This had a long reputation as one of the worst movies ever made, though few had actually seen it. It took me until the winter of 2007 to catch up with this one, and while by no means a good movie, it is at least an interesting one. I understand that the backstory behind this low budget production was that The Dick Van Dyke Show was wrapping up, and a few of its stars put together an independent movie. Morey Amsterdam produced, co-wrote, and starred, along with Rose Marie and Richard Deacon. As insurance, he filled his script with jokes, and filled his movie with cameos. Its plot about spies and espionage does not hold together, but now, after 40 years, the movie works on another level. The plot is dated, the stars and cameos are very much from another era of showbiz, and the jokes are of the irresistibly corny variety that have also faded into memory. So now the film is a quirky little cultural artifact of sorts. It is not good cinema, but in the wake of the Police Academy series, Dude Where's My Car, and Freddy Got Fingered, it can hardly be called among the worst movies ever made. It is offbeat, silly, dated, and, if you're in the right frame of mind, rather fun, especially if you have an interest in the era, or fond memories of it.
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JNeibaur10 January 2007
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Bill-1610 January 2007One of the weirder things I've seem on TV. Turner Classic Movies has been showing some rarely seen stuff lately and some of the movies are gems.
I certainly wouldn't call this a gem by any means. I mainly turned it on just to see why I'd never heard of it before. First I thought I turned on TV Land by mistake. Most of the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show is in this. I noticed there was no laugh track when Morey Amsterdan cracked a one liner and something seemed missing. That sent me to IMDb to investigate. I then watched simply because of the cameo appearances in the movie.
The movie has a lot of sight gags and wise cracks. A bit like an over length 3 Stooges episode and it does have Moe Howard in one of his final screen appearances. -
wjones-5700617 June 2023If you're a fan of '60 sitcoms, this will probably give you a few chuckles. Don't look for much of a plot or decent sets (or even color). Come for the myriad of comedian cameos and stay for the irrepressible Morey Amsterdam. Vaudeville was long dead by 1966 and this film does nothing to disprove that....but it sure gives it one last try. Co-written and produced by Mr. Amsterdam, the film tries to cash in on the recently ended Dick Van Dyke Show's team of Sally Rogers, Mel Cooley and Buddy Sorell. Sadly, the cheesy script replaces them with three hapless diner employees caught up in a Russian espionage caper....or a bizarre attempt at one. Still, Morey's one-liners and Rose Marie's reactions give it just a touch of the old Buddy and Sally. And that makes it worth a look.
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dial911book12 January 2007I believe this movie represents the last gasp of vaudeville. Shot in beautifully clear black-and-white, on a set that is so obviously a set and not at all realistic, this film presents a stage on which we see the last great vaudeville act for the very last time.
It's all about slapstick physical humor where the victim is hurt only for the length of the shot. It's all about one-liners, where the straight-man responds by making an exasperated face or rolling his or her eyes.
And gimmicks stolen from other acts (e.g. Get Smart) that are familiar to the audience.
And the long pauses between action moments -- giving time for the folks in the back of the theater to realize what just happened and start laughing before the people in front have stopped laughing.
And the walk-on cameos of famous performers to keep the people interested, lest they realize that there is no plot worth caring about.
Apparently many people watched the film (based on the rash of reviews) on its single showing on TCM. Robert Osbourne did not introduce the film, which is regrettable. I really would like to have seen how he characterized this piece of work.
Fans of the The Dick Van Dyke Show (like me) may remember episode 40, "The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally" in which Morey Amsterdam's character and Rose Marie's character create and put on their own show at a club on the weekends. Well, this film is what would happen if Buddy and Sally sneaked off to make a movie on a long weekend, and Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon's character) actually produced and directed it. Vaudeville, filmed in noir, on the cheapest set money could rent.
No offense to any of the terrific veteran actors in the movie -- most of them had great roles elsewhere. But you do need a cup of strong coffee and a curious mind to enjoy what they were attempting in ... whatever its title was. -
Varlaam8 November 1998The (non-)title is a dead giveaway.
This movie is notable for having its cast derived from the old Dick Van Dyke Show. Buddy, Sally, Mel, and Alan, they're all here, only this time they're not funny. We know the actors and actress are good, and their characters are tried and true. All we lack is a script. Don't worry, we'll think up a script after we start shooting. -
planktonrules18 April 2011When I read the reviews for this film, I was surprised. They were bad....REALLY bad. So had that a sane person would have probably just skipped this movie. Yet, I was intrigued...a film starring the three supporting characters from "The Dick Van Dyke Show"--Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie and, at times, Richard Deacon (they don't seem sure what to do with him in the film, actually). It sounded bad but also curiously appealing---especially to a cinemanic like me. I loved these three on the show--would it be enough to carry the film? And, should I have just heeded their advice? Early on I was surprised to see Danny Thomas pop by for a cameo. This isn't THAT surprising, as he was the creator of "The Dick Van Dyke Show"--but it still caught me off guard. I then noticed that the film had the look and style of a TV show--with credits that looked identical to those used for "The Beverly Hillbillies" as well as the same filmed look.
The film is a VERY broad espionage comedy--much like "The Nasty Rabbit" and "Last of the Secret Agents?"--and this is not very distinguished company. And, as a broad comedy, it's filled with one-liners coming one after another. While I loved these one-liners on their show, here there was no let-up--a case where less would have been more. In addition, such slapstick touches as playing the film backwards, Richard Deacon sitting on a cake, a spy camera in a hat, etc.--though there seemed to be a lot more of this at the beginning.
It seems that Morey is the spitting image of a cosmonaut who has defected to the United States--and Soviet spies are anxious to get him. In addition, at his job in a bookstore, there seem to be all kinds of odd goings on--with people tunneling underneath and goateed spy-types coming in and out of the place. Anyone with half a brain or more would call the police...so naturally Morey and Rose Marie do nothing for quite some time. And, when they do, they investigate on their own--no police. In this basement, they find NOTHING that should be in the basement of the bookstore--such as giant stuffed gorillas and a live turtle. Did anyone THINK when they created this scene? And, for all that happens next, none of it makes a lot of sense--college parties with Maury and Rose Marie, art lectures and the rest. It looked as if the writers took every idea they had and haphazardly tossed it into the film. As a result, while the film has a few laughs here and there, it comes off as very juvenile and silly--and not in a good way. Worth watching only if you are desperate or very curious.
By the way, in addition to Danny Thomas, there were tons of other cameos--Moe Howard, Forrest Tucker, Irene Ryan (driving the truck from her show) and Nick Adams. I particularly liked Reiner's cameo--it was actually pretty funny. Also, after having seen this film , I wonder if perhaps this was meant as a pilot for a TV series. After all, their show was wrapping up production and perhaps this was an attempt to hang on to the magic....a very BAD attempt. -
bradnfrank10 January 2007Writer / Producer Morey Amsterdam attempts to spoof the spy film genre. The style is very similar to "Get Smart", but not nearly as well-written. Most of the jokes fall flat. The endless stream of cameos a la "Mad Mad World" is occasionally amusing, but not enough to save this film.
This was obviously made on the cheap -- most of the action is confined to a bookstore, and there are only about 3 other sets in the entire film.
Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie were perfect sidekicks on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Their chemistry is one of the reasons that show is such a classic. Unfortunately, they can't carry a film on their own, at least not one as badly written as this. Even their one-liners, of which there are plenty, are pretty lame.
If you think this might be worth a look just for curiosity, especially if you're a Dick Van Dyke Show fan, then do yourself a favor -- skip it. -
khajek01-110 January 2007This movie is about a girl who inherits a bookstore, and the "wacky antics" of her employees. This movie definitely plays on the cold war mentality and fear of espionage of the time, but for laughs. It features some of 1960's television, and 1930's film's greatest stars (Supporting cast of the Dick Van Dyke show, Moe Howard of Three Stooges fame, Milton Berl, Steve Allen, etc...) Chock full of one liners (pretty much the whole movie is set ups for one liners), it takes what would make a 30 minute sitcom hilarious, and makes a 90 minute movie annoying. This movie is really quite goofy. HOWEVER, I really think a kid might find it quite funny...and by kid I mean under 10 yrs.
Seeing all the cameos is a nice trip down nostalgia-lane for the over 40 folks, if you are not interested in a plot, a script, and acting talent. -
marcslope12 January 2007Even by the dismal standards of mid-1960s spy spoofs (others have titles like "The Last of the Secret Agents?" and "The Maltese Bippy"), this is a forlorn little comedy, shot on Desilu sets and looking like a quickie TV show. Every Desilu TV star on the lot that day puts in a witless cameo (Irene Ryan, Danny Thomas, Carl Reiner); the rest is Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam, Buddy Sorrell and Sally Rogers in all but name, exchanging lame repartee as a bumbling pair of friends to a nubile bookstore owner (the conspicuously untalented January Jones), all of them caught up in labored international intrigue. Amsterdam co-wrote the screenplay and thus has only himself to blame, but he and Rose Marie look distinctly unhappy amid the low-budget surroundings, and the movie's reputation as a legendary stinker is well deserved. Harmon Jones, who actually has a good movie or two to his credit, directs in a grab-the-paycheck-and-run style that's winceworthy.
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ksf-212 February 2016I read about this one years ago, and it has FINALLY come to DVD! Fans of the Dick Van Dyke show will be happy to see (part of) the cast from that show united here. That series ended mid 1966, and Dick V. and Mary T. were on to film careers, so you won't see them in the film. Written and produced by Morey Amsterdam, which makes sense. According to wikipedia, he had started in vaudeville in the 1920s, and worked with his brother in Al Capone's saloon. At the open, the gang works in a diner. A HILARIOUS scene where Mel Cooley, I mean actor Richard Deacon, reads his supply order, and it is intertwined with a couple saying romantic things to each other. Tons of one liners and set-up punchline, set-up punchline. Charlie (Amsterdam) is mistaken for someone else, a missing cosmonaut. After getting fired, he and Annie (Rose Marie) leave the diner and go find their friend Magda (January Jones). She runs a bookstore, but strange things are going on, and Charlie tries to figure it all out.
Some great cameos ... Uncle Milty, Steve Allen, Moe Howard, Carl Reiner (Still doing the hairpiece gag), Danny Thomas. And of course, Irene Ryan, still playing Granny. One of the customers in the diner is Percy Helton... played in SO many things back in the day. Did he do the voice of winnie the pooh? sounds like like it to me! Deacon plays two roles, Peter Sellers style. This one is so under-rated. Granted the plot is a bit thin, and the opening diner scene is only added on to get those vaudeville bits in. If you liked the Dick Van Dyke show, you'll probably get a kick out of this, as long as you see it for the low-brow fun that it is. and I think the title is Genius. Directed by Harmon Jones, who was nominated for EDITING Gentleman's Agreement. Directed mostly television for the last ten years. -
Handlinghandel18 January 2007I hoped the lazy, arch title would be deceptive. It isn't. The movie is a series of one-liners, improbable situations, and lackluster cameo appearances.
The joke in "The Aristocrats" is said to be old. Hey, it can't be as old as some of the ones used here; and it's much funnier.
Someone who had never seen The Dick Van Dyke TV show would be at a loss here. The stars are that show's delightful Rose Marie and the less delightful but reliably amusing Morey Amsterdam. Richard Deacon, also from the show, plays two roles.
Typical of the ineptitude displayed throughout is the "Beatnik" party the primary characters attend. At it, clean-cut people dance in very square fashion to music with a bland sound that predates rock 'n' roll. This music actually sounds like the theme song to "The Munsters" TV show. That show was pretty lame but it had distinct characters. To show how really bad this is, by comparison to this exceptionally slapdash and unfunny movie, "The Munsters" seems like Restoration Comedy. -
ffreemon26 January 2013I am watching this film on TV right now. If you are in the mood, it is hilarious. "How did you sleep?" "Terrible. I was up all night, trying to get the window open." "The room doesn't have a window." "No wonder I couldn't get it open." The movie is a terrific period piece (early 60s), with sight gags (man cutting steak with a newly invented electric knife cuts the table in half), period references (hitching a ride from the Beverly Hillbillies). Every B actor from the 1950s has a walk on, and even some greats like Milton Berle and Danny Thomas can be seen. If you want some kind of incredible plot with tricky double crosses and new sports cars driven off bridges, pass on this. If you feel like fun, lean back and laugh.
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I've always been a fan of Morey Amsterdam. I mean, he was known as "the human joke machine" and I was a excited to see his writing credit on the movie. But, after this fine example of his work, I'm ready to blame him for the death of vaudeville.
This movie was like a cross between "The Monkeys" & "The Three Stooges". It felt like someone made a movie out of a mad lib. A mid lib filled out by potheads. There was no real plot to the movie, but at the same time there were many confusing sub plots. Some kind of government conspiracy involving a Barbra Streisand impersonator. That's all I remember before the brain aneurysm, presumably caused by the movie, left me unconscious on the floor. -
slardea-112 September 2010This was a lost film for decades, until someone at Turner and United Artists resurrected it for a few TV showings. Apropos of all the other reviews here, unless you enjoy 60s culture as viewed by middle-aged men of the period, the movie will leave you at a loss. Morey Amsterdam, who co-wrote and produced, and Rose Marie are alternately embarrassing and silly. Morey's one-liners were dinosaurs on the vaudeville circuit and would have been rejected immediately for the Alan Brady Show. A low-budget and unfunny pastiche of bad jokes that simply painful to sit through. However, there is some amusement in seeing Richard Deacon try in vain to rise above the material. A few of the cameo roles are of historical interest. A bomb at the box office when first released in 1966, this film is best left in the vault.
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marklsmith-581-72614213 January 2013Dinosaurs roamed when these jokes were hatched. The whole movie is a setup for one liners, sight gags and telegraphed physical jokes. The best actor was a turtle who managed a realistic portrayal. The plot such as it seems to be forgotten often in the vain attempt at laughs. I put on the spoiler warning, because the only thing I laughed at was Milton Berle's hoary old chestnut about trying to push a rope. He still had the timing that the rest lacked. The sad thing is that I'm watching this on the "This" network because everything else was infomercials. The wasteland has arrived. I'm even enduring 20 minutes of commercials per hour. You know you're in trouble when "Charley Weaver" complete with pork pie hat appears as a Russian. Not cool enough to be camp. Trashing modern art in 1966 is ludicrous, although I don't know what year they are playing (but must be after 1960 since they included a cosmonaut.) The real problem is telegraphing the jokes and the gags. The cake on the seat is the most obvious. I enjoyed the cameos in a Where's Waldo kind of way, but watching the cast of the Dick Van Dyke show less the leads do bad jokes is painful. The college disco party (called beatnik party) is particularly bad. Did the writers go to school in the 1920s? Richard Deacon as the "undercover" cop is unintentionally hilarious. The fat lady spy looks like the housewife on "The Guild" and has a couple of moments. Look to Get Smart for a way to do a spy spoof or more seriously "In Like Flint" that are funny because they aren't so earnest at being bad. I can't give it one star, because I'm still watching even after Ma Clampett shows up giving the hitchhiking "stars" a ride even after Rose Marie steals a bit from a 30s movie. Even Moe Howard wasn't funny, playing a lawyer ?!? straight!
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ragosaal12 March 2007I went across this film on TV and watched it mainly because I had enjoyed a lot the first "The Dick van Dyke Show" and everybody but the main couple was there. In my opinion they didn't think of anything at all here, not just the title.
The conclusion could be that the cast was comfortable on television but the big screen was too big for them. Director Harmon Jones started making some average or below average pictures but ended up filming episodes of different series of the little screen; this was probably his right place. Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam don't reach at all their funny performances with van Dyke and several cameo appearances by well known comedians don't help either.
Can't recall a single smile with this one. -
JasparLamarCrabb1 April 2013Perhaps the creators behind this nonsense should have spent a little time thinking of a movie as opposed to simply coming up with a clever title. Depending almost entirely on the dubious talents of wise cracking Morey Amsterdam, this film is virtually laugh-less. Amsterdam, along with his one-time DICK VAN DYKE SHOW costar Rose Marie, gets mixed up with spies and a bunch of comic actors in cameos. There's nothing here to recommend. Appearances by Milton Berle, Moe Howard, Steve Allen and others offer nothing to this debacle. Amsterdam had a hand in the script, which accounts for his nearly non-stop chattering. Richard Deacon plays TWO roles. Also featuring Danny Thomas, Carl Reiner, and Forrest Tucker. January Jones (NOT the MAD MEN star) plays Magda. She has exactly zero charisma.
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This movie is like a "make a wish" grant for a dying child. In this case, the producers of the Dick Van Dyke show must have felt sorry for Morey Amsterdam as they killed the last big job he'd ever have when then ended the Van Dyke series.
Consider the relatively sophisticated humor coming on television at this time, much less the movie. Addams Family, Munsters, Batman, etc. All with loads of adult based double entendre humor that would make kids giggle, yet make adults think twice.
And these shows used many celebrity cameos like this movie does, but the other shows understood the point of having the celebrities make fun of themselves. This movie