Car 54, Where Are You? (film)

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Car 54, Where Are You?
Car54film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bill Fishman
Screenplay by
Based on Car 54, Where Are You?
by Nat Hiken
Produced by Robert H. Solo
Starring
CinematographyRodney Charters
Edited by
  • Alan Balsam
  • Earl Watson
Music by
Distributed by Orion Pictures
Release date
  • January 28, 1994 (1994-01-28)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10.7 million
Box office$1.2 million

Car 54, Where Are You? is a 1994 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman and stars David Johansen and John C. McGinley. It is based on the television series of the same name starring Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne that ran from 1961 to 1963. [1]

Contents

Reprising their roles from the original series are Nipsey Russell, whose character Anderson is now a captain, and Al Lewis, whose officer Schnauser now spends his time watching TV reruns of The Munsters (in which Lewis and Gwynne also starred).

The film was originally produced as a musical comedy but released without the filmed musical interludes. [2]

Synopsis

Partnered in Car 54 are the brash Gunther Toody and the prim, proper Francis Muldoon. Toody and Muldoon's boss, Captain Anderson, assigns them to protect citizen Herbert Hortz, an important witness in the impending trial of local organized crime boss Don Motti. At the same time, the two officers must deal with upheavals in their personal lives, as well as the day-to-day travails of being beat cops.

Cast

Production

Though the film was shot in 1990, it was edited several times and as a result wasn't released until 1994. It was originally filmed as a musical, but most of the musical numbers were cut from the released film. Nipsey Russell and Al Lewis appear as older versions of their roles from the original series.

Reception

The film received universally poor reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 0% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 2.5/10. [3]

The film won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress (Rosie O'Donnell), along with Exit to Eden and The Flintstones ; [4] [ better source needed ] and won a Stinkers Bad Movie Awards for Worst Resurrection of a TV Show and was nominated for Worst Picture and Worst Actress (O'Donnell), along with Exit to Eden and The Flintstones. [5]

Year-end lists

References

  1. "Car 54, Where Are You?". Allmovie . Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  2. "John C. McGinley on 42, Oliver Stone, and missing the Oscars to watch the NCAA championship". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  3. "Car 54, Where Are You?". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2022-12-04.
  4. "Awards for Car 54, Where Are You?". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  5. "1994 17th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards". Stinkers Bad Movie Awards . Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  6. Pickle, Betsy (December 30, 1994). "Searching for the Top 10... Whenever They May Be". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 3.
  7. Elliott, David (December 25, 1994). "On the big screen, color it a satisfying time". The San Diego Union-Tribune (1, 2 ed.). p. E=8.