Chu Chu and the Philly Flash

Last updated
Chu Chu and the Philly Flash
Chu chu and the philly flash.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Lowell Rich
Screenplay byBarbara Dana
Story byHenry Barrow
Produced by Jay Weston
Starring
Cinematography Victor J. Kemper
Edited byArgyle Nelson
Music by Pete Rugolo
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • August 28, 1981 (1981-08-28)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million [1]
Box office$221,898 [2]

Chu Chu and the Philly Flash is a 1981 American comedy film starring Alan Arkin, Carol Burnett, Jack Warden, Ruth Buzzi, Adam Arkin and Danny Aiello. [3] It was directed by David Lowell Rich and produced by Jay Weston, with the screenplay being written by Arkin's wife, Barbara Dana. Arkin plays a down-on-his-luck former baseball player and Burnett plays a Carmen Miranda-style performer.

Contents

It was released in 1981 by 20th Century Fox. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb. [3] Many of the scenes, particularly the exterior scenes of Chu Chu's home, were filmed in San Francisco's Potrero Hill district.

Plot

Flash used to be a talented baseball player, but now he's a homeless recovering alcoholic who sells stolen watches on the streets of San Francisco, California. Elsewhere, Emily Laedecker, better known as Chu Chu, is a one-woman Latin band who wears a Carmen Miranda-inspired outfit who performs on the waterfront to make money, but she is angered when Flash arrives to sell watches in her public performance space. Luck seems to smile at them when they find a briefcase with stolen government documents in it. So they scheme to return it to its rightful owner but only if they can get $50 for their trouble, maybe even more. Instead of the expected reward money, all they get is a load of trouble with a variety of agents coming after them to get the briefcase and the documents back.

Cast

Productions and background

In January 1974 it was announced the film was the third script from Broadway lyricist Bob Merrill, the others being Mahogany and Freaky Friday . It was about a Puerto Rican prostitute and a Bowery wino who claims he used to be a baseball pitcher. Merrill wanted to make it for Columbia. [4]

In January 1975, it was announced that the film would be a joint venture between Raquel Welch Productions, Columbia Pictures and Monroe Sachson Productions with Raquel Welch playing the part of Chu Chu. [5] Ron Talsky, who was dating Welch at the time, was set to produce the movie with Robert Merrill writing the screenplay. [5] However, Columbia was nervous about Talsky producing the film and said they were re-evaluating the project. Eventually, Columbia pulled out of the project, as did Welch, Sachson and Merrill, Talsky was the only participant from the original Welch venture to actually be a part of the final film. [5] Talsky did not remain a producer on the movie, but instead was hired as the film's costume designer. [5]

Alan Arkin became involved with the project after a chance meeting with Jay Weston. Arkin agreed to star in the film under the condition that his wife, Barbara Dana, be allowed to rewrite the script. (She had written children's books, folk songs and another script with her husband. [6] ) Arkin spent the next seven years developing the film with Weston. Dana had a small role in the film, and Arkin's three children, Adam Arkin, Matthew Arkin and Tony Arkin also had roles in the film. [5]

"We wanted to say something positive about people," said Dana. [6] Arkin called it "the best script I've read in years." [7]

In April 1980 it was announced that Arkin would appear in the film alongside Carol Burnett for Melvin Simon Productions. The director was David Lowell Rich who had done a TV movie with Arkin, The Defection of Simas Kudirka . [8]

Shooting

Principal photography for the film began on August 20, 1980, with location filming in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. According to production notes, San Francisco locations included Alta Plaza Park, China Basin and Potrero Hill. Interior sets were built at the U.S. Navy hangar on San Francisco's Treasure Island. On October 31, 1980, principal photography was completed. [5]

