Skidoo - Part One

As I mentioned in my introductory post, I use a signature from an old trailer to an old, obscure movie. (This was back when trailers were more like sales pitches than summaries of the movie.) The movie, "Skidoo," was a pretty big bomb, and from what I've seen, trust me, it deserved it. I mean, if Groucho Marx can't make your movie funny, no miracle could.

Anyway, the trailer featured Dr. Timothy Leary (!) extolling the virtues of "Skidoo." One can only hope that he was high while watching it (if he ever did). Intercut with his pitch is a black man trying to sound hip, and Groucho Marx coming up with a line that's actually funny.

So anyway. The line I use?

Anybody who don't like that, daddy, don't like chicken on Sundays. --Random black guy

It's so random and yet so generic that it fits everything I post about.

Other lines from the trailer (note: It's been a while since I saw it, and I may not remember them clearly):

Every young person in the country should turn on mom & dad... by taking them to this movie. --Timothy Leary

I laughed my head off! So if you see a man walking around without his head, that's me! --Groucho Marx

It is the gassiest, grooviest, swingingest, trippiest movie you've ever seen! --Random black man

Can you imagine Groucho Marx being God? --Timothy Leary

(Note: Groucho Marx does not actually play God in the movie. He plays a gangster named "God." That should give you an idea of what the movie is like.)

It'll make you love better. It'll make you feel better. And it's even legal! --Timothy Leary

Naturally, none of these lines are actually good descriptors of the movie. I've only seen about 13 minutes of it, and it doesn't have any real laughs; it's very, very flat. I anticipate it will only get worse.

Nonetheless, I do have a few lines from early in the film:

Remember: For family fun, get your gun! --Random advertisement

He's not a hippie, he's bleeding! --Jackie Gleason's daughter

So why are you driving a beat-up Rolls Royce? Why aren't you driving a beat-up Ford? --Jackie Gleason

"Why do you dress like that?" "Well, we can't all be undertakers, man." --Jackie Gleason and Hippie (John Philip Law)

Just to make sure you're clear: This is supposed to be a counter-culture comedy. How much of that did you laugh at? And how much of that laughter was actual amusement, as opposed to the bad laugh, the kind of "Are you kidding me?" laughing?

Gosh, my first real post and it's 60% explanation. Hopefully, I'll get better at this.

PS: Despite not laughing at any of the "Skidoo" I've seen (with the exception of the Groucho line from the trailer), I plan to watch the DVR copy I got last Friday. (I'd explain more, but you can find more information elsewhere on the Internet. Sorry.) Hopefully, I'll get more clinker lines for signatures.