The Ritz (1976)

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
John Ratzenberger	...	Patron
Hal Galili	...	Patron With Cigar
Chris Harris	...	Patron
George Coulouris	...	Old Man Vespucci
Leon Greene	...	Muscle Bound Patron
Freddie Earlle	...	Disgruntled Patron
Hugh Fraser	...	Disc Jockey
Bart Allison	...	Old Priest
Samantha Weysom	...	Gilda Proclo
Richard Holmes	...	Pianist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Laurie Goode	...	Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Nicholas Mele	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
Terrence McNally		(play)
Terrence McNally		(writer)

Produced by
Denis O'Dell	....	producer

Original Music by
Ken Thorne

Cinematography by
Paul Wilson

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Mary Selway

Production Design by
Philip Harrison		(as Phillip Harrison)

Costume Design by
Evangeline Harrison		(as Vangie Harrison)

Makeup Department
Colin Jamison	....	hair stylist
Paul Rabiger	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Barrie Melrose	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dusty Symonds	....	assistant director
Gareth Tandy	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Bill MacLaren	....	construction manager
Tony Reading	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Roy Charman	....	sound recordist
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound recordist
Don Sharpe	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Colin Chilvers	....	special effects

Stunts
Paul Weston	....	stunt arranger

Camera and Electrical Department
Maurice Gillett	....	gaffer
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Ron Robson	....	camera operator
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator
Stephen Smith	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Peter Boyle	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ray Gilbert	....	composer: song "The Three Caballeros"
Ken Thorne	....	conductor
Allie Wrubel	....	composer: song "The Three Caballeros"

Other crew
Gordon Arnell	....	publicity director
Arthur Davey	....	supervising accountant
Adela Holzer	....	produced on broadway
Ann Skinner	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Courtyard Films
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1976) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1977) (Sweden) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  lighting

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:

John Ratzenberger's movie debut.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After F. Murray Abraham's character Chris shows the "Chubby Chaser" to the room where Kay Ballard is hiding, he runs without looking where he is going and accidentally slams the side of his head into the narrow door jamb.

Quotes:

Claude Perkins: [trying to seduce Gaetano] You'll never guess what I had for dinner tonight, so I'm just going to tell you.
Gaetano Proclo: I beg your pardon?
Claude Perkins: A nice ground-pork meatloaf with mozzarella, mashed potatoes covered with gobs of gravy, carrots floating in butter and chunks of avocado with roquefort dressing. Couldn't you just die?
Gaetano Proclo: [confused] I don't know what I could just.
Claude Perkins: And then for dessert German choclate cake with two scoops of mocha walnut ice cream.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

The Three Caballeros

Break Out The Bath Towels: The Ritz Is One Of The Best

Chunky, quivering, middle-class ordinary Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) is 'married to the mob' in the form of wife Vivian (Kaye Ballard)--and his crazy brother-in-law Carmine (Jerry Stiller) hates him. Certain that Carmine is about to kill him, Gaetana hops a cab, tells the driver to take him to the last place any one would ever look for him... and suddenly finds himself hiding out in the middle of a gay bath house.

But this only the first ten or fifteen minutes of the film: there is much, much more to come, and all of it is over the top hilarious. Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and Kaye Ballard are perfectly cast in their roles, but would you believe F. Murray Abraham (Oscar winner for AMADEUS) as the screaming queen to end all screaming queens? How about Rita Moreno as a no-talent lounge singer who is busting a gut to become a bath-house star just like Bette Midler? Or Treat Williams as a P.I. with blonde hair and a squeaky voice? My own favorite of the bunch is Paolo Poeti as Claude, a "chubby chaser" who takes one look at Jack Weston and falls in love at first sight--and then proceeds to make his life absolute hell by chasing him all over the bath house. Before it's all over you'll find people hiding under beds, thrown into swimming pools, impersonating the Andrews Sisters, and being pursued by unwanted lovers of the wrong persuasion, all to absolutely hilarious, incredibly giddy effect.

Like most farces, THE RITZ deals in stereotypes--but it is never mean spirited in its portraits, and the cast carries off the eccentric characters (both straight and gay) with considerable aplomb. Filmed long before the AIDS crisis, THE RITZ offers a comic look at a New York gay bath house and a way of life that would soon come to a grinding halt--a fact that gives the film a certain unintended poignancy for gay viewers. Even so, you don't need any specialized background to enjoy this laugh-out-loud movie, which is as much (and really more) for a straight audience as it is for a gay one. Highly, highly recommended... call over some friends, turn up the steam heat, break out some bath towels, and get ready for a true laugh riot.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer