly II (1989), which writer, producer, and director Mel Brooks suggested to director Chris Walas that she play the female lead Beth Logan. The Fly II (1989) was produced and released by Twentieth Century Fox, which was the production company behind Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), which this movie parodied.

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Goofs

A dolly is visible in front of Dot Matrix's feet on the floor just as they approach the feet of Yogurt's statue. After a cut to the statue and a cut back to them, it is covered by the sand on the ground.

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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

In a CBS airing (and likely all US airings), every instance of the word "asshole" in the famous "how many assholes have we got on this ship?" scene is replaced by "moron".

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Connections

Spoofs The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

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Soundtracks

Hello! Ma Baby
(uncredited)
from One Froggy Evening (1955)
Music by Joseph E. Howard
Lyrics by Ida Emerson

User Reviews

Mel Brooks at His Shameless, Unrestrained Best

A classic remnant from the tail end of Mel Brooks's manic, pun-drenched peak. It may not be as smart as The Producers or as complete as Blazing Saddles, but it's every bit as funny as anything he's ever made and that's saying something. Its light-handed approach to storytelling, where the jokes come first and the plot developments are a distant second, is actually very similar to 1981's History of the World, Part I - which should be no surprise, as they're back-to-back in his sequential catalog. Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman and John Candy really come to life in their roles as not-so-subtle parodies of Darth Vader, Han Solo and Chewbacca, respectively, with Moranis in particular somehow getting deep laughs out of lines so cheesy a Taco Bell nacho would flinch. As dumb comedies go it's a heavyweight champion, so infinitely quotable that my buddies and I had to enforce a strict "one Spaceballs reference per day" policy back in school to keep things from getting out of hand. Absurdly stupid fun.