By rights, this movie should get a 2. It is badly acted, there are any number of continuity goofs (like Moosie Dreier being in two places at once) and there are many racist and sexist jokes. However, if you want to laugh and forget the real world for a few minutes, then this film is for you. This movie launched the careers of Tony Danza, Bob Wuhl, Joyce Heyser, Gailhard Sartain, Stuart Pankin, and Michelle Pfifer. There were great cars and there was great music, although some of the music was post 1965. The California surf-and-drag culture was very appealing. I grew up in the Midwest and went to catholic schools during cold winters, and I can imagine was CA must have been like. Another favorite movie of mine is also set in 1965, Heaven Help Us. The contrast is extreme. To kids who were swimming bare in cold pools and getting the paddle in gym class, the prospect of endless sunshine and girls in bikinis would have been otherworldly. And no teachers to worry about, just two dumb cops who were easy to outwit. And what I would not have given to be a student at Beverly Hills High!
93 Reviews
My Favorite Movie.... When I Was In High School
RobP11 May 2000
They obviously borrowed heavily from American Graffiti and Animal House, both of which are far superior movies. I hadn't seen this since around 1985, and at the time it was my favorite movie. In the 15 years that have passed, it hasn't improved, but it's not that much worse either. It is what it is, and it has a good time doing it. For that alone it is worth watching.
Fabulous music, vintage cars and future stars, but hardly a story.
mark.waltz21 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While Tony Danza had just achieved success in TV's "Taxi", others in this film, such as Robert Wuhl, Michelle Pfeiffer and Fran Drescher would take much longer to rise up the ranks, some longer than others, and I doubt that they'd consider this more than just a minor footnote in their earlier years. Drescher's nasal voice is recognizable right off, and has one rather memorable line (of a rather raunchy nature) that lovers of cinematic camp still quote. The plot is thin, in fact thinner than deli meat slices fresh off the slicer, but oh those songs, practically every chart buster of the mid 1960's heard here. But then again, many of these songs have been used over and over in motion pictures and Broadway jukebox musicals, with everything from Motown, "Jersey Boys" and "Sister Act" (the movie) popping up in the viewer's memories of where they've heard them or seen them performed.
Part of the plot I recognize from the musical "Rock of Ages" with uptight Beverly Hills matrons determine to stop the Hollywood Knights from having their annual Halloween madness down their streets, and of course, it's obvious that the one In charge of this protest is going to end up being seduced by one of the dashing hoods. Pfeiffer is wide eyed and innocent as a greasy spoon waitress, and while stunning shows none of the dramatic Chops and she would later become well known for. But I doubt that this part had any real meat in the script, so it was a good way to pay her dues and be noticed which obviously she was. Drescher gets the comedy, but when all of the bathing beauties around her are topless, she is the only one to have all of her clothes on. (Check her out in the following year's "Ragtime" to see her in a very different part.) This basically is a fun nostalgic film that the viewer can watch and not really have to spend much brain cells on outside of tapping their feet and moving their head to the rhythm. There have been better movies about this era with stronger plots, but for what is here, it's still fun if just for the soundtrack and a few amusing moments with a teeny bit of gratuitous flesh.
Part of the plot I recognize from the musical "Rock of Ages" with uptight Beverly Hills matrons determine to stop the Hollywood Knights from having their annual Halloween madness down their streets, and of course, it's obvious that the one In charge of this protest is going to end up being seduced by one of the dashing hoods. Pfeiffer is wide eyed and innocent as a greasy spoon waitress, and while stunning shows none of the dramatic Chops and she would later become well known for. But I doubt that this part had any real meat in the script, so it was a good way to pay her dues and be noticed which obviously she was. Drescher gets the comedy, but when all of the bathing beauties around her are topless, she is the only one to have all of her clothes on. (Check her out in the following year's "Ragtime" to see her in a very different part.) This basically is a fun nostalgic film that the viewer can watch and not really have to spend much brain cells on outside of tapping their feet and moving their head to the rhythm. There have been better movies about this era with stronger plots, but for what is here, it's still fun if just for the soundtrack and a few amusing moments with a teeny bit of gratuitous flesh.
hot rods from heck
march9hare26 October 2004
We first saw this little opus on cable, and rushed out to get a blank tape right away. The first major film for Tony Danza, Michelle Pfieffer, and Robert Wuhl, "The Hollywood Knights" is funny, gross, bawdy, and nostalgic all at the same time. Is it a rip-off of "American Graffiti"? Um, yeah, but it's still a very funny film in its own right. Is it gross and lewd in spots? Well. . .yeah, but we can think of more egregious examples, like "Porky's". Does it deserve an "R" rating? Not when you consider some of the other dreck that's been put in the can. Undoubtedly the most memorable scene is Newbomb's rendition of "Volare'" in the school gym; a masterpiece of lowbrow humor, but funnier than. . .well, you can fill in the blank. Bottom line: a small-budget gem, if you can take it. If you're easily offended, lighten up. After all, there's LOTS worse out there!
Great Picture, Bad Editing
PeterPizzazz29 December 2008
This is a great movie. I first saw it in my younger years on cable and loved the gags. Now, much older but not too much more mature, I can still appreciate the gags - I have to say the editing in this movie is horrible! Very disjointed and the sequencing makes no sense. Each scene is a gem in it's own right, but whom ever threaded this together left something to be desired. I guess since there are at least 5 story lines going on, you will find something you like, but don't get too involved - your head will spin by the time they get back to it. Great soundtrack, awesome cars - fun to see many stars first time out - Hubba Hubba to Michelle P. Look for the skinny cop in Spaceballs. Now that it's on cable - it's a fun-must see. I'm glad I never paid for it though!
stupefyingly bad!
parlo28 October 2000
The only reason I watched this is I was attempting to fill in the gaps of my Michelle Pfeiffer experience ( my favorite actress ) I would venture to say that it's one of the most unfunny comedies ever made and horribly hard to sit through.
About as bad and inept as movies get.
The only amusing thing for me was that Tony Danza's annoyed opening line to Michelle is "Oh that's right I forgot. You're going to be a famous actress!" A little bitter and prophetic about her place in film history versus yours, Tony?
About as bad and inept as movies get.
The only amusing thing for me was that Tony Danza's annoyed opening line to Michelle is "Oh that's right I forgot. You're going to be a famous actress!" A little bitter and prophetic about her place in film history versus yours, Tony?
The Hollywood Knights was a pretty hilarious high school prank movie to me
tavm31 August 2009
Just watched this movie that had aroused my curiosity for the last 29 years on YouTube. Unfortunately, because the Warner Music Group has boycotted any of its recordings from the site, part 7 in a series of 10-minute segments of The Hollywood Knights had no audio which I figured had the three Atlantic artists that were credited at the end. As a result, I missed the dialogue of Tony Danza, Michelle Pfeiffer, and some Knights with a Doo-Wop group, one of whom I recognized as T.K. Carter. If I eventually hear this missing segment, I'll add my comments of it to this review. Now, for the most part I enjoyed this movie especially the scenes with Robert Wuhl, Stuart Pankin, and Fran Drescher especially her attempt to have sex with Wuhl in the car. The cop scene in the clogged bathroom was a little embarrassing. The "punch" scene with some of the comments made afterwards was pretty hilarious. Many of the Danza/Pfeiffer scenes were a nice drama though I didn't really see a connection with the more prankish scenes. And I loved all those scenes with that adulterous school faculty woman and the man she's fooling around with especially those with Pankin. And how about Wuhl's version of "Volare"? Or the "one-armed violinist"? So on that note, yeah, I recommend The Hollywood Knights. P.S. It's now several hours later and I've heard the missing scene I mentioned earlier. Touching speech from that guy about to go to Vietnam about if anything happens to him just before The Mamas and the Papas "California Dreamin'" plays on the 8-Track. And the Doo-Wop group sings a fine version of The Drifters "Under the Boardwalk" as they help the pledges out. And then there's the hilarious police superior's recount to those dumb cops at Tubby's of what happened earlier in the movie...
Terrible combo of "American Graffiti" and "Animal House"
preppy-38 May 2008
This takes place in Hollywood on Halloween night in 1965. A popular teen hangout is being closed down. The main group there--the Hollywood Knights--decide to see it close down with a bang by playing stupid, unfunny and tasteless jokes on the adults and cops (all of whom are portrayed as total idiots). There's also two serious stories about a Knight going off to Vietnam and two lovers (Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer) whose relationship is falling apart.
