Whiffs | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ted Post |
Written by | Malcolm Marmorstein |
Produced by | George Barrie |
Starring | Elliott Gould Eddie Albert Harry Guardino Godfrey Cambridge Jennifer O'Neill |
Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
Edited by | Robert Lawrence |
Music by | John Cameron |
Production company | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Whiffs is a 1975 comedy film directed by Ted Post and starring Elliott Gould, Eddie Albert, Harry Guardino, Godfrey Cambridge, and Jennifer O'Neill. It was produced by Brut Productions and released theatrically in the U.S. by 20th Century Fox.
The film was released in the UK as C.A.S.H. [1]
A group of gullible military private volunteers to be the subject of numerous military biological and chemical weaponry experiments, and later robs banks as a result. [2]
The film was made by Brut Productions, a short lived film production company that was an off-shoot of Faberge Cosmetics under George Barrie. Their early films included Night Watch , Welcome to Arrow Beach , A Touch of Class and Count Your Bullets . [3]
In June 1974 Barrie announced he would turn producer with Whiffs based on an original story and script by Malcolm Mamorstein, with Ted Post to direct. "It's a comedy-satire about a young man, an expert on testing gases, who winds up using all that knowledge for other purposes," said Barrie. [4]
Marmorstein later recalled, "George Barrie knew that I had done S*P*Y*S and was looking for someone with a comedic touch, so he suggested Elliott Gould." [5]
Elliott Gould insisted his then-girlfriend Jennifer O'Neill play the female lead.
“We really didn't want to hire her,” said Marmorstein, “because we thought, what if their romance breaks up in the middle of the film?... We had good choices [for her part]. Everybody wanted to play it, but Gould wanted her.”” [5]
"I thought I was gonna marry Jennifer,” Gould said later. “Since I couldn’t, I thought that she’d be perfect to be my nurse [in “Whiffs.”] Teri Garr was up for the part. I needed a funny girl. But I wanted to be loyal to the beautiful, amazing person that Jennifer is...” [5] She signed in August 1974. [6]
Parts of the film were shot in Dugway, Stockton and Tooele, Utah. [7]
Gould and O'Neill broke up during filming. “I physically got in between them, stuff like that,” said Marmorstein. Jennifer O’Neill was not much of an actress at the time, and it was tough." [5]
Marmorstein said "Ted Post was a very amiable guy. Except he had no idea how to shoot comedy. Also, he was too in love with zoom lenses, which is fine for TV. I conspired with the director of photography to switch to a prime lens each time Ted was ready for a new setup. For his first shot, he chose a huge, complex, all-encompassing shot that put us days behind schedule.” [5]
The film was going to be made for Warner Bros. but ended up being released by 20th Century Fox. [8] However, film ownership eventually went to Warner Bros. through Turner Entertainment Co. Warner Home Video released the film on 2013 through the Warner Archive Collection.
TV Guide wrote, in reference to the story line of Elliott Gould's character behaving like a chimpanzee because he breathed in an experimental chemical, "The scriptwriter must have taken a good whiff of the gas himself each time he sat down at his typewriter." [9]
The Los Angeles Times called it "as funny as a fire at an old folk's home." [10]
"That picture didn't work," said Gould. "They went with the obvious comedy." [5]
In 1976 he said the film featured his least favourite performance. [11]
Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | Best Original Song | "Now That We're in Love" Music by George Barrie; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn | Nominated | [12] |
Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | Nominated | [13] |
Jennifer O'Neill is a Brazilian-born American author, model and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenage model, as well as for her spokesperson work for CoverGirl cosmetics, which began in 1963 and spanned three decades. She made her feature film debut in the comedy film For Love of Ivy (1968), followed by a lead role in Howard Hawks's Western film Rio Lobo (1970).
Elliott Gould is an American actor.
Night Watch is a 1973 mystery thriller film directed by Brian G. Hutton from a screenplay by Tony Williamson, based on the 1972 play of the same name by Lucille Fletcher. The film reunited Elizabeth Taylor with co-star Laurence Harvey from their 1960 collaboration BUtterfield 8. It was the last time the pair acted together on screen. Some of the story elements recall the plot outline of the 1944 film Gaslight.
