Cry Uncle!

Last updated
Cry Uncle!
Cry uncle.JPG
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John G. Avildsen
Written byNovel
Michael Brett
Screenplay
David Odell
Additional dialogue
Allen Garfield
John G. Avildsen
Produced byDavid Jay Disick
Starring Allen Garfield
Madeleine Le Roux
Devin Goldenberg
CinematographyJohn G. Avildsen
Edited byJohn G. Avildsen
Music by Harper MacKay
Distributed by Troma Entertainment
Release date
  • August 17, 1971 (1971-08-17)
Running time
87 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000 [1]
Box office$1,083,000 [2]

Cry Uncle!, released in the UK as Super Dick (theatrical title) and American Oddballs (video title), is a 1971 American film in the Troma Entertainment library. It is directed by John G. Avildsen and stars Allen Garfield. The story, based on the Michael Brett novel Lie a Little, Die a Little, follows the misadventures of a slobbish private detective who is hired by a millionaire to investigate a murder. The film features one of Paul Sorvino's first screen performances, and an early appearance from TV star Debbi Morgan.

Contents

Plot

Private detective Jake Masters is with his girlfriend Renee when he gets a call about a new case. The New York City Police Department is hunting for an eccentric millionaire, Jason Dominic, in connection with the murder of a cocktail waitress named Lucille Reynolds. Jason wants Jake to find the real killer. Jake goes to LaGuardia Airport to pick up Jason's bodyguard, Cora Merrill. After an initial case of mistaken identity, Jake, his trainee nephew Keith, and Cora meet up and visit Jason's yacht. Jason tells them the police believe he killed Lucille because she had filmed an orgy featuring him with three prostitutes, who then blackmailed him out of $50,000.

Jake, Keith, and Cora go back to Jake's apartment. Cora rebuffs Jake's advances and instead has sex with Keith. The three start working through their list of prostitutes and other unsavory suspects one by one. While questioning a man, Cora becomes violent, leading Jake to exclude her from questioning others afterward. During one encounter, two prostitutes and a male suspect tie up Jake, but the male suspect goes outside and is killed by an unknown person. Jake then follows one of the prostitutes to an apartment and rapes her before realizing that she is dead.

By chance, Jake finds out that Cora's story does not make sense. He realizes that she is actually working on the orders of Jason to kill the blackmailers after Jake has located them. Jake notifies the police of this. He then goes back to his apartment and has sex with Cora. Afterward, he confronts her, and she admits to killing all of the suspects. A struggle ensues, and Cora is killed by the police. Renee then surprises Jake at his apartment, and the two are happy to be reunited.

Cast

Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder of Troma, has a cameo appearance as a hippie. When the original distributor, Cambist Film, went out of business, Kaufman acquired the rights and it is now part of the Troma library.

Reception

The film features a great deal of nudity, sex, and drug use. The film was banned in Finland for the year following its release, and in Norway until 2003. In addition to becoming a cult classic, the film launched a string of Troma films that appeared in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, many of them becoming cult films that ran on cable TV.

During an interview featured in the Special Edition of the film's DVD, Allen Garfield says that Cry Uncle! is Oliver Stone's favorite comedy.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Toxic Avenger</i> (1984 film) 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman

The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film produced and directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Joe Ritter, based on a story by Kaufman. The film was produced and released by Troma Entertainment. It is the first installment in The Toxic Avenger film series and generated a media franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troma Entertainment</span> American film production and distribution company

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, or "B movies", primarily of the horror comedy genre, all geared exclusively to mature audiences. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Kaufman</span> American film director

Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr., known professionally as Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger (1984) and Tromeo and Juliet (1996). Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.

<i>Murder One</i> (TV series) American legal drama television series

Murder One is an American legal drama television series that aired on ABC from September 19, 1995, until May 29, 1997. The series was created by Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, and Channing Gibson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bree Van de Kamp</span> Fictional character on Desperate Housewives

Bree Van de Kamp is a fictional character on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. She was played by actress Marcia Cross, who received multiple awards and nominations for her portrayal, including an Emmy Award nomination, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Cross' portrayal of Bree was widely praised by critics and fans.

<i>Willie Dynamite</i> 1974 film by Gilbert Moses

Willie Dynamite is a 1973 American blaxploitation film directed by Gilbert Moses and starring Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker, and was released by Universal Pictures. The eponymous Willie Dynamite is a pimp in New York City, who strives to be number one in the city. As he is trying to do so, a social worker named Cora, is trying to change his ways - as well as those of the women who work for him - for the better. It was the first film produced by the Zanuck-Brown Company.

