Phyllis Diller Movies
Long before Roseanne Barr's "domestic goddess," Phyllis Diller parlayed her life as a housewife into a profitable stand-up comedy career. The daughter of an insurance man, Phyllis Driver had hopes of becoming a concert pianist, and to that end attended Chicago's Sherwood Music Conservatory. Her zany behavior while attending Northwestern University and her 1939 elopement with her first husband Sherwood Diller put a temporary end to her musical career. Several years and many children later, a bored Diller went to work for the advertising department of a California department store, then got a writing job at an Oakland radio station. A knack for making people laugh at church and club functions prompted Diller (with her husband's encouragement) to set her sights on a comedy career. She studied acting and scrutinized the techniques of her favorite male comedians, finally making her nightclub debut in 1955 at San Francisco's Purple Onion, a progressive nightclub which presaged the "comedy workshops" of today. Eighty-nine additional weeks at the Purple Onion enabled Diller to hone her skills to perfection; her first comedy record album appeared in 1959, with numerous TV and stage appearances quickly following suit. Diller developed an outrageous comedy persona, complete with grotesque wigs, garish costumes and her trademarked cackling laugh. Though always a favorite with live audiences, Diller was never quite able to sustain her appeal on film: her 1966 TV series The Pruitts of Southhampton was unsuccessful, as was her only starring feature film, Did You Hear the One About the Travelling Saleslady? (1968). She fared somewhat better as a supporting actress in several Bob Hope comedy films of the late 1960s (Hope was a longtime Diller fan). In the last two decades, Phyllis Diller has periodically altered her public personality, "improving" her plain but distinctive facial features with plastic surgery, concentrating more time on piano concerts and less on stand-up comedy and confining her TV appearances to Home Shopping programs and "psychic hotline" infotainment half-hours. Perhaps Phyllis Diller's "funny hausfrau" throne has been usurped by younger talents, but one must not forget that Diller was the one who stuck her neck out first, blazing the trail for the many Roseannes and Brett Butlers who followed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2003
Taped approximately six weeks before the 100th birthday of comedy legend Bob Hope, this elaborate (and highly-rated) TV "love letter" to "Old Ski Nose" is hosted by former Today Show anchor Jane Pauley. The special covers the familiar biographical ground, tracing British-born Leslie Townes Hope from his first paying gig as a Charlie Chaplin imitator at age 12, then on to nearly two decades of singing, dancing, and adlibbing in vaudeville before achieving stardom on the Broadway stage in the 1933 musical Roberta. Achieving even greater success in films and on radio, Hope still remained just another entertainer until he began his celebrated, indefatigable tours of far-flung military camps in WWII, thereby kicking off a humanitarian "second career" that would extend well past the Vietnam era. Finally, the program covers in detail Hope's years on television, specifically the 285 specials which he headlined on NBC from 1950 to 1996. Many of the film clips will be familiar to even the most casual Hope fans, with one noteworthy exception: A clip from a mid-'80s Mike Douglas Show, in which Hope engages in a putting match with a two-and-a-half-year-old Tiger Woods. Dozens of Hope's contemporaries and fans from all walks of life show up to offer their own special tributes, though sadly many of his co-star's from his classic films -- notably Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour -- are no longer around to put in their two cents' worth. Nor does Bob Hope himself make a "live" appearance on 100 Years of Hope & Humor, though it is the understatement of the century to say he is certainly there in spirit. And need we add that the theme of the show (in more ways than one) is "Thanks for the Memory"? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Jane Pauley, (more)
John Lasseter, director of Pixar's movie phenomenon Toy Story, has set new standards in computer animation with this effort, another Disney-released children's epic entitled A Bug's Life. Blending classic Disney storytelling characters and the mysterious underground world of bugs, Lasseter has created a film that can be enjoyed by all audiences, and another franchise in the process. A Bug's Life is a computerized retelling of the Aesop fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, made as a cartoon-short by the one-and-only, Walt Disney, in the mid-'30s. However, A Bug's Life has modernized the story with many new twists and celebrity voices. The story focuses on a colony of ants who seasonally gather food for themselves and a wild gang of rowdy grasshoppers. When bumbling worker ant Flik (David Foley) destroys the food supply, the angry grasshoppers, lead by the maniacally warped Hopper (Kevin Spacey), threaten to kill the ants if they don't produce a new supply of food by the time they return -- an impossible feat. Flik leaves the anthill in search of help in the form of bigger bugs, and to wage war against the grasshoppers. What he doesn't know is he has actually discovered a group of down-on-their-luck traveling circus insects in need of a job. When the ants realize that their heroes are really circus performers (and the circus bugs realize these grasshoppers are really big and mean), the situation goes from bad to worse. Ultimately, the ants use their large numbers to overcome the grasshoppers. ~ Chris Gore, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, (more)