Reception

In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote "considering the caliber of its leading players, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash is an amazingly charmless movie. Alan Arkin and Carol Burnett might be expected to generate some interest by virtue of their mere presence in the film, but they are teamed up for a painfully contrived tale, playing lovable losers who aren't lovable at all. Flash (Mr. Arkin) is a dim-witted derelict graced with childlike innocence, and Emily (Miss Burnett) gets to wear bananas in her ears, so the roles are not without their appealing sides. But the movie itself is almost entirely flat... Miss Burnett's wardrobe, by Bob Mackie, is the funniest thing in the movie". [9]

People was critical of the film, writing "this empty vehicle is going nowhere" and writing about Arkin and Burnett's performance: "together they're meant to be one of those wonderfully wacky cinematic odd couples. They're more like a pair on an uncomfortable blind date... but chemistry is everything in a film like this one, and synergy is one thing these two talented performers don't have. Burnett fares marginally better, instilling a hint of pathos in the down-and-out dancer. Arkin, though he seldom speaks below a shout and expends endless energy, might as well be playing to a lamppost for all the emotion he musters. [10]

In the December 1981 issue of Rolling Stone , Chu Chu and the Philly Flash was listed in the article titled "Big Bucks, Big Losers – Twenty-Four Films That Bombed in 1981". The article stated the film's production budget was $7 million, and its domestic rentals were less than $100,000. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Arkin</span> American actor and filmmaker (1934–2023)

Alan Wolf Arkin was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for six Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carol Burnett</span> American comedian and actress (born 1933)

Carol Creighton Burnett is an American comedian, actress, and singer. Her comedy-variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which originally aired on CBS, was one of the first to be hosted by a woman. She has performed on Broadway, on television, and in film of varying genres, including dramatic and comedic roles. She has received numerous accolades, including seven Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy Award, and seven Golden Globe Awards. Burnett was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013, and the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Conway</span> American actor and comedian (1933–2019)

Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy The Carol Burnett Show where he portrayed his recurrent iconic characters Mister Tudball and the Oldest Man. Over his career he received numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He received the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2002.

<i>The Carol Burnett Show</i> American variety/sketch comedy television show (1967–1978)

The Carol Burnett Show is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. In 1975, frequent guest star Tim Conway became a regular cast member after Waggoner left the series. In 1977, Dick Van Dyke replaced Korman but it was agreed that he was not a match and he left after 10 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Stark</span> American film producer

Raymond Otto Stark was an American film producer and talent agent. Stark's background as a literary and theatrical agent prepared him to produce some of the most profitable films of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, such as The World of Suzie Wong (1960), West Side Story (1961), The Misfits (1961), Lolita (1962), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), Funny Girl (1968), The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), The Goodbye Girl (1977), The Toy (1982), Annie (1982), and Steel Magnolias (1989).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Furth</span> American librettist, playwright, and actor

George Furth was an American librettist, playwright, and actor.

<i>The In-Laws</i> (1979 film) 1979 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller

The In-Laws is a 1979 American action comedy film starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, written by Andrew Bergman and directed by Arthur Hiller. It was filmed on various locations, including Mexico, which served as the film's representation of the fictional Central American setting. A remake was made in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Buzzi</span> American actress and comedian (born 1936)

Ruth Ann Buzzi is a retired American actress and comedian. She has appeared on stage, in films, and on television. She is best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973, for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received five Emmy nominations.

<i>Freebie and the Bean</i> 1974 film by Richard Rush

Freebie and the Bean is a 1974 American buddy cop black comedy action film starring James Caan and Alan Arkin, and directed by Richard Rush. The film follows two offbeat police detectives who wreak havoc in San Francisco attempting to bring down an organized crime boss. The film, which had been originally scripted as a serious crime drama, morphed into what is now known as the "buddy-cop" genre due to the bantering, improvisational nature of the acting by Caan and Arkin. Reportedly, by the end of filming, both actors were confused by the purpose of the movie, not knowing that they had stumbled into a successful character formula. The film was popular enough to spawn various other successful film franchises such as, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop. Loretta Swit and Valerie Harper appeared in support roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Weston</span> American actor (1924–1996)

Jack Weston was an American actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1976 and a Tony Award in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Dussault</span> American actress and singer (born 1936)

Nancy Dussault is an American actress and singer.

