Category: Troma Tuesdays

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]In 1977, Michelle Triola tried to sue classic actor Lee Marvin after breaking up, though they were never married. Triola lost the lawsuit in the end, but the case led to defense attorney Marvin Mitchelson coining the phrase “palimony.” Essentially, palimony combines “partner” and “alimony,” where non-married partners divide their finances and property, or “marriage with no rings attached.” The verdict became national news, which caught the attention of Troma founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz. Seeing some potential, Kaufman and Herz decided to take the concept of palimony and make it into a sex comedy. Kaufman took inspiration from the works of songwriters Tom Lehrer and Stan Freberg, who were known for their political satire. In addition to talking about palimony, the movie would also be a sketch comedy revolving around historical relationships. In early 1983, Troma released their third sex comedy, Stuck on You!

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Synopsis

Bill Andrews (Mark Mikulski) and Carol Griffiths (Virginia Penta) go to Family Court over a palimony settlement. During the trial, Judge Gabriel (Professor Irwin Corey) takes the couple to his office for a private meeting. He wants to figure out how Bill and Carol met, how they became a couple, and what exactly went wrong. As Bill and Carol tell their stories, Gabriel tells them a similar story from history to help them understand. He talks about couples like Adam and Eve, Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella, and King Arthur and Lady Guinevere. Each one struggles with issues like finding the right one, staying together for a long time, and settling arguments. Unfortunately, the stories don’t seem to help as Bill and Carol only see the negatives and decide they’ve had enough. Is there any hope for this relationship, or are Bill and Carol just not meant for each other?

Review

Of the sex comedies Troma released around this time, Lloyd Kaufman considers Stuck on You! to be the best. Compared to Squeeze Play and Waitress!, I would have to agree, as this one is at least the most creative. Admittedly, the whole palimony angle does date the movie considerably, but it does touch on relevant themes. At its heart, the film deals with the daily struggles that couples go through to keep their relationship strong. In terms of sketch comedy movies, this one isn’t as good as Kentucky Fried Movie, but it beats Movie 43. Most of the historical sketches are humorous, though they rely on tons of slapstick and double entendres. There isn’t as much nudity in this one as in the previous sex comedies, but nudity doesn’t mean lesser quality. Still, there’s a fair amount of sex to be had, but not as much nudity.

Professor Irwin Corey is easily the movie’s highlight, with his manic energy, wisecrack remarks, and goofy demeanor. Mark Mikulski works as the lovable doofus who constantly gets into trouble, and Virginia Penta has good chemistry with him. There are also brief appearances from character actress Patricia Tallman (Army of Darkness) and stuntman Kent Shelton (Batman Begins). Like the other sex comedies, the pacing here can sometimes drag, especially if this isn’t your kind of humor. Though, unlike Waitress!, which felt like a mess of ideas, this movie at least has some structure. Also, the music is surprisingly catchy, from the classical stock music to the original songs, including a rapping rabbi. There is some filler at an hour and twenty-eight minutes, but it goes by fairly quickly. Overall, Stuck on You! is definitely the best of Troma’s sex comedies, but it still has its problems.

Buy Stuck on You! from Amazon: https://amzn.to/48FR0Is.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Made on an estimated budget of $150,000, Squeeze Play proved to be a hit for the burgeoning studio. After premiering in Norfolk, Virginia, the movie was financially successful and earned positive reviews from The New York Times. With a winning formula, Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz decided to start cranking out more sex comedies. Like their last film, the team decided to base their next movie on the rising women’s liberation movement. Kaufman and Herz chose to use a restaurant as the setting for their next sex comedy. They chose a local restaurant called Marty’s in Manhattan for filming locations, which presented a new set of problems. The crew wasn’t allowed to shoot during work hours, so they had to wait and film throughout the night. While filming wrapped in 1981, “Waitress!” premiered at the Cannes Film Market in 1982 and New York later that year.

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Synopsis

Andrea (Carol Drake), Jennifer (Carol Bevar), and Lindsey (Renata Hickey) are struggling waitresses working at a high-class restaurant. In addition to the insanity of food service, each has personal problems outside of work they have to deal with. On top of her boyfriend Jerry (Jim Harris) being the restaurant’s manager, Andrea is an aspiring actress looking for work. Jennifer is working as a waitress to interview people for an article she’s hoping to get published. Lindsey’s father, Mr. Bellerman (Ed Fenton), happens to be the restaurant’s owner, and he’s making her work as punishment. Everything at the restaurant gets topsy turvy as the staff goes crazy and the patrons flee. There’s an alcoholic cook, a medical student working as a bartender, and an over-the-top cowboy, among other wacky staff and diners. A complete course meal of zaniness with some hilarity will be served in this madhouse of a restaurant.

Review

It feels like Kaufman and Herz tried to go all out with “Waitress!” to recreate the success they had before. Unfortunately, they created a movie that tries so hard to be funny that it’s too chaotic to follow. There are so many gags and jokes sprinkled throughout that it’s hard to understand what’s happening. For instance, one scene will have pratfalls, hot food jokes, and rolls flying happening all at once. There will often be a joke that works, but they’re so few and far between. I feel like Kaufman and Herz just threw whatever gags they thought of against the wall and saw what stuck. Later Troma movies like Terror Firmer would have tons of background gags, but they at least had more focus. This movie, however, is such a chaotic mess that it’s more confusing than it is funny.

Like Squeeze Play, the cast comprises relatively unknown actors who haven’t done much else before or since. Among the cast is soap opera star Hunt Block, Tony Denison from The Closer, and Chris “Mr. Big” Noth. Considering that Block and Denison went under pseudonyms, something tells me they’re not too proud of this. The rest of the cast do the best with the material and play their parts exaggeratedly. Carol Drake, in particular, really goes for it as an actress who’s desperate to play Joan of Arc. On top of looking like a bootleg Billy Crystal, Jim Harris has some of the funniest lines in the movie. The movie goes by quickly at slightly under 90 minutes, though it’s so hectic that you won’t know what happened. Overall, “Waitress!” has its moments, but it’s more of a mess than a hidden comedic gem.

Buy Waitress! from Amazon as part of The Sexy Box: https://amzn.to/3lojFtq.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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After the disastrous release of Big Gus, What’s the Fuss?, Lloyd Kaufman was in a tight jam. With his business partner Michael Herz, Lloyd founded Troma Entertainment in 1974, where they could produce their movies. Around this time, Kaufman directed a series of adult films under the pseudonyms H.V. Spyder, Louis Su, and David Stitt. In the 70s, the industry took celluloid sex seriously, and mixing sex with other genres was unheard of. With this in mind, Kaufman and Herz thought it would be a good idea to make a sex comedy film. The Women’s Liberation Movement was in full swing, so Kaufman and Herz decided to incorporate that into their movie. Lloyd’s brother Charles worked with screenwriter Haim Pekelis to churn out a 75-page script while Lloyd accumulated a $300,000 budget. While the film premiered in New York in 1979, Squeeze Play wouldn’t be released nationwide until 1980.

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Synopsis

Wes (Jim Harris) is captain of the local men’s softball team, The Beavers, and is the talk of the town. However, his fiance, Samantha (Jennifer Hetrick), isn’t happy about how he spends more time with the guys than her. She wants him to quit softball next year so he can spend more time with her, but he’s reluctant. Soon, the girlfriends and wives of the other team members share the same sentiment as Samantha and have had it. One night, the girls meet runaway Mary Lou (Melissa Michaels), who has a wicked throwing arm and can play softball. Suddenly, Samantha gets an idea: she and the girls will form their softball team to teach the boys a lesson. Naturally, the guys don’t take them seriously, so the girls train hard and start getting good. Who will win this epic battle of the sexes, and who will make the squeeze play?

Review

While not as good as comedies like Animal House or Meatballs, Squeeze Play is still an enjoyably silly sex comedy. Admittedly, most of the movie’s humor is dated and relies heavily on slapstick, but plenty of the gags do land. The most famous joke in the film is when a player catches the ball between his buttcheeks. Aside from the dumb jokes, the plot is an excuse to add double entendres and get women naked. This movie is from a bygone era where a Wet T-Shirt Contest, gender stereotypes, and politically incorrect humor were acceptable. The pro-women message, though it lacks subtlety, is weirdly relevant even today and helps it stand out. While it’s easy to hate the men for being gross and rude, the women make plenty of mistakes. It’s interesting how a 70s sex comedy depicted feminism better than today’s crop of movies.

The cast, mainly made up of relatively unknown actors, does their jobs well and plays into the comedy. There are some notable cast members, including Jennifer Hetrick from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Al Corley from Dynasty. The most memorable actor here is Mike Starr, who later starred in Uncle Buck, Ed Wood, and Dumb and Dumber. Admittedly, the movie does follow plenty of sports movie tropes, but this was well before those tropes became a thing. As with every sports movie, everything culminates in a final game, though this one has some nudity. At slightly over 90 minutes long, it won’t take up too much of your time and goes by fast. Diehard Troma fans might get a kick out of this, but general audiences will probably dismiss this. Overall, Squeeze Play is a product of its time, for better or for worse, though it has its moments.

Buy Squeeze Play from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EuFmB1.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Some of the most prominent actors working today often get their start in low-budget films, though they often regret this. There’s Demi Moore in Parasite 3D, Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun, and Nicole Kidman in BMX Bandits, to name a few. Then there’s Kevin Costner, who was a stagehand before getting his big break in The Untouchables and No Way Out. While working behind the scenes, Costner would pass by the office of producer Eric Louzil and ask for acting roles. Louzil had a project in line with first-time director Richard Brander, so he offered Costner a minor part. Admittedly, Louzil hired Costner more for his looks than his acting abilities, not to mention he was awkward. The movie was filmed during the winter of 1978-79 and initially released in 1981 as Malibu Hot Summer. In 1986, Troma acquired the rights and re-released the film as Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.

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Synopsis

Best friends Janice Johnston (Terry Congie), Dit McCoy (Lesley Brander), and Cheryl Reilly (Roselyn Royce) move out to California. Dit wants to be a famous singer, Cheryl gets a job as a physical education teacher, and Janice takes acting lessons. They decide to rent a beach house and Malibu and plan to try and live out their dreams. Janice falls in love with ranch hand John Logan (Kevin Costner), who teaches her horseback riding in between her classes. Dit gets a spot in a singing competition through a friend but soon discovers how sleazy the manager is. Also, Cheryl gets scolded by her supervisor at the school for supposedly having an insatiable libido. The three grow as friends, learn lessons along the way, and meet the loves of their lives. All of this is mixed in with plenty of TNA to distract you from how dull the plot is.

Review

Going into Sizzle Beach, U.S.A., I expected it to be one of those zany sex comedies from the early 1980s. Instead, you get a bland drama about three women, their friendship, and their dreams mixed with some nudity. After a while, the nudity starts losing its appeal and becomes annoying, like you’re praying they keep their clothes on. At least the three lead women look good naked, but that’s not enough to compensate for a dull movie. Congie, Brander, and Reilly have decent chemistry together, but there’s nothing to their characters to make us care. It’s not a shock that of the three, only one has more than two acting credits to their name. I’d comment on the rest of the cast, but they’re so forgettable that it’s not worth it. Then, of course, there’s the person we’re all here to see: Kevin Costner.

After hearing Louzil say he hired Costner for his looks, it makes sense given his performance or lack thereof. Costner sounds stiff and wooden, and he looks awkward and uncomfortable as if he doesn’t know what to do. Supposedly, he was most uncomfortable shooting a love scene without clothes on, and you can tell when you see it. While he’s never been great, you’d never guess that Costner would become the superstar he is today seeing this. Usually, I scoff at actors denying or feeling embarrassed by their past work, but in this case, I get it. Even with the rampant nudity, this is such a dull and uninteresting movie that you’ll forget about it fast. Even at 90 minutes long, you could do much better than this, even if you want cheap TNA. Overall, Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. might be worth it for Costner completionists, but it’s otherwise best avoided.

Buy Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3uZxKCg.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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Where to watch Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. (1981)

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By the early 1970s, Lloyd Kaufman was only a few years away from co-founding Troma Entertainment with Michael Herz. Kaufman had two directing credits under his belt, The Girl Who Returned and The Battle of Love’s Return. Around this time, producer Ami Artzi had his first film, The Dreamer, premiere at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Artzi convinced Kaufman and Herz that making a G-rated family comedy in Israel would be easy money. Not only would it be a hit in Israel, but the film could also play at American synagogues. Unfortunately, the trouble started when the original script Kaufman and Herz turned in was drastically rewritten by the Israeli producers. In the end, Kaufman and Herz lost money when the film flopped upon release due to war breaking out. In 1973, Schwartz: The Brave Detective, aka Big Gus, What’s The Fuss? came and went.

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Synopsis

Detective Schwartz (Bomba Tzur) is a former cop turned private investigator who works alongside his partner Simcha (Yosef Shiloach). A wealthy man has hired them to spy on his wife, who he fears is cheating on him. The wife has an affair with her doctor, so the detectives decide to take on the case. While they manage to get photographic evidence, they accidentally lose the footage, and the doctor finds out what they’re doing. In retaliation, he hires a mob boss to send his goons after Schwartz and Simcha to hide the truth. A series of “wacky” hijinks follow as our heroes try to outrun the mob and expose the wife. Thankfully, Schwartz and Simcha have friends in high places who can help them out of this jam. Will our heroes succeed, what will happen to the wife, and just who is Gus?

Review

Over the years, Lloyd Kaufman said Big Gus, What’s The Fuss? “did more damage to the Jews than Mein Kempf.” While Lloyd’s statement might be hyperbolic, it’s not like Big Gus, What’s The Fuss? is some misunderstood masterpiece. Perhaps it’s a case of culture clash since I’m not Israeli, but I can’t imagine enjoying this if I was. Cultural issues aside, this is one of the most confusing and disjointed films I’ve seen since starting this site. What’s strange is that, at first, it begins simply enough as a goofy comedy about two bumbling detectives. The plot goes off the rails into pure chaos at some point as it devolves into a string of gags. They make no sense in context and come out of nowhere, including one involving a random couple rehearsing a scene. It doesn’t help that almost none of these gags aren’t the least bit funny.

From what I understand, many of the cast members were famous in their native land and considered superstars. Admittedly, I’ve never heard of these actors, let alone seen their previous work, so I can’t say for sure. Most of them resort to simply mugging for the camera and making silly noises thinking that’s funny. It seems like they’re trying to capture the madcap energy of Benny Hill without understanding what made him work. It doesn’t help that this film is G-rated, meaning we don’t get the sexy shenanigans Benny Hill was known for. The soundtrack comprises only two songs repeatedly played throughout, which adds to the painful viewing experience. While not as bad as It’s Pat or Freddy Got Fingered, this is still a terrible comedy. Overall, unless you’re a Troma completionist, Big Gus, What’s The Fuss? is best left forgotten.

Download Big Gus, What’s The Fuss? from Troma Direct: https://bit.ly/3qsWAZM.

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After graduating from Yale University, Lloyd Kaufman started working for Cannon Films, where he met up-and-coming filmmaker John G. Avildsen. The two first collaborated on the 1970 film Joe, starring Peter Boyle and a then-unknown Susan Sarandon. Soon after, they worked on the 1971 film Cry Uncle, which Kaufman distributed under his then newly formed Troma Entertainment. Around this time, future Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone returned from Vietnam and earned a film degree from New York University. He attended Yale with Kaufman, so Stone decided to co-produce a few movies in the early 1970s. Kaufman also knew producer Frank Vitale, who would collaborate on Kaufman’s first major motion picture after The Girl Who Returned. With an $8,000 budget, Lloyd Kaufman assembled his team to helm a quirky comedy about life in 1970s New York. In June 1971, The Battle of Love’s Return made its way onto the big screen.

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Synopsis

Abacrombie (Lloyd Kaufman) is a down-on-his-luck loser who can’t seem to catch a break no matter how hard he tries. After failing a big job from his boss Mr. Crumb (Stanley Kaufman), Abacrombie is fired and left wandering the streets. He passes by a coffee shop and sees his Dream Girl (Lynn Lowry), but he’s too shy to go inside. While trying to find himself, he meets a loafer (Andy Kay), who constantly hounds him for being a square. He even tries to help an old lady (Ida Goodcutt) cross the street but gets beaten by her. At one point, he tries joining a hippie commune only to get laughed at by them and the cops. Despite being scorned by his Dream Girl, Abacrombie is determined to make a name for himself at any cost. Will he succeed and win the battle of love’s return?

Review

Compared to Lloyd’s first film, The Battle of Love’s Return is more engaging and not as tedious to watch. While the film is a comedy, don’t expect a joke every five minutes as it veers closer to arthouse territory. There are these odd black-and-white vignettes between the narrative segments where some actors give improvised interviews. I’m not sure what their purpose is other than to paint a picture of people in the early 1970s. Admittedly, the only one I was mildly interested in was where Lynn Lowry plays a Southern belle looking for love. Speaking of, just like in Sugar Cookies, Lowry is positively stunning and is having fun saying some exaggerated lines. Also, look out for an early appearance from Oliver Stone, who has a bit part as Cliff, Abacrombie’s co-worker. He only has one scene, but it’s cool to see him at such a young age.

Lloyd Kaufman is a mixture of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and even some Mel Brooks in terms of acting. Most of the humor is rooted in old-school slapstick, so if you’re not a fan, you probably won’t enjoy this. He moves with exaggerated body movements and gives the same cartoonish faces you’d see in his later films. As far as filmmaking goes, he shoots this in an arthouse style with occasional black-and-white, extreme close-ups, and long takes. While there is a plot, there isn’t any particular structure or complete sequence of events. Things just happen without much of an explanation, like going from hanging with hippies to suddenly fighting in Vietnam. It might be somewhat confusing, but it’s a brisk watch at slightly under 90 minutes, and it’s an intriguing experience. Overall, The Battle of Love’s Return is a fascinating if disjointed early look at Kaufman’s long career.

Buy The Battle of Love’s Return from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4nX26i0.

Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at no additional cost, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.

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Where to watch The Battle of Love’s Return (1971)

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