The Ritz (1976)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Terrence McNally (play)
Terrence McNally (writer)

Release Date:

26 December 1976 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

...your key to hilarity.

Plot:

On his deathbed Carmine Vespucci's father tells him to "get Proclo". With "the hit" on, Gaetano tells...

Plot Keywords:

Bathhouse | Gay Bathhouse | Lip Synching | Rain | Amateur Night

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Jack Weston	...	Gaetano Proclo
Rita Moreno	...	Googie Gomez
Jerry Stiller	...	Carmine Vespucci
Kaye Ballard	...	Vivian Proclo
F. Murray Abraham	...	Chris
Paul B. Price	...	Claude Perkins
Treat Williams	...	Michael Brick
John Everson	...	Tiger
Christopher J. Brown	...	Duff
Dave King	...	Abe Lefkowitz
Bessie Love	...	Maurine
Tony De Santis	...	Balloon Man
Ben Aris	...	Patron With Bicycle
Peter Butterworth	...	Patron In Chaps
Ronnie Brody	...	Small Patron

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Courtyard Films

Trivia:

F. Murray Abraham, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, Jack Weston and Paul B. Price play the roles they created in the original Broadway production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Carmine first calls Claude from backstage, Claude's wig is pulled forward. When he says, "Fashionable," the wig is far back on his head in the close-up. When it returns to the long shot, the wig is forward again.

Quotes:

Patron With Cigar: Crisco.
Gaetano Proclo: What?
Patron With Cigar: Crisco Oil Party. Room 419. Pass it on.
Gaetano Proclo: Pass what on?
Patron With Cigar: Bring Joey.
Gaetano Proclo: Who's Joey?
Patron With Cigar: You know Joey. Don't bring Chuck. You've got that?
Gaetano Proclo: Crisco Oil Party. Room 419. I can bring Joey but not Chuck.
Patron With Cigar: Check.
Gaetano Proclo: What's the matter with Chuck?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Three Caballeros

Very Funny

A comic reflection of a time period sure not to return. Moreno is hysterical as are Ballard and Weston. Definitely worth watching and good for many laughs. There is also a certain melancholy to it now given what came of these bathhouses and their denizens. For those who lived through this it certainly triggers some memories.