- 1979
- R
In this comedy, three middle-aged men renew their boyhood friendship at a stag party and hatch a crazy scheme that involves making money off of a luscious prostitute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
This live action trip back to Wonderland finds Alice dodging the Jabberwocky and encountering a Wonderland crew including Humpty Dumpty, Tiger Lily, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The voice cast is staggering, including (to mention a few) father and son Lloyd Bridges and Beau Bridges, Phyllis Diller, and George Gobel, Ringo Starr, Jonathan Winters, Sally Struthers, Karl Malden, and many, many more. ~ All Movie Guide
- 2003
On the cusp of stardom, standup comic Maija DiGiorgio suffered an emotional breakdown while performing before a room packed with a number of the comedy industry's head honchos -- whom were on the receiving end of DiGiorgio's obscenity-laced outburst -- at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Subsequently faced with a nearly industry-wide blacklisting as a result, the comic (and film school graduate) came upon the idea of creating a film journal to document her struggles within the industry, as well as within her own psyche. The result is Bitter Jester, DiGiorgio's 2003 film that started as a document of self-examination and evolved into an examination of success and achievement within the standup circuit. Greatly assisted by the contacts and prestige of executive producer Richard Belzer -- a friend and former employer of DiGiorgio's boyfriend and co-conspirator Kenny Simmons -- DiGiorgio proceeds to gain access to a surprising berth of comedy legends, including Chevy Chase, Richard Pryor, Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, and George Carlin, all of whom dispense insightful and sometimes surprising opinions about their individual achievements. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Phyllis Diller guest stars as a seedy fortune teller with the highly significant monicker of "Mme. Oupsenskaya" (and if you don't get the significance, ask any horror-movie fanatic). At the same time that a wolf has escaped from the local zoo, Mme. Ouspenskaya has convinced Cory (Ben Savage) that he is turning into a werewolf! Worse still, Cory is persuaded that he will soon kill the "one he cares for most"--whom he realizes, for the first time in this episode, is none other than Topanga (Danielle Fishel). Of course, all ends happily and no one gets killed...but there's a pivotal moment near the episode's climax that offers a tantalyzing hint of things to come. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Usually cited as the absolute nadir of Bob Hope's film career, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is by no means a classic, but it isn't nearly as bad as some of his other sixties efforts (take a look a Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell sometime). The plot is set in motion by movie sex bomb Elke Sommer, who flees from the set of her latest picture when she refuses to do yet another bathtub sequence. Sommer hides out in the home of real estate agent Hope, who is forced to keep the buxom starlet under wraps lest his wife Marjorie Lord misunderstand. Phyllis Diller plays Hope's maid, who conspires with her boss to keep Sommer out of sight. The plot lumbers forward to a wild climax wherein Hope, accused of Sommer's murder (she's still very much alive), embarks upon a slapstick car chase, chock full of Sennett-like sight gags. Though cheaply produced and perilously anachronistic, Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! is professionally assembled by director George Marshall, a Hope colleague from way back. The film turned a tidy profit, thanks largely to the popularity of Hope's costar Phyllis Diller. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Elke Sommer, (more)
The direct to video animated movie Casper's Scare School features the beloved friendly ghost attending a school in the hopes of learning how to frighten people. Although he goes through the classes, he reverts to his benevolent ways when he uncovers an evil plan. The voice cast includes Simpsons regular Dan Castellaneta, Jim Belushi, and Phyllis Diller. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Belushi, Bob Saget, (more)
- 1968
After registering well in supporting roles in such Bob Hope farces as Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number and Eight on the Lam, raucous comedienne Phyllis Diller attempted to carry a picture all by herself. Alas, Did You Hear the One About the Travelling Saleslady? proved to be as bad as its title. Borrowing elements previously utilized in Joan Davis' Travelling Saleswoman (1950) and the Ginger Rogers-Carol Channing vehicle The First Travelling Saleslady (1956), the film casts Diller as a player-piano saleslady, dispatched to the Wild West. TV-sitcom perennials Bob Denver and Joe Flynn offer their usual overplayed support; at times they're funnier than Diller, though that's not saying much. The film's highlight is a cattle stampede, which should give you some idea. Did You Hear the One... was scripted by John Fenton Murray, soon to be a mainstay of such Sid & Marty Krofft kiddie fare as The Bugaloos and Lidsville; compared to the Diller film, the Krofft stuff was a step upward. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Diller, Joe Flynn, (more)
In this low-brow combination slasher film and parody of the "Frankenstein" films, a doctor becomes desperate to somehow bring his late wife back to life. But before he can do this, he needs a few fresh parts. Hackenstein gets a golden opportunity when three girls, whose car has broken down, come knocking at his door. He lets them stay the night, but only one survives his fearsome hacksaw to see the light of day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Muir, Stacey Travis, (more)
- 1967
In this comedy, a widower, his seven children, and their maid find themselves on the lam, after he is falsely accused of embezzling at the bank where he works. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, (more)
Matthew Miele directs this tale about a mysterious homeless guy. Jake (Ernie Hudson) lives relatively contently in his homeless routine -- he wakes in the morning, plays the bongos for change, and collects dog feces. Everything seems hunky-dory, as it were, until he encounters Cameron, who is attempting suicide. Jake takes the guy under his wing and shows him the ropes of life on streets. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Doug E. Doug, (more)
Burt Reynolds, Robert Loggia, and Charles Durning star in this crime comedy following three retired war veterans who stumble upon $4million in stolen mob money and quickly find themselves targeted by both the Mafia and the Feds. Sam (Reynolds), Carl (Loggia), and Eddie (Durning) have all managed to survive their turbulent tours of duty, and now all they want is to settle down and enjoy their retirement in the desert paradise of Sunrise Park - located just outside of Phoenix, AZ. Up until now, the biggest concern for these three friends was who would wind up winning the affections of their sultry neighbor, a former Las Vegas showgirl named Christine (Raquel Welch). The stakes get more than a little higher, however, when the Witness Protection Program drops mob-informant Angelo Nitti in their midst. Having recently turned evidence on some of the most dangerous underworld heavies around, Angelo has been given a new name and a new home in Sunrise Park. But despite the fact that he's come clean about his criminal life, Angelo still harbors a whopper of a secret: He's quietly stashed $4million in stolen mob money, and he's planning on spending the rest of his days in style. His plan hits a hitch, however, when his three neighbors discover the loot and head out on a wild spending spree. Now, as Angelo's secret spreads among both the underworld and the authorities, unsuspecting trio Sam, Carl, and Eddie soon find themselves pursued by trigger-happy treasure hunters on both sides of the law. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch, (more)
- 1988
When his carefully rehearsed comedy act bombs in front of an audience full of talent scouts, the crestfallen Joey (David Coulier) decides to look for another line of work. He even goes so far as to don a business suit and alter his name to the more dignified "Joe." Unfortunately, DJ decides to follow Joey's lead by giving up her music lessons when she feels she ins't making any progress. Venerable comedienne Phyllis Diller and comic magician Ed Alonzo appear as themselves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
- Add Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend of Phyllis Diller to QueueAdd Goodnight, We Love You: The Life and Legend of Phyllis Diller to top of Queue
The comedienne who shot to stardom as "the world's worst housewife" offers an intimate look at her life and career on the eve of her farewell stand-up performance. Phyllis Diller has been keeping her fans in stitches for nearly half-a-century. A gleefully self-depreciating comic whose outlandish sense of style always set her apart from the pack, Diller not only recollects her rise to stardom, but also allows viewers into her home to show just what life is like behind the scenes. A press conference leading up to her final performance showcases the quick-witted Diller at her unscripted best, with additional rehearsal and dressing room footage showing just what an incredible impact she has had on the world of show-business. Additional appearances by Rip Taylor, Don Rickles, Roseanne Barr, Red Buttons, and Lily Tomlin offer a chance for some of Diller's best known fans to reflect on their fondest memories of the star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phyllis Diller
In this unauthorized sequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the animation is so bad that it makes Scooby Doo look like Fantasia. Disney's litigation against the film caused its theatrical release to be delayed for several years. But there was no need to worry -- there is no way that Happily Ever After could ever be confused with the Disney classic. The story takes up where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs leaves off. After the demise of the evil queen, a group of grotesque creatures are celebrating in the castle, led by Scowl the Owl (voice of Ed Asner) and his bat sidekick Batso (voice of Frank Welker). But soon the scowling brother of the evil queen, Lord Malice (voice of Malcolm McDowell), arrives and busts up the festivities, declaring vengeance upon the cartoon characters responsible for his sister's death. Utilizing the Looking Glass (voice of Dom DeLuise), he locates the whereabouts of Snow White, changes into the form of a dragon, and goes out hunting. While all this is going on, Snow White (voice of Irene Cara) and Prince Charming (voice of Michael Horton) are heading off into the forest to invite the Seven Dwarfs to their wedding. On the way, Lord Malice appears and kidnaps Prince Charming, carrying him off to the Realm of Doom. Snow White breaks free and escapes to the home of the Seven Dwarfs. Since the Seven Dwarfs apparently have exclusive contracts with Disney, Snow White meets instead the female Dwarfelles, who explain that their male cousins are away on business. Like a kiddie-cartoon version of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley character from the Alien movies, Snow White empowers herself and the Dwarfelles, and they head off to rescue Prince Charming from the clutches of Lord Malice. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Cara, Ed Asner, (more)
During the 1950s and 1960s, San Francisco's hungry i nightclub (the lower case is not a mistake: that's how the name read on the club's outside wall) was a primary breeding ground for young and hungry comedy talent. The "i" is no longer in existence, but most of its more illustrious alumni are still alive and kicking. Taped in 1981, The hungry i Reunion is comprised of interviews and brief snatches of several classic comic monologues. The star roster includes Mort Sahl, Jonathan Winters, Ronnie Schell, Jackie Vernon and the inimitable Professor Irwin Corey. And just so we won't forget that the "i" was also famous for its folk-singing sessions, the Kingston Trio is on hand to stir up fond baby-boomer memories. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The only theatrical feature from Rankin/Bass -- the outfit behind countless animated holiday TV specials including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman -- this quaint and colorful production pays amusing homage to nearly every movie monster in Universal's catalog, even to the extent of recruiting Boris Karloff to supply the voice of Baron Von Frankenstein. The story begins as the aged Baron invites all members of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters to attend the unveiling of his ultimate creation, a potion capable of destroying all matter. Before the assembled guests -- including Count Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon -- Frankenstein announces his retirement as the group's leader and the selection of his successor: his bookish, allergy-ridden nephew Felix. Chaos ensues, as nearly every creep and creature on the list begins conspiring against each other in a bid for the coveted office, including the Baron's outrageously voluptuous assistant Francesca (whose very presence stretches the film's "G" rating). The "Animagic" technique of stop-motion puppets is a refreshing medium for the larger-than-life monsters, and the parade of horror movie put-ons should delight viewers of all ages. Though the original negative was believed lost to neglect after the film's poor box-office performance, a pristine print has resurfaced, much to the delight of devoted fans who first discovered this gem via Halloween TV airings. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Beginning in the mid-1920s, the name "Minsky's" was synonymous with Burlesque. Not even Mayor LaGuardia's closing down of all the burleycue houses in New York was able to completely topple the Minsky empire. This 60-minute tape is a paean to the Minsky strippers and top bananas of yore. Contemporary comedians Phyllis Diller, Rip Taylor and Stubby Kaye recreate several of the comedy chestnuts that many burlesque habitues have committed to memory. And of course, there's that famous runway, and those fabulous strippers (a lot prettier and barer than their counterparts of 60 years ago). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2006
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Wild-haired comedienne Phyllis Diller is featured in a hilarious collection of clips highlighting her best-loved routines and featuring an all-star collection of special guests in this release that's a must have for any loyal fan of the self-depreciating comic diva. In the 1960s Diller became a beloved staple of television variety and talk shows. Now fans can see all of the most memorable moments from Diller's glory days as the outrageous funny lady offers tips on housekeeping and marriage maintenance and recounts her marriage to husband Fang in her own unique, inimitable style. Special guest stars include Don Rickles, Dean Martin, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
