Mad Movies with the L.A. Connection | |
---|---|
Created by | Kent Skov |
Composers | Richard Baker and Mary Newland |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 26 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Kent Skov |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company | Four Star Television |
Original release | |
Network | Syndication |
Release | 1985 – 1986 |
Mad Movies with the L.A. Connection is a 1985 syndicated television show produced by the comedy troupe the L.A. Connection. Every episode is a spoof of a classic movie where the video is the original (although edited to fit the show's half-hour format) but all the dialogue is overdubbed with humorous dialogue written and voiced by the L.A. Connection, in a manner similar to Woody Allen's feature-length film What's Up, Tiger Lily? . During one season, 26 half-hour episodes were produced. Before producing the series, the L.A. Connection did live comedy dubbing of films at the Ken Theater in San Diego and the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles. [1]
The original run was syndicated to local stations by Four Star Television during the 1985-1986 television season; it was later seen in reruns on Nick at Nite from 1987 to 1989. The theme was performed by Mary Newland.
Episode #100 *"Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)" - José Ferrer plays the famous poet who becomes a job-hungry egomaniac in this version. Plus, in the Home Movie, an alien invasion.
Episode #101 *"Santa Fe Trail (1940)" - Ron Reagan Jr. (Errol Flynn) has a nightmare that his father (Ronald Reagan) is running against Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency.
Episode #102 *"The Little Princess (1939)" - Shirley Temple is possessed by a doll, and only a song-and-dance exorcism can save her.
Episode #103 *"A Star Is Born (1937)" - Janet Gaynor is an unfortunate little girl who needs a date in this reworking.
Episodes #104 & #105 *"Shock (Pts. 1 & 2) (1946)" - The only two-episode Mad Movie parodies the lust, intrigue and murder of a soap opera... and finds a doctor (Vincent Price) who still makes house calls!
Episode #106 *"Night of the Living Dead (1968)" - A party with no food or drink becomes a wild free-for-all for Judith O'Dea and Duane Jones. Features a special appearance by Harry Medved, co-creator (with brother Michael) of the Golden Turkey Awards; and a visit to the School of Magic, via the Home Movie.
Episode #107 *"Nothing Sacred (1937)" - A woman (Carole Lombard) hires a detective (Fredric March) to locate her friends---who are over the rainbow; plus, how to spot top enemy agent Alexander Zolkov in the Home Movie.
Episode #108 *"Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)" - Holmes and Watson (Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce) are hired to stop a conspiracy from stealing library books and selling them on the black market; and the fantastic tale of "Super Baby" in the Home Movie.
Episode #109 *"Doll Face (1946)" - A behind-the-scenes look at the world of beauty contests, with Vivian Blaine, Dennis O'Keefe, Perry Como and Carmen Miranda; plus, the Home Movie has the answer for thirsty travelers everywhere: "Beer Beach"!
Episode #110 *"Under California Stars (1948)" - a compulsive gambler (Roy Rogers) cannot control his urges. In addition, the Home Movie tells us about The Giant.
Episode #111 *"My Favorite Brunette (1947)" - In a spoof of this Bob Hope classic, the head of a gangster family receives a death threat. Also, the Home Movie tells the tale of the notorious siblings, "The Buck Brothers".
Episode #112 *"Outpost in Morocco (1949)" - A spy thriller in which the hero pulls the plug on water thieves. Guest appearance by Marie Windsor, who played Cara in the original 1949 film. Also, the Home Movie reveals the story of the Russian athlete, Little Olga.
Episode #113 *"The Inspector General (1949)" - Danny Kaye is a rock star with a military look in this parody; plus, the origin of huge food in the Home Movie.
Episode #114 *"D.O.A. (1950)" - In a spoof of "I Love Lucy," a man (Edmond O'Brien) searches for his missing wife and winds up falling in love with his wife's friend Ethel. Also, the Home Movie examines the story of a family who went from "Rags to Riches".
Episode #115 *"The Stranger (1946)" - A sleazy tabloid editor (Edward G. Robinson) wants to make former hunchback Quasimodo (Orson Welles) the subject of an article in this spoof. Also, the Home Movie takes us on a visit to "Christmas Land".
Episode #116 *"This Is the Army (1943)" - In this spoof of the Irving Berlin musical, President Reagan decides to reenlist in order to supervise things from the inside; plus the Home Movie, "Future Wives".
Episode #117 *"Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953)" - Jack Cousteau (Gilbert Roland) and crew try to stop marauders from stripping the ocean floor of the endangered sea brain. Also: an interview with actress Terry Moore, who starred in the original 1953 film, and the Home Movie, "The Rainmaker".
Episode #118 *"The Perils of Pauline (1947)" - Against her husband's (John Lund) wishes, Pauline (Betty Hutton) runs for mayor in this parody; also, Home Movies examines "Home Entertainment".
Episode #119 *"Decameron Nights (1953)" - The not so "happily-ever-after" part of romance is seen when Cinderella (Joan Fontaine) and her prince (Louis Jourdan) experience marital problems; plus, Home Movies looks at the latest exercise fad, "Baby-Robics".
Episode #120 *"Captain Scarlett (1953)" - No one is safe when Robin Hood, Red Riding Hood and Captain Scarlett (Richard Greene, Leonora Amar, Nedrick Young) join forces to fight tyranny in this parody; plus the Home Movie, "Oddities II".
Episode #121 *"The Outlaw (1943)" - Billy the Kid, Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday (Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston) rub elbows in this offbeat version of Howard Hughes' classic; plus the Home Movie, "Un-Electric Cowboy".
Episode #122 *"Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939)" - In this spoof, the masked avenger (Reed Hadley) faces a deadly challenge from a mechanical villain; plus the Home Movie, "Zombie Kids".
Episode #123 *"The Divorce of Lady X (1938)" - A swingers' magazine provides the setting for this parody, starring Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier; plus the Home Movie, "The Fable".
Episode #124 *"Mad Movies Double Feature" - Robbery suspects abound in this double feature including "Dressed to Kill (1946)," with Holmes and Watson in pursuit of midget thieves; and "Daniel Boone (1936)" (George O'Brien) in search of the local hoods who stole his coonskin cap.
Episode #125 *"The Best of Mad Movies" - Host (and L.A. Connection founder) Kent Skov looks back at highlights from the previous episodes, and the gang voice an all new Mad Movie made from rejected bits of the previous films. (final episode)
Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1959.
A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by critics, parody films are commonly profitable at the box office. Parody is related to satire, except that "parody is more often a representation of appreciation, while a satire is more often...pointing ...out the major flaws of an object through ridicule." J.M. Maher notes that the "difference is not always clear" and points out that "some films employ both techniques". Parody is found in a range of art and culture, including literature, music, theater, television, animation, and gaming.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American action adventure film based on the English folk tale of Robin Hood that originated in the 12th century. Directed by Kevin Reynolds and written by Pen Densham and John Watson, the film stars Kevin Costner as Robin Hood, Morgan Freeman as Azeem, Christian Slater as Will Scarlett, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian, and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Thomas Jasper "Tom" Cat Sr. is a fictional character and one of the two titular main protagonists in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical animated short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, he is a grey and white anthropomorphic domestic short haired tuxedo British cat who first appeared in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss Gets the Boot. The cat was known as "Jasper" during his debut in the short; however, beginning with his next appearance in The Midnight Snack he was known as "Tom" or "Thomas".
Dorothy Malone was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role in The Big Sleep (1946). After a decade, she changed her image, particularly after her role in Written on the Wind (1956), for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Virginia Mayo was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros. biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s. She also co-starred in the 1946 Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives.
Rhonda Fleming was an American film and television actress and singer. She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most glamorous actresses of her day, nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because she photographed so well in that medium.
Terence Fisher was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films.
Hillary Brooke was an American film actress.
Nobert Brodine, also credited as Norbert F. Brodin and Norbert Brodin, was an American film cinematographer. The Saint Joseph, Missouri-born cameraman worked on over 100 films in his career before retiring from film making in 1953, at which time he worked exclusively in television until 1960.
Charles Henry Pywell Daniell was an English actor who had a long career in the United States on stage and in cinema. He came to prominence for his portrayal of villainous roles in films such as Camille (1936), The Great Dictator (1940), Holiday (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940). Daniell was given few opportunities to play sympathetic or 'good guy' roles; an exception was his portrayal of Franz Liszt in the biographical film of Robert and Clara Schumann, Song of Love (1947). His name is sometimes spelled "Daniel".
Lloyd Corrigan was an American film and television actor, producer, screenwriter, and director who began working in films in the 1920s. The son of actress Lillian Elliott, Corrigan directed films, usually mysteries such as Daughter of the Dragon starring Anna May Wong, before dedicating himself more to acting in 1938. His short La Cucaracha won an Academy Award in 1935.
Road to ... is a series of seven comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour. They are also often referred to as the "Road" pictures or the "Road" series. The movies were a combination of adventure, comedy, romance, and music. The minimal plot often took a back seat to gags, which appeared improvised but were usually scripted.
Frank S. Ferguson was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television.
Norma Varden Shackleton, known professionally as Norma Varden, was an English-American actress with a long film career.
Ian Marcus Wolfe was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a character actor. His career lasted seven decades and included many films and TV series; his last screen credit was in 1990.
Family Classics is a Chicago television series which began in 1962 when Frazier Thomas was added to another program at WGN-TV. Thomas not only hosted classic films, but also selected the titles and personally edited them to remove those scenes which he thought were not fit for family viewing. After Thomas' death in 1985, Roy Leonard took over the program. The series continued sporadically until its initial cancellation in 2000.
Walter Sande was an American character actor, known for numerous supporting film and television roles.