There's nothing wrong with crude humor. I'm no fan of "Animal House" but it did have its moments. This however has none. All the jokes are just really stupid, crude and not even remotely funny. I didn't even crack a smile once! The dramatic scenes (there aren't many) aren't any better. They're badly written, directed and acted. It's especially surprising seeing such a talented actress as Pfeiffer giving a truly lousy performance--but the script is against her. Danza doesn't fare much better. The film looks cheap, moves in jerks and leaps (it was incredible how ineptly the multiple story lines are handled) and is just boring.
The only reason to see this is to see Danza, Pfeiffer, Robert Wuhl and Fran Drescher all so young and before they hit it big. Drescher is lots of fun especially. Also there's a GREAT soundtrack of oldies. But, all in all, this is just moronic and forgettable. However this inexplicably has a following. Use your own judgment.
There's nothing wrong with crude humor. I'm no fan of "Animal House" but it did have its moments. This however has none. All the jokes are just really stupid, crude and not even remotely funny. I didn't even crack a smile once! The dramatic scenes (there aren't many) aren't any better. They're badly written, directed and acted. It's especially surprising seeing such a talented actress as Pfeiffer giving a truly lousy performance--but the script is against her. Danza doesn't fare much better. The film looks cheap, moves in jerks and leaps (it was incredible how ineptly the multiple story lines are handled) and is just boring.
The only reason to see this is to see Danza, Pfeiffer, Robert Wuhl and Fran Drescher all so young and before they hit it big. Drescher is lots of fun especially. Also there's a GREAT soundtrack of oldies. But, all in all, this is just moronic and forgettable. However this inexplicably has a following. Use your own judgment.
Halloween hilarity in LA in 1965
stretchrunner14 November 2001
If you're looking for a fun way to spend an hour and a half, plug this movie in, kick back and be prepared to laugh yourself silly. This film basically has no plot save for the fact that Tubby's Drive-in is shutting down and the Hollywood Knights converge there for one last hurrah. Most of their hijinks take place elsewhere however, but Tubby's is their hangout. The movie is a series of comedy sketches rather than a straightforward progression. The cast plays their roles to the hilt led by the frenetic stylings of Robert Wuhl (Newbomb). Also outstanding are Stuart Pankin as Dudley (the much-maligned honor student), and Gailard Sartain and Sandy Helberg as Officers Bimbeau and Clark. One point I notice in other reviews and which I have to agree wholeheartedly with is that the subplots featuring Tony Danza/Michelle Pfeiffer and Jimmy Shine/Vietnam both contrive to slow the film down. This can be excused though, thanks to such gems as Newbomb's rendition of Volare, the one-armed violinist and the catered reception. Bottom line: it's a lewd and crude laugh-riot!!!
Mindless - Fun - Dumb Entertainment - Watch for Pfeiffer
TBoldOne13 November 2009
OK, First of all, It is an American Graffiti rip-off, but so what. Yeah, the actors don't look like they're in High School, but so what. It's crude, has virtually no plot, with the hero's outwitting the dim-witted cops time after time, but it's still a great way to spend some time looking at cars, hearing some great music and having fun. I rate this a six because some of the jokes fall flat, and the plot is very weak. If you want a coming of age movie, American Graffiti is better.
I must say that Michelle Pfeiffer in this movie has never looked better. OMG she is so hot. You can just tell that this woman was going to be a star. She was around 22 years of age at the time of this movie. She has a bit part in the movie, but her attractiveness just jumps off of the screen. She appears in a car-hops outfit, but again wow, wow, wow. I don't remember if I saw this in the theater, but I do remember thinking the first time I saw this movie that this girl was going to be a superstar. If you appreciate just looking at beautiful women, like I do, just rent or buy this movie for her alone.
Additional Irony - The Tony Danza character doesn't want Michelle to leave because she's going to be a big star and forget him. Talk about an unintentionally prescient scene. After this movie Pfeiffer did become a star, and Tony Danza became a ... sorta non-star. Kinda makes you think doesn't it. Maybe the writers knew something about the future after all?
