1976's "Tunnel Vision" suffers from following the groundbreaking success of "The Groove Tube," but still preceding better known efforts like "The Kentucky Fried Movie," "Americathon," "IMPS (The Immoral Minority Picture Show)" and "Amazon Women on the Moon." A Congressional hearing to decide the fate of 'The No Bullsh-t Network,' which has captivated audiences of 1985 to such a degree that people have given up work to stay home and watch, is examined by a day's worth of programming lasting little more than an hour. Like others of its ilk it's a hit and miss affair, much loved in its day but has not aged well. Many familiar faces pop up all too briefly, almost all of them yet to achieve comic fame, with Chevy Chase (as himself) returning from "The Groove Tube," along with future TV stars Laraine Newman, Al Franken, Tom Davis, and John Candy. Fans of Kurt Russell's "Used Cars" will get a kick out of seeing Gerrit Graham as the boyfriend of sitcom star 'Marie' (Lynne Marie Stewart), his obstinate pleading successfully earning a bit of 'deep throat' on the couch; there's also Joe Flaherty (the attorney) and Betty Thomas (a literal car stripper) appearing together in a flat game show spoof where she wears a G-string and pasties while he dons a dress, willfully earning prizes for revealing their most disgusting acts. Laraine Newman plays the mother in a Gypsy flavored ALL IN THE FAMILY satire, she as close to the wayward gay son as the father is to the prostitute daughter. Cleveland's legendary Ernie Anderson, who gave up local fame as Ghoulardi for a lucrative gig as ABC's chief announcer, gets to do his usual thing as a newscaster, earning chuckles by playing it completely straight (always wanting to do a small part in a movie, he gets his wish). Yes it's dated but definitely worth a look to see what would shock audiences of the freewheeling 70s.
Review of Tunnel Vision
