Up the Creek (1984 film)

Last updated
Up the Creek
Up the Creek (1984 film).jpg
Up the Creek theatrical poster
Directed by Robert Butler
Screenplay by Jim Kouf
Story byJim Kouf
Jeff Sherman
Douglas Grossman
Produced byMichael L. Meltzer
Starring
Cinematography James Glennon
Edited by Bill Butler
Music byWilliam Goldstein
Cheap Trick
Production
company
Distributed by Orion Pictures
Release date
  • April 6, 1984 (1984-04-06)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million
Box office$11,708,269 [1]

Up the Creek is a 1984 comedy film directed by Robert Butler and starring Tim Matheson, Dan Monahan, Stephen Furst, Jeff East, Sandy Helberg, Blaine Novak, James B. Sikking, Jennifer Runyon, and John Hillerman.

Contents

Plot summary

Bob McGraw, Max, Gonzer, and Irwin, students at Lepetomane University (known derisively by some as "Lobotomy U"), are volunteered to compete in a collegiate raft race. They are "recruited" by Dean Burch who uses records of McGraw's checkered past as a means of blackmail to get them to compete. He offers them degrees in the major of their choice as additional incentive. "You have the distinct honor of being the four worst students in the entire country.", says Birch, "You're not AT the bottom of the list, you ARE the bottom of the list!" Their opponents include Ivy University, prep schoolers who, with the help of an Ivy alumnus named Dr. Roland Tozer, plan to cheat their way to the Winner's Circle. Their adversaries also include the Washington Military Institute, who are soon disqualified for their attempts to sabotage the other schools' rafts. Captain Braverman, the leader of the Military men, seeks revenge on McGraw for hindering their attempts to sabotage the other rafts. Also entered is a team of attractive female students, one of whom ends up in a romantic situation with McGraw.

Cast

Production notes

This film was filmed in Bend, Oregon. [2]

Writer Jim Kouf later said Robert Butler "was not a great comedy director, he missed a lot of jokes." [3]

Soundtrack

Up the Creek
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released1984
Genre Rock
Hard rock
Length41:28
Label Pasha
Producer Various artists
Singles from Up the Creek
  1. "Up the Creek"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
  1. "Up the Creek" – Cheap Trick
  2. "The Heat" – Heart
  3. "30 Days in the Hole" – Kick Axe
  4. "Great Expectations (You Never Know What to Expect)" – Ian Hunter
  5. "Chasin' the Sky" – The Beach Boys
  6. "Get Ready Boy" – Shooting Star
  7. "One Track Heart (Passion in the Dark)" – Danny Spanos
  8. "Take It" – Shooting Star
  9. "Two Hearts on the Loose Tonight" – Randy Bishop
  10. "Get Ready Boy (Instrumental)" – Shooting Star

One song that was in the film but not on the soundtrack is "First Girl President" by Namrac.

Reception

The Los Angeles Times wrote that the film was "not as consistently amusing" as Police Academy but was "rambunctious and raunchy enough to divert undemanding audiences." [4] The Washington Post called it "a moist smut movie" in which the best performance was given by the dog. [5] The New York Times called it "a ridiculous ordeal, all right, but certainly not in the way the filmmakers intended." [6] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune however said the film was "a good time", where Matheson, Furst and Helberg "play their roles with the same whimsical naturalness that made Bill Murray a star. They don't push themselves upon us, and that allows us to identify with them in a relaxed way. The result is a very tight script with breathing room. That's most unusual for a teen comedy, and that's why Up the Creek is one of the best." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Runyon</span> American writer (1880–1946)

Alfred Damon Runyon was an American journalist and short-story writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Siskel</span> American film critic (1946–1999)

Eugene Kal Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He is best known for co-hosting various movie review television series with colleague Roger Ebert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Furst</span> American actor (1954–2017)

Stephen Furst was an American actor. After gaining attention with his featured role as Kent "Flounder" Dorfman in the comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House and its spin-off television series Delta House, he went on to be a regular as Dr. Elliot Axelrod in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere from 1983 to 1988, and as Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto in the science fiction series Babylon 5 from 1994 to 1998. Other notable film roles included the college comedy Midnight Madness (1980), as a team leader in an all-night mystery game, the action thriller Silent Rage (1982), as deputy to a sheriff played by Chuck Norris, and the comedy The Dream Team (1989), as a good-natured psychiatric patient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Phillips</span> American folk rock singer and actress (born 1944)

Michelle Gilliam Phillips is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame as a vocalist in the musical quartet the Mamas & the Papas in the mid-1960s. Her voice was described by Time magazine as the "purest soprano in pop music". She later established a successful career as an actress in film and television beginning in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig T. Nelson</span> American actor (born 1944)

Craig Theodore Nelson is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the ABC sitcom Coach, Deputy Warden Ward Wilson in the 1980 film Stir Crazy, Steve Freeling in the 1982 film Poltergeist, Burt Nickerson in All the Right Moves (1983), Peter Dellaplane in Action Jackson, Chief Howard Hyde in Turner & Hooch (1989), Alex Cullen in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Chief Jack Mannion in the CBS drama The District (2000–04), The Warden in the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl (2007), and the voice of Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible in the 2004 film The Incredibles and its 2018 sequel. He also starred as Zeek Braverman in the NBC drama series Parenthood (2010–15) and played Dale Ballard in the CBS sitcom Young Sheldon (2017–24).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Raft</span> American actor (1895–1980)

George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembered for his gangster roles in Quick Millions (1931) with Spencer Tracy, Scarface (1932) with Paul Muni, Each Dawn I Die (1939) with James Cagney, Invisible Stripes (1939) with Humphrey Bogart, and Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon; and as a dancer in Bolero (1934) with Carole Lombard and a truck driver in They Drive by Night (1940) with Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino and Bogart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Matheson</span> American actor (born 1947)

Tim Matheson is an American actor. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated Jonny Quest TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 1978 comedy film National Lampoon's Animal House, and the recurring role of Vice President John Hoynes in the 2000s NBC drama The West Wing, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<i>Black Sheep</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Black Sheep is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris, written by Fred Wolf, starring Chris Farley and David Spade, co-starring Tim Matheson, Christine Ebersole, and Gary Busey. The film follows a political aide who is assigned to control the brother of a candidate for Governor of Washington, who helps his brother's campaign. It grossed $32.3 million during its U.S. theatrical run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hillerman</span> American actor (1932–2017)

John Benedict Hillerman was an American actor best known for his starring role as Jonathan Quayle Higgins III on the television series Magnum, P.I. that aired from 1980 to 1988. For his role as Higgins, Hillerman earned five Golden Globe nominations, winning in 1981, and four Emmy nominations, winning in 1987. He retired from acting in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Levene</span> American actor and director (1905–1980)

Sam Levene was an American Broadway, films, radio, and television actor and director. In a career spanning over five decades, he appeared in over 50 comedy and drama theatrical stage productions. He also acted in over 50 films across the United States and abroad.

<i>The Wild Geese</i> 1978 film

The Wild Geese is a 1978 war film starring an ensemble cast led by Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris and Hardy Krüger. The film, which was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen, was the result of a long-held ambition of producer Euan Lloyd to make an all-star adventure film in the vein of The Guns of Navarone or Where Eagles Dare. The plot concerns a group of European mercenaries fighting in Africa. The screenplay by Reginald Rose was based on Daniel Carney's unpublished novel The Thin White Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James B. Sikking</span> American actor (1934–2024)

James Barrie Sikking was an American actor, best known for his roles as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s television series Hill Street Blues and David Howser on Doogie Howser, M.D.

<i>Play It Again, Sam</i> (film) 1972 film by Herbert Ross

Play It Again, Sam is a 1972 American comedy film written by and starring Woody Allen, based on his 1969 Broadway play of the same title. The film was directed by Herbert Ross, instead of Allen, who usually directs his own written work.

<i>A Very Brady Sequel</i> 1996 film by Arlene Sanford

A Very Brady Sequel is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Arlene Sanford, with a screenplay by Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, James Berg and Stan Zimmerman, and starring Shelley Long, Gary Cole and Tim Matheson. It also features cameos from RuPaul, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Eden, David Spade, and Richard Belzer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Runyon</span> American actress (1960– )

Jennifer Victoria Runyon is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the slasher film To All a Goodnight (1980), and went on to have supporting roles in the comedies Up the Creek (1984) and Ghostbusters (1984). She also had a lead role as Gwendolyn Pierce in the 1984 sitcom Charles in Charge during its first season. In 1988, she portrayed Cindy Brady in the television film A Very Brady Christmas.

<i>Easy Money</i> (1983 film) 1983 film by James Signorelli

Easy Money is a 1983 American comedy film starring Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Candice Azzara, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It was directed by James Signorelli and written by Dangerfield, Michael Endler, P. J. O'Rourke and Dennis Blair. The original music score was composed by Laurence Rosenthal. Billy Joel performed the theme song "Easy Money" from his album An Innocent Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Bruce Humberstone</span> American film director

H. Bruce "Lucky" Humberstone was an American film director. He was previously a movie actor, a script clerk, and an assistant director, working with directors such as King Vidor, Edmund Goulding, and Allan Dwan.

<i>Scavenger Hunt</i> 1979 film by Michael Schultz

Scavenger Hunt is a 1979 American comedy film with a large ensemble cast which includes Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Ruth Gordon, Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley, Richard Mulligan, Tony Randall, Dirk Benedict, Willie Aames, Stephanie Faracy, Stephen Furst and Richard Masur. The film was directed by Michael Schultz, and released by 20th Century Fox. It includes an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and features cameos by Meat Loaf and Vincent Price.

<i>Sunburn</i> (1979 film) 1979 film by Richard C. Sarafian

Sunburn is a 1979 British-American comedy detective film directed by Richard C. Sarafian and written by James Booth, John Daly and Stephen Oliver. It is based on the novel The Bind by Stanley Ellin. The film stars Farrah Fawcett, Charles Grodin, Art Carney, Joan Collins, William Daniels and John Hillerman. The film was released on August 10, 1979, by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Gidget Gets Married</i> 1972 film by E.W. Swackhamer

Gidget Gets Married is a 1972 American made-for television comedy film produced by Screen Gems for ABC. It was written by John McGreevey, directed by E.W. Swackhamer and starred Monie Ellis as Gidget.

References

  1. Up the Creek at Box Office Mojo
  2. "Up The Creek: Reliving Bend's Hollywood heyday". bendsource.com. May 28, 2010. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  3. "Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt GRIMM Interview" by Andre Dellamorte Collider accessed 18 December 2014
  4. Thomas, Kevin. (Apr 5, 1984). "MOVIE REVIEW: THIS 'CREEK' GOES WITH THE FLOW". Los Angeles Times. p. k1.
  5. "Get Stuck Up This Creek and You'll Need a Shovel". The Washington Post. Apr 6, 1984. p. WK21.
  6. LAWRENCE VAN GELDER (Apr 7, 1984). "Screen: 'Up the Creek,' College Humor". New York Times. p. 13.
  7. Siskel, Gene. (Apr 11, 1984). "Tempo: Teenage comedy flows fast in 'Up the Creek'". Chicago Tribune. p. e4.