I must say that Michelle Pfeiffer in this movie has never looked better. OMG she is so hot. You can just tell that this woman was going to be a star. She was around 22 years of age at the time of this movie. She has a bit part in the movie, but her attractiveness just jumps off of the screen. She appears in a car-hops outfit, but again wow, wow, wow. I don't remember if I saw this in the theater, but I do remember thinking the first time I saw this movie that this girl was going to be a superstar. If you appreciate just looking at beautiful women, like I do, just rent or buy this movie for her alone.
Additional Irony - The Tony Danza character doesn't want Michelle to leave because she's going to be a big star and forget him. Talk about an unintentionally prescient scene. After this movie Pfeiffer did become a star, and Tony Danza became a ... sorta non-star. Kinda makes you think doesn't it. Maybe the writers knew something about the future after all?
Abysmal drive-in fiasco
Mike999914 June 1999
One of the best films of 1980 -Great cast of actors
TonyBeazley28 June 2004
I I still love this movie after 24 years. This show was to take place during Viet Nam era. I would say this is a movie for guys. Good looking muscle cars throughout the show. Hey they even cruise the burger joint !!!!! Good Motown music throughout. This show is the ultimate in high school pranks. Great cast of actors. Unbelievable what teenagers can get into when they're away from home.
There are some very good moments of "growing up" in this film. Some one leaving to go to Viet Nam not sure if he'll come back to see his friends, so he hangs out with them the night before he leaves. The usual boy falls in love with girl ,then girl leaves for college stuff. Some good street drag scenes. A high school initiation quest. There are a lot more stories in this very well scripted film that are all TOO real.
If you ever wondered what your parents did in the sixties then you need to watch the fun they had. It really did look like a blast. This is a must see!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Newbomb Turk
There are some very good moments of "growing up" in this film. Some one leaving to go to Viet Nam not sure if he'll come back to see his friends, so he hangs out with them the night before he leaves. The usual boy falls in love with girl ,then girl leaves for college stuff. Some good street drag scenes. A high school initiation quest. There are a lot more stories in this very well scripted film that are all TOO real.
If you ever wondered what your parents did in the sixties then you need to watch the fun they had. It really did look like a blast. This is a must see!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER: Newbomb Turk
A very funny movie
mrbluto29 July 2000
In the great tradition of animal house and American Graffiti is the Hollywood Knights, a fun filled movie about a car club going through the last night before their hangout is torn down. A great cast starting with Robert Wuhl as Newbomb, Fran Drescher as Sally and Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer in their first movies. This movie is not the funniest movie of all time but the parts that are funny will make you smile days after.
Mother I am going to screw to someone if I can just find out how.
Mother I am going to screw to someone if I can just find out how.
A FUNNY AND GREAT GUILTY PLEASURE!!!
sawyertom7 July 2004
Say what you will about this movie, but in the end it is funny. Is it Shakespeare and the bard? Hell, no. Just take it for what it is, a funny, guilty pleasure that is great. I like this movie. I like it a lot. Is it an American Graffiti wannabe? Yep. But, with the group of friends I grew up with we kind of experienced a few of the things in this movie so we could relate to it. The movie is funny,sophomoric a little raunchy and dirty in spots, but so what? The story isn't too bad and as a movie it is entertaining. we get to see several young actors and comedians just starting out. This is the perfect movie to be shown the weekend of the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan. It is basically the perfect guys movie, because it has cars, topless and nude women, drag races, beer, topless and nude women, great music, practical jokes, insults, topless and nude women, simulated sex and innuendo,more women, farting,and of course topless and nude women. This movie makes no pretenses on what it is. Just sit back and enjoy it like any other guilty pleasure. It's a fun movie!
1966
gibsonb749 June 2020
The movie is set in Halloween 1965. Unfortunately some of the music played during the show was not released until after that. Seems like this should have been easy for them them to verify. Other than that it is entertaining amd probably pretty typical antics for the time frame.
