What's Up, Doc? (1972)

[Osato]

Title: What's Up, Doc? (1972)

Tagline: A screwball comedy. Remember them?

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Michael Murphy, Philip Roth, Sorrell Booke, Stefan Gierasch, Mabel Albertson, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, George Morfogen, Graham Jarvis, Randy Quaid, M. Emmet Walsh, Kevin O'Neal, Eleanor Zee, Paul Condylis, Fred Scheiwiller, Carl Saxe, Jack Perkins, Paul B. Kipilman, Gil Perkins, Christa Lang, Stan Ross, Peter Paul Eastman, Eric Brotherson, Elaine Partnow, George Burrafato, Jerry Summers, Mark Thompson, Don Bexley, Leonard Lookabaugh, Candace Brownell, Sean Morgan, Patricia O'Neal, Joe Alfasa, Chuck Holison, Cosmo Sardo

Release: 1972-03-09

Runtime: 94

Plot: The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.

Gave this one another watch yesterday. I’ve probably watched it no less than 6 times the past 2 years which is when I discovered it.

I’m listening to the Peter Bogdonovich commentary this evening.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

My favorite film from Peter Bodgdonovich and a great commentary too.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I would say this is my favorite comedy film of all time. It is so well done.

 

[Tino]

I would say this is my favorite comedy film of all time. It is so well done.

More than Mad World?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

More than Mad World?

That's a good question.

It would be a very close race, but WHAT'S UP DOC would edge out MAD WORLD for me.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I love this film- just a lot of fun. Tough call for me between this one and Mad World. I guess my gut reaction is I like them equally.

 

[Osato]

I’m ready for a 4K disc release of this one. Love this film!

 

[Joel Arndt]

Totally agree! One of the funniest films ever made. I've watched it many times and still laugh out loud throughout.

I saw it first run as a child with my Mom and 72 year-old Aunt. I'll never forget how much they laughed and what my Aunt said after it was over, "I've never cared much for that girl particularly (referring to Streisand), but she was good in this."

 

[Jeffrey D]

Good stunt work in the wild car chase near the end, especially the shot of Babs and O’Neal’s VW hiding among other Beetles on the transporter truck.

 

[MartinP.]

I, too, love this film and also agree the Bogdanovich commentary is great. I especially liked the amusing anecdote in an early scene outside in front of the hotel about the cars they needed to smash into each other, but they rented them and took out accident insurance.

I first saw it in the Summer of 1972, the period after I'd graduated from high school and right before heading to college. Two girls I'd graduated with called me, told me they were going to go see this that evening and invited me along. I lived in a small town in the middle of New York State and rarely got to go see films. Have loved this film ever since.

So two years later when I was in college the college student organization showed this film in their film series in the student union ballroom. Sometimes they had issues running films there. When showing this they had to stop more than a few times because the film, for whatever reason, was not running through the projector properly and the picture would keep jumping or was just downright jittery. (I'm glad it wasn't my first viewing of the film.) However, this problem was a prelude to the biggest laugh of the evening during that showing. In the oh-so-amusing courtroom scene near the end of the film, when the jittery jumping film had the audience oh-so-over-it, while it was happening for an extended time the character of the judge has also had it with the characters antics on screen and shouts to them to stop. Stop it! And he emphatically bangs his gavel down on the desk, at which point the jumping jittery screen immediately stopped. The crowd roared with laughter, and applauded, and through the rest of the film it remained that way!

Only one other time, I recall, did I get to see the film in a theatre, at the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood where there was a week long celebration of Peter Bogdanovich's films. He attended each night. I saw Paper Moon and What's Up, Doc? in a double feature. I also saw Nickelodeon. It was shown in b&w, the way he originally wanted it to be released, but the studio over-ruled him. (It isn't any better in b&w.) I also saw The Last Picture Show, as I had never seen that in a theater before.

What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, The Last Picture Show and Mask are 4 of my favorite films. I just got the Columbia 4K-UHD | Blu-Ray release that includes The Last Picture Show director's cut, which I've not seen. What's Up, Doc? needs some upgrading!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I, too, love this film and also agree the Bogdanovich commentary is great. I especially liked the amusing anecdote in an early scene outside in front of the hotel about the cars they needed to smash into each other, but they rented them and took out accident insurance.

I first saw it in the Summer of 1972, the period after I'd graduated from high school and right before heading to college. Two girls I'd graduated with called me, told me they were going to go see this that evening and invited me along. I lived in a small town in the middle of New York State and rarely got to go see films. Have loved this film ever since.

So two years later when I was in college the college student organization showed this film in their film series in the student union ballroom. Sometimes they had issues running films there. When showing this they had to stop more than a few times because the film, for whatever reason, was not running through the projector properly and the picture would keep jumping or was just downright jittery. (I'm glad it wasn't my first viewing of the film.) However, this problem was a prelude to the biggest laugh of the evening during that showing. In the oh-so-amusing courtroom scene near the end of the film, when the jittery jumping film had the audience oh-so-over-it, while it was happening for an extended time the character of the judge has also had it with the characters antics on screen and shouts to them to stop. Stop it! And he emphatically bangs his gavel down on the desk, at which point the jumping jittery screen immediately stopped. The crowd roared with laughter, and applauded, and through the rest of the film it remained that way!

Only one other time, I recall, did I get to see the film in a theatre, at the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood where there was a week long celebration of Peter Bogdanovich's films. He attended each night. I saw Paper Moon and What's Up, Doc? in a double feature. I also saw Nickelodeon. It was shown in b&w, the way he originally wanted it to be released, but the studio over-ruled him. (It isn't any better in b&w.) I also saw The Last Picture Show, as I had never seen that in a theater before.

What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, The Last Picture Show and Mask are 4 of my favorite films. I just got the Columbia 4K-UHD | Blu-Ray release that includes The Last Picture Show director's cut, which I've not seen. What's Up, Doc? needs some upgrading!

I enjoyed reading your post, Martin.

I have no insight into a planned release, but I would say that it's an easy bet that this will be released on 4k.

If I remember correctly, it was one of the very earliest Warner BD releases, and I remember talking to someone at the studio about the film at the time and they acknowledged that they knew it was an important film to get out.

 

[Garysb]

I am guessing that Streisand films do not do well on home video. They were slow to make it to blu ray and none have made it to 4K disc yet. She worked for Warner Bros., Columbia, United Artist, . Universal , Paramount, and 20th. and none of them have been in any rush to release her films . Not sure how much interest there is in Peter Bogdanovich today. His early films were great. His films after the early 1970's not so much though "Mask" was good.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I am guessing that Streisand films do not do well on home video. They were slow to make it to blu ray and none have made it to 4K disc yet. She worked for Warner Bros., Columbia, United Artist, . Universal , Paramount, and 20th. and none of them have been in any rush to release her films . Not sure how much interest there is in Peter Bogdanovich today. His early films were great. His films after the early 1970's not so much though "Mask" was good.

I love Bogdanovich's work and think he continued to make some fine films after his early 1970s classics. I am a big fan of Saint Jack and They All Laughed in particular. Also, I have a soft spot for Nickelodeon and always enjoy that when I watch it. As directors have become less of a reason that most people go to see a picture, I don't think Bogdanovich, outside of filmmakers and film buffs, is even a name people would know.

 

[TonyD]

This is easily one of my favorite movies from the 70’s.
It was definitely one of the earliest movies I saw at the movies.

I was 8 when my parents took me to see it.