Ringmaster (1998)

Jerry Springer stars as more or less himself, the host of a raunchy, controversial and popular Los Angeles talk show which features everyday people with problems and who frequently vent ... See full summary »

Director:

Neil Abramson

Writer:

Jon Bernstein

Stars:

Jerry Springer, Jaime Pressly, William McNamara

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Springer	...	Jerry Farrelly
Jaime Pressly	...	Angel Zorzak
William McNamara	...	Troy Davenport
Molly Hagan	...	Connie Zorzak
John Capodice	...	Mel Riley
Wendy Raquel Robinson	...	Starletta
Ashley Holbrook	...	Willie
Tangie Ambrose	...	Vonda Simmons
Nicki Micheaux	...	Leshawnette
Krista Tesreau	...	Catherine Winicott
Dawn Maxey	...	Natalie
Maximilliana	...	Charlie / Claire
Michael Jai White	...	Demond
Michael Dudikoff	...	Rusty
Jerry Giles	...	Floyd Merkel

Storyline

Jerry Springer stars as more or less himself, the host of a raunchy, controversial and popular Los Angeles talk show which features everyday people with problems and who frequently vent their problems on the air. A new group of guests are flown in for one show who include white trailer trash from Sarasota FL; Connie, whose current husband has cheated on her with her nymphomaniac teenage daughter, Angel, for which Connie has gotten revenge by having sex with Angel's fiance; and from Detroit, black trash Starletta, whose boyfriend, Damone, has slept with all of her girlfriends. Soon the paths of all of these parties cross which leads to more sex, arguments, physical violence, and Jerry sweating out just another day.

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Plot Keywords:

strong language | cheating on girlfriend | autograph | trailer park | stepfather | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jerry Springer: Ringmaster

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,344,022, 29 November 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$9,247,881, 7 February 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment,Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA),The Kushner-Locke Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Legal stipulations prevented the production from using the name of Jerry Springer (1991) in the film. Hence, here it's called "The Jerry Show".

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Goofs

The trailer park folks are supposed to live in Central Florida. (Jaime Pressly passes a Tampa sign, Willie mentions that he works at the Walmart in Lakeland, etc.) But when her stepfather bails her out, he does so at the Broward County jail (written in large letters on the side of the building). Broward County is almost exactly 200 miles south of Lakeland.

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Quotes

Vonda: Move your knees out da way!
Starletta: If you're ass wasn't so big, you wouldn't need all that fuckin' seat room! Bitch needs to be on a diet. You know the TV gonna put 10lbs on your big ass!

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Pink Flamingos (2011)

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Soundtracks

As If It Were Yesterday
Written & Performed by Joe Lervold
Courtesy of MasterSource

User Reviews

Not horrible, but certainly not good

This wasn't the major disaster that I was expecting, but that is about as positive as I can be in my description of the movie. I'm not sure what was meant to be funny about this movie, but I suppose it's all a matter of taste. Personally, I don't find it funny to watch morons living their idiotic lives or making fools of themselves on television, but then again, I'm not a fan of Jerry Springer's pathetic daytime talk show. I didn't get too bored watching this, but I was definitely never enjoying it, either. If you're in the mood to see a bad movie, but one that isn't too painful to sit through, this is a good choice.