The Hollywood Knights (1980) **
JoeKarlosi11 June 2011
Released in 1980, this was another crazy teenage comedy which tried to emulate the exceptional '70s films "American Graffiti" and "Animal House", and comes up short. The loose plot takes place in 1965 (even though some of the characters retain their late-seventies hairstyles) and is centered around the closing of Tubby's, a favorite local teen hangout. There's a group of pranksters called The Hollywood Knights who decide to say farewell to Tubby's' by playing practical jokes on stuffy adults and police officers. This includes spiking the punch at a party, stuffing the toilets, and doing other such childlike shenanigans. A few of these are humorous, but most of them fall flat. Throughout the movie are strewn many classic old '50s and '60s tunes, something of a consolation. Stand-up comedian Robert Wuhl plays the lead gang member, called Newbomb Turk. He's got at least one funny bit involving Fran Drescher as a gorgeous bimbo who he manages to get in the back seat of his car, but not for very long (it's the best scene in the film). There is a fat cop who becomes the frequent victim of the Knights' gags, which isn't too bad. And last and least, we get Michelle Pfeiffer and TAXI's Tony Danza taking up unnecessary screen time as a couple going through some troubles in extraneous segments which are completely unrelated and take you out of the movie. ** out of ****
One of the Worst Movies I've Ever Seen (Possible Spoilers? Who could give a damn?)
eldontyrrell5 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A soon to be ex-friend of mine lent me his DVD copy of this trash, and it may very well be that "Hollywood Knights" is the, repeat, the worst movie I have ever seen, ever. It is no more than a meaningless collection of unfunny vignettes that had to have been embarrassing to film for the poor people involved on both sides of the camera.
I cannot get over how bad either the writing, or the acting, or (at times) the writing *and* the acting was. To get it out of the way early, every single thing involving the cops was completely unfunny, terribly written, and terribly acted -- every single thing. The terrible writing is not the actors' fault, but the absolutely horrid acting is. Oh, and I forgot to remember to have tears come to my eyes whenever The Serious Moments were spewed across the screen, meaning the dude going to Veet Nam and that incredibly well fleshed-out relationship between the Tony Danza & Michelle Pfeiffer "characters". Um, right. I'm running out of brain capacity trying to think of all the other "um, right" moments...a cheerleader "forgets" to wear underwear -- um, right...the pledges run across not one but three stereotyped groups of blacks -- um, right...the cops...the kid with the skateboard...the "college guy" with the pipe...two Asian senior citizens hot-rodding a Cobra...repeat after me: "um, right".
Among the few (hell, the only) who marginally escape the carnage, well, Wuhl showed maturity beyond his (29!) years by clearly recognizing he was saddled with absolute dog schism, but deciding to play it out just like the brass said to, subsequently giving them (and the public) no one to blame but themselves. Meanwhile, The Nanny gave some proof she might eventually be able to act -- might -- but clearly wasn't shrewd enough to play above the material. So aside from her giving the audience a little crotch shot from the back of Newbomb Turk's van, there wasn't much else to go on. Meanwhile, by the time the flick was over, I realized that the only laugh I got -- the ONLY LAUGH I GOT -- was when the poor geek walked balls-first into that concrete pole. OK, maybe that, and the fact that someone would be named "Newbomb Turk".
Oh, and thank God the DVD comes in widescreen format too, because I would have been disappointed if I had missed something important in the way the director framed some of the shots.
Ninety minutes you can never have back.
I cannot get over how bad either the writing, or the acting, or (at times) the writing *and* the acting was. To get it out of the way early, every single thing involving the cops was completely unfunny, terribly written, and terribly acted -- every single thing. The terrible writing is not the actors' fault, but the absolutely horrid acting is. Oh, and I forgot to remember to have tears come to my eyes whenever The Serious Moments were spewed across the screen, meaning the dude going to Veet Nam and that incredibly well fleshed-out relationship between the Tony Danza & Michelle Pfeiffer "characters". Um, right. I'm running out of brain capacity trying to think of all the other "um, right" moments...a cheerleader "forgets" to wear underwear -- um, right...the pledges run across not one but three stereotyped groups of blacks -- um, right...the cops...the kid with the skateboard...the "college guy" with the pipe...two Asian senior citizens hot-rodding a Cobra...repeat after me: "um, right".
Among the few (hell, the only) who marginally escape the carnage, well, Wuhl showed maturity beyond his (29!) years by clearly recognizing he was saddled with absolute dog schism, but deciding to play it out just like the brass said to, subsequently giving them (and the public) no one to blame but themselves. Meanwhile, The Nanny gave some proof she might eventually be able to act -- might -- but clearly wasn't shrewd enough to play above the material. So aside from her giving the audience a little crotch shot from the back of Newbomb Turk's van, there wasn't much else to go on. Meanwhile, by the time the flick was over, I realized that the only laugh I got -- the ONLY LAUGH I GOT -- was when the poor geek walked balls-first into that concrete pole. OK, maybe that, and the fact that someone would be named "Newbomb Turk".
