I have written many entries that involve my kids. I have written many entries about movies that are favorites of my wife and I. This week, my kids get the week off of the interview circuit :). This movie stands as one of those movies that long ago made its way into the language of my family's discourse. If I am quoting a movie and my wife does not know what movie it is, she tends to guess "What's Up Doc?" To this day whenever I make my way back to Southern California for an anticipated visit with the my family, I can always count on at least one line from this film being dropped by someone in the family. I remember watching this film as a child. While it does have some mature humor, the jokes are vague or complicated enough that they would go over a child's head. And, as I will mention below, there are so many scenes of slapstick and simple humor that I remember being quite interested in the movie as a kid.
The movie does appear on certain lists of comedy films. I know it made its way onto the AFI list of the top 100 comedies, and rightfully so. All the same, I feel that it has not achieved the kind of classic status that many films have achieved. I am writing about this movie because it almost seems to be a part of my DNA. My parents showed it to me at a young age, and it has only improved as my ability to comprehend its wit has grown. As a child, I loved the screwball and slapstick humor (the climactic chase scene through the streets of San Francisco alone makes this film worth seeing). As an adult, the crisp dialogue, dead pan delivery and unique tone have won me over even more. This tone may be best summed up by the presence of the character of Hugh Simon (Kenneth Mars). His unique presence lends the the plot a certain surreal element from which the film benefits immensely.
The story follows 4 identical plaid duffel bags which are making their way to a San Francisco hotel. One bag belongs to Judy Maxwell (Barbara Streisand) and contains her personal things. One bag belongs to a musicologist from Iowa named Howard Bannister (Ryan O' Neal, who sort of has the same general look that my father had back in the mid 70's-no offense Dad), and it contains a collection of igneous rocks that are a part of his musical research. One bag holds the precious jewels of a wealthy patroness of the hotel. Finally, the last bag contains top secret documents, and they are being held by some sort of ne'er do well who is attempting to elude a government agent in pursuit of the documents. Judy Maxwell leaves disaster in her wake, falls in love with Howard (much to the chagrin of his fiancee Eunice, played by Madeline Kahn), and manages to practically destroy the whole city before the movie is over. The film almost plays like a concert. It goes from one set piece to the next. Each is funny in its own way, but they are all leading to the climactic chase through the streets. The chase contains some uproarious stuff, and children and adults alike will love it.
If you have not seen this movie, I will not bore you by dropping countless pieces of dialogue of which you are unaware. Suffice to say, there are endless funny lines, numerous homages to Harold Lloyd, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, and some hilarious situations. This is a movie made by a man (Peter Bogdanovich) who clearly loves movies. Each scene sparkles with affection for the films to which it is paying homage. But like so many wonderful movies, these homages to what came before all come together to make a unique work of cinema. One only need to watch the first couple of minutes to get the tone of this movie. As the starving college student Judy Maxwell scours the streets for food, she comes upon a pizza shop. She looks in the window to see the pizza maker tossing the dough in the air to prepare the pizza for baking. As he tosses the pizza, he is aware he is performing for Judy. Suddenly, after one of the tosses, the pizza doesn't come down. With this toss of the pizza dough, Bogdanovich and company have tossed us into the world of "What's Up Doc." What follows is a truly funny journey through the neighborhoods of San Francisco. My family and I are always game for the trip. Whenever one can find a piece of art that you can enjoy and share with others almost like an heirloom, it is truly something special. Here's some you tube users attempt at an 8 minute summary of the movie...Enjoy:
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