Potrero Hill is a residential neighborhood in San Francisco, California. A working-class neighborhood until gentrification in the late 1990s, it is now home to mostly upper-income residents.

<i>San Antonio</i> (film) 1945 western Technicolor film

San Antonio is a 1945 American Western film starring Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith. The film was written by W. R. Burnett and Alan Le May and directed in Technicolor by David Butler as well as uncredited Robert Florey and Raoul Walsh.

David Lowell Rich was an American film director and producer. He directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987. He was born in New York City. He began directing on a regular basis in 1950. Rich won an Emmy for outstanding direction of a special in 1978 for The Defection of Simas Kudirka. His brother was director John Rich.

<i>Shoot the Moon</i> 1982 film by Alan Parker

Shoot the Moon is a 1982 American drama film directed by Alan Parker, and written by Bo Goldman. It stars Albert Finney, Diane Keaton, Karen Allen, Peter Weller, and Dana Hill. Set in Marin County, California, the film follows George (Finney) and Faith Dunlap (Keaton), whose deteriorating marriage, separation and love affairs devastate their four children. The title of the film alludes to an accounting rule known in English as "shooting the moon" in the scored card game hearts.

<i>Born to Be Bad</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Nicholas Ray

Born to Be Bad is a 1950 American film noir melodrama directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan and Zachary Scott. It features Fontaine as a manipulative young woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. It is based on the bestselling novel All Kneeling by Anne Parrish (1928).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Vetere</span> American dramatist

Richard Vetere is an American playwright, screenwriter, television writer, poet and actor.

John Steadman was an American actor, radio personality and editor.

<i>On the Right Track</i> 1981 American comedy film directed by Lee Philips

On the Right Track is a 1981 American romantic comedy film with the feature film debut of Gary Coleman. It was directed by Lee Philips, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released to theaters by 20th Century Fox in the spring of 1981. The co-stars include Michael Lembeck, Lisa Eilbacher, Bill Russell, Maureen Stapleton, and. Norman Fell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Film Detective</span> Television channel

The Film Detective is an American classic film restoration, distribution, and streaming company based in Rockport, Massachusetts, and is a division of the American entertainment company, Cineverse. Launched in 2013, The Film Detective offers an extensive library of over 3,000+ hours of classic films and television series, with a focus on both renowned classics and B-movies across genres including comedy, drama, film noir, horror, musical, mystery, science fiction, and silent. Services offered by The Film Detective include a classic film and television app on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV; a 24/7 linear channel offered across multiple leading OTT platforms including Sling TV, Plex, STIRR, DistroTV, Local Now, and Rakuten TV; and exclusive, limited-run Blu-ray and DVD releases.

References

  1. ↑ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p259
  2. ↑ "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)". The Numbers .
  3. 1 2 "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash". Turner Classic Movies . Atlanta: Turner Broadcasting System (Time Warner). Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ News of the Screen Weiler, A H. New York Times 6 Jan 1974: 56.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981)". American Film Institute.
  6. 1 2 A COMIC VIEW OF ARKIN'S SERIOUSNESS. Taylor, Clarke. Los Angeles Times 7 Aug 1981: h6.
  7. ↑ EVERYTHING'S RELATIVE TO ALAN ARKIN Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times 21 Aug 1980: i1.
  8. ↑ A SCRIPT JON CAN LIVE WITH: FILM CLIPS SCHREGER, CHARLES. Los Angeles Times 14 Apr 1980: g1.
  9. ↑ Maslin, Janet (August 29, 1981). "Philly Flash, A Burnett-Arkin Romp". The New York Times .
  10. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Chu Chu and the Philly Flash". People Magazine. October 5, 1981. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.