<i>Human Trafficking</i> (miniseries) 2005 television film directed by Christian Duguay

Human Trafficking is a television miniseries about an American Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent going undercover to stop an organization from trafficking people, and shows the struggles of three trafficked women. It premiered in the United States on Lifetime Television on October 24 and 25, 2005 and was broadcast in Canada on Citytv on January 2 and 3, 2006. It stars Mira Sorvino, Donald Sutherland, Rémy Girard, and Robert Carlyle.

<i>Jade</i> (film) 1995 American erotic thriller film by William Friedkin

Jade is a 1995 American erotic thriller film written by Joe Eszterhas, produced by Robert Evans, directed by William Friedkin, and starring David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri, Richard Crenna, and Michael Biehn. The original music score was composed by James Horner based on a song composed by Loreena McKennitt. The film was marketed with the tagline "Some fantasies go too far."

<i>Cookies Fortune</i> 1999 film by Robert Altman

Cookie's Fortune is a 1999 American black comedy film directed by Robert Altman and starring Glenn Close, Julianne Moore, Liv Tyler, Patricia Neal, Charles S. Dutton, and Chris O'Donnell. It follows a dysfunctional family in small-town Mississippi and their various responses to the suicide of their wealthy aunt, some of them turning criminal. Musicians Lyle Lovett and Ruby Wilson have minor supporting parts in the film.

<i>The Postman Always Rings Twice</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Tay Garnett

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1946 American film noir directed by Tay Garnett and starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, and Cecil Kellaway. It is based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain. This adaptation of the novel also features Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames and Audrey Totter. The musical score was written by George Bassman and Erich Zeisl.

<i>Bluebeard</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by Edgar George Ulmer

Bluebeard is a 1944 American historical film noir directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, starring John Carradine in the title role. The film also stars Jean Parker. The film is based on the famous French tale Barbe bleue that tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her predecessors. The film is registered in the public domain.

<i>Goodbye Lover</i> 1998 film by Roland Joffé

Goodbye Lover is a 1998 neo-noir comedy film about a murder plot surrounding an alcoholic advertising agency worker and his adulterous wife. The film was directed by Roland Joffé, and stars Patricia Arquette, Dermot Mulroney, Don Johnson, Ellen DeGeneres and Mary-Louise Parker. The original script was written by Ron Peer; subsequent drafts were written by Robert Pucci, then Buck Henry.

<i>Night Visitor</i> 1989 American film

Night Visitor is a 1989 American thriller film directed by Rupert Hitzig, produced by Alain Silver, and starring Richard Roundtree, Elliott Gould, Allen Garfield, and Derek Rydall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Wright (serial killer)</span> British serial killer

Steven Gerald James Wright is an English serial killer, also known as the Suffolk Strangler. He is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of five women who worked in Ipswich, Suffolk. The killings took place during the final months of 2006 and Wright was found guilty in February 2008 and given a whole life order

<i>The Girl Who Played with Fire</i> 2006 novel by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second novel in the best-selling Millennium series by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009.

<i>Out-of-Sync</i> 1995 film directed by Debbie Allen

Out-of-Sync is a 1995 American crime drama film featuring LL Cool J in his first starring role. The film was directed by Debbie Allen and co-starred Victoria Dillard, Tim Reid and Howard Hesseman.

The Mind Poisoners is the 18th novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series of spy novels. Carter is a US secret agent, code-named N-3, with the rank of Killmaster. He works for AXE – a secret arm of the US intelligence services.

<i>Java Heat</i> 2013 American film

Java Heat is a 2013 American-Indonesian action film. Directed by Conor Allyn, the film stars Kellan Lutz, Mickey Rourke, Ario Bayu and Atiqah Hasiholan.

<i>Under the Silver Lake</i> 2018 film by David Robert Mitchell

Under the Silver Lake is a 2018 American surrealist neo-noir black comedy mystery film written, produced and directed by David Robert Mitchell. Set in 2011 Los Angeles, it follows a young man investigating the sudden disappearance of his neighbor, only to stumble upon an elusive and dangerous conspiracy.

References

  1. A.H. WEILER (Aug 9, 1970). "Red Hot and Redford". New York Times. p. 77.
  2. Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 298. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada