This unheralded gem was produced by Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios.
I give it 10 stars for the theme music alone.
There are some very good performances by Griffin O'Neal (his debut) as Danny and Desi Arnez Sr (Lucille Ball's husband) as the crooked Mayor...but the best performances are Raul Julia as Stu, the slightly(!) unhinged son of the Mayor and Joan Hackett as Danny's Aunt Sibyl.
Funny and understated performances by John P Ryan as Stu's sidekick Vernon and Teri Garr as Stu's dotty girlfriend Arlene (pure eye-candy) are also worth mentioning.
There's even a couple of the original 'Dead-End Kids' in the mix, Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell, plus the original Uncle Fester and silent screen kid actor, Jackie Coogan. I've just realised all the names I've mentioned bar O'Neal and Garr are all gone now. Sad.
M.Emmet Walsh throws in a greasy, smirking performance as the Chief Jailer with corruption oozing from every pore. Walsh never disappoints, even in a cameo role.
The ending just about pulls it all together but not quite, though it doesn't disappoint. Once again though...beautiful music
One strange thing, Richard Bradford as Sam the City Treasurer is missing off the film credits. It took me two updates to get his name listed on IMDb as uncredited.
I give it 10 stars for the theme music alone.
There are some very good performances by Griffin O'Neal (his debut) as Danny and Desi Arnez Sr (Lucille Ball's husband) as the crooked Mayor...but the best performances are Raul Julia as Stu, the slightly(!) unhinged son of the Mayor and Joan Hackett as Danny's Aunt Sibyl.
Funny and understated performances by John P Ryan as Stu's sidekick Vernon and Teri Garr as Stu's dotty girlfriend Arlene (pure eye-candy) are also worth mentioning.
There's even a couple of the original 'Dead-End Kids' in the mix, Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell, plus the original Uncle Fester and silent screen kid actor, Jackie Coogan. I've just realised all the names I've mentioned bar O'Neal and Garr are all gone now. Sad.
M.Emmet Walsh throws in a greasy, smirking performance as the Chief Jailer with corruption oozing from every pore. Walsh never disappoints, even in a cameo role.
The ending just about pulls it all together but not quite, though it doesn't disappoint. Once again though...beautiful music
One strange thing, Richard Bradford as Sam the City Treasurer is missing off the film credits. It took me two updates to get his name listed on IMDb as uncredited.