Oh, and thank God the DVD comes in widescreen format too, because I would have been disappointed if I had missed something important in the way the director framed some of the shots.
Ninety minutes you can never have back.
Robert Wuhl
dcfair-6017610 November 2019
Pre-"Porky's" smut
moonspinner552 December 2007
Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer are ostensibly the stars of "The Hollywood Knights", but cheap, flashy Robert Wuhl walks away with the picture (though it's no mean feat). Playing hell-raising youth Newbomb Turk, Wuhl is glinty-eyed like a mischievous pervert, causing non-stop comic chaos on Halloween in Beverly Hills, 1965. Predating "Porky's" with the same locker room humor, the flick apes "American Graffiti" and "Animal House" but substitutes wit with raunch, replacing adolescent sexual embarrassments with undiluted smut. It didn't catch on with audiences in 1980 but gained a small cult on cable. If there's anything good about the picture it is Wuhl: taking charge, as if he were the visiting brother of Belushi, Wuhl bellows and cackles and urinates in the punch bowl. It's tough for any actor to upstage Michelle Pfeiffer, but Wuhl proves it can be done (and with C-minus material!). *1/2 from ****
A raunchy version of "American Graffiti"!
GOWBTW8 September 2012
It's 1965, it's the time of great fun, great music, also great laughs you can't get anywhere. "The Hollywood Knights" is loads of fun, and loaded with an all-star cast. You got "Taxi" star, Tony Danza, Fran Drescher from "Saturday Night Fever", Michelle Pfeiffer, and several others including Robert Wuhl as Newbomb, which 9 years later play Alexander Knox in "Batman". Newbomb is the leader of a group of pranksters known as "The Hollywood Knights". On Halloween night, their hangout is being shutdown permanently by snobby Beverly Hills locals. And they make their efforts to put them in their places. That night, they get themselves new pledges, as they roam the night to send out the request to a radio station in Watts. The mayhem ensures as the night rolls on. The pep rally was hilarious, especially when the sign get vandalized, and during the cheerleading razzle dazzle, one of them forgotten to wear her undies! Wild things go on in this movie, plenty of pranks, sexual innuendo, and lots of raunchy scenes that would make "Porky's" look tame. So if you're looking for a great laugh, this movie is right up your alley. This is too much, I say, Too much! 3 out of 5 stars
The worst movie, without a doubt, ever made!
adietz1-17 August 2008
If you like 30 year olds trying to portray teenagers - you'll love this! It tries to be "American Graffiti" & fails on all attempts. Robert Wuhl's character tries to be so zany & over-the-top, yet one gets the feeling that at any point he could be punched out by any other character. The bumbling cops are totally overacted throughout this piece of trash, just like the old fogies who are so insulted by the wild kids (who by the way are about 10 years younger than the old folks). I would enjoy this film more if the Knights met a real street gang & addressed the rival gang's guns & knives with some of the smart quips & physical comedy. Danza has very little to do with the group & his romantic life numbs you from start to ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz. The 1 bright spot in this disaster, I don't know. You let me know! Oh - you'll probably really enjoy this brand of humor if you're over 9 & under 14. Hard to even look at the title of this wreck without thinking of some 4th grader mocking his teacher.
Don't drink the punch--pass it on!
hollandscomet30 March 2004
'Hollywood Knights' was one of my earliest memories of my cable TV viewing days back in the mid-'80s, and is still a favorite of mine, in spite of its flaws. As noted in other posts here, it's sort of the "poor man's" 'American Graffiti/Animal House'--a "guilty pleasure" that you shouldn't have to apologize for enjoying!
'Knights' is far from the greatest flick ever made, but it definitely has its moments--despite having Tony Danza in it! To this day, I cannot hear the song "Volaré" without thinking of Newbomb Turk flaunting his flatulence in the gym--not to mention the cheerleader who forgot her underwear!
There is one major factual error in the film that has always driven me nuts, though: the scene in the garage where Danza unveils the 8-track player in the hot rod and pops in the tape of the Mamas & Papas doing "California Dreamin'" Great moment, but just one problem: the movie is set on Halloween night, 1965, and "California Dreamin'" wasn't released until early, '66!
Nonetheless, cool cars, cute chicks and great music abound throughout the film, and it's one of those movies that you just can't seem to turn off, regardless of how many times you've seen it. I'm looking forward to seeing it on DVD.
'Knights' is far from the greatest flick ever made, but it definitely has its moments--despite having Tony Danza in it! To this day, I cannot hear the song "Volaré" without thinking of Newbomb Turk flaunting his flatulence in the gym--not to mention the cheerleader who forgot her underwear!
There is one major factual error in the film that has always driven me nuts, though: the scene in the garage where Danza unveils the 8-track player in the hot rod and pops in the tape of the Mamas & Papas doing "California Dreamin'" Great moment, but just one problem: the movie is set on Halloween night, 1965, and "California Dreamin'" wasn't released until early, '66!
Nonetheless, cool cars, cute chicks and great music abound throughout the film, and it's one of those movies that you just can't seem to turn off, regardless of how many times you've seen it. I'm looking forward to seeing it on DVD.
The Hollywood Blights
TheOldGuyFromHalloween325 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Truly idiotic and juvenile movie starring Robert Wuhl, Tony Danza. Michelle Pfeiffer, the Nanny, the fat cop from Arachnophobia, the chick from Just One of the Guys and a bunch of nobodies.
It's just like American Graffiti if that had been made by 12-year old sex perverts. Wuhl as New Bomb Turk is a guy who thinks he's hysterically funny but in reality is just obnoxious and disgusting. There's a couple of Keystone Cops chasing after him but constantly getting outwitted. Apparently Hollywood in 1965 only had 2 cops per shift.
Danza and Pfeiffer are both really boring here with uninteresting relationship squabbles. The only plus is the great oldies music, including a song from 1966, and plenty of hot chicks including Drescher but not including bony Pfeiifer.
It's just like American Graffiti if that had been made by 12-year old sex perverts. Wuhl as New Bomb Turk is a guy who thinks he's hysterically funny but in reality is just obnoxious and disgusting. There's a couple of Keystone Cops chasing after him but constantly getting outwitted. Apparently Hollywood in 1965 only had 2 cops per shift.
Danza and Pfeiffer are both really boring here with uninteresting relationship squabbles. The only plus is the great oldies music, including a song from 1966, and plenty of hot chicks including Drescher but not including bony Pfeiifer.
Tedious, episodic "American Graffiti" knock off
Groverdox2 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Hollywood Knights" is a tedious knock off of "American Graffiti", only with flashes of nudity to stand in for the nostalgia. Today it is only worth watching for the actors and actresses who would go on to become stars in TV and film, namely Fran Drescher, Tony Danza and Michelle Pfeiffer. Robert Wuhl, a lesser star but still an Emmy winner, plays the main character.
This character's name, "Newbomb Turk", represents the high point of the filmmaker's creativity. Aside from that, the only memorable scene is a bit where a cheerleader comes out to do a routine on a basketball court and isn't wearing any underwear, flashing the audience.
Pfeiffer and Danza are only in the movie to add a "serious" love story note, and in this case "serious" means "tedious". There is no chemistry between them, with Pfeiffer looking as bored as we are.
These parts are the low point of a bad movie. They're also the only parts I remember that really have much of a narrative; the movie is an episodic job like "The Last American Virgin", and also like that movie, it seems to deliberately avoid making you feel anything other than mirth, which would be okay if it were funny in the least.
It isn't.
This character's name, "Newbomb Turk", represents the high point of the filmmaker's creativity. Aside from that, the only memorable scene is a bit where a cheerleader comes out to do a routine on a basketball court and isn't wearing any underwear, flashing the audience.
Pfeiffer and Danza are only in the movie to add a "serious" love story note, and in this case "serious" means "tedious". There is no chemistry between them, with Pfeiffer looking as bored as we are.
These parts are the low point of a bad movie. They're also the only parts I remember that really have much of a narrative; the movie is an episodic job like "The Last American Virgin", and also like that movie, it seems to deliberately avoid making you feel anything other than mirth, which would be okay if it were funny in the least.
It isn't.
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