California Split is a 1974 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould and George Segal as a pair of gamblers. It was the first non-Cinerama film to use eight-track stereo sound.
S*P*Y*S is a 1974 American spy comedy film directed by Irvin Kershner, and starring Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland and Zouzou. It was screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, but it was not entered into the main competition.
The Carey Treatment is a 1972 American crime thriller film directed by Blake Edwards and starring James Coburn, Jennifer O'Neill, Dan O'Herlihy and Pat Hingle. The film was based on the 1968 novel A Case of Need credited to Jeffery Hudson, a pseudonym for Michael Crichton. Like Darling Lili and Wild Rovers before this, The Carey Treatment was heavily edited without help from Edwards by the studio into a running time of one hour and 41 minutes; these edits were later satirized in his 1981 black comedy S.O.B..
George Barrie was the owner and CEO of Fabergé Inc. from 1964 to 1984. He was nominated for two Oscars for Best Original Song and created the cologne Brut. Though not one of the first to use celebrities to advertise, he was one of those that made it commonplace.
Fabergé is a brand name that was inspired by the House of Fabergé jewellery firm, which had been founded in 1842 in Russia. The name was used for various personal care products that were manufactured under the direction of Samuel Rubin, and then by George Barrie. The Fabergé company was sold by Barrie in 1984, and was subsequently acquired by Unilever in 1989.
Little Murders is a 1971 American black comedy film directed by Alan Arkin, in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Elliott Gould and Marcia Rodd. Based on the stage play of the same name by Jules Feiffer, it is the story of a woman, Patsy (Rodd), who brings home her boyfriend, Alfred (Gould), to meet her severely dysfunctional family amidst a series of random shootings, garbage strikes and electrical outages ravaging their New York City neighborhood.
Hugo the Hippo is a 1975 animated film produced by the Pannónia Filmstúdió of Hungary and co-produced in the United States by Brut Productions, a division of French perfume company Faberge. It was released in Hungary in 1975 and in the United States in 1976 by 20th Century-Fox. The film was directed by William Feigenbaum and József Gémes.
Getting Straight is a 1970 American comedy film motion picture directed by Richard Rush, released by Columbia Pictures.
Busting is a 1974 American buddy cop film, directed by Peter Hyams in his theatrical directorial debut, starring Elliott Gould and Robert Blake as police detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The film was the main inspiration for the cop series Starsky & Hutch, which premiered in 1975 and, like this film, also featured Antonio Fargas.
Matilda is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Elliott Gould, Robert Mitchum and Lionel Stander. The screenplay by Timothy Galfas and Albert S. Ruddy is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Paul Gallico.
Harry and Walter Go to New York is a 1976 American period comedy film written by John Byrum and Robert Kaufman, directed by Mark Rydell, and starring James Caan, Elliott Gould, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Charles Durning and Lesley Ann Warren. In the film, two dimwitted con-men try to pull off the biggest heist ever seen in late nineteenth-century New York City. They are opposed by the greatest bank robber of the day, and aided by a crusading newspaper editor.
Move is a 1970 American comedy film starring Elliott Gould, Paula Prentiss and Geneviève Waïte, and directed by Stuart Rosenberg. The screenplay was written by Joel Lieber and Stanley Hart, adapted from a novel by Lieber.
I Love My Wife, stylized as I Love My...Wife, is a 1970 American comedy film directed by Mel Stuart. It stars Elliott Gould and Brenda Vaccaro.
I Will, I Will... for Now is a 1976 American romantic-comedy film directed by Norman Panama. It stars Elliott Gould and Diane Keaton.
Brut Productions was a film production company that was an offshoot of Fabergé cosmetics under George Barrie.
The Children Nobody Wanted is a 1981 American made-for-television drama film based on the true story of child advocate Tom Butterfield (1940–1982), the youngest bachelor to become a legal foster parent in the state of Missouri, and his creation of the Butterfield Ranch.
Dead Men Don't Die is a 1990 American horror-comedy film written and directed by Malcolm Marmorstein and starring Elliott Gould and Melissa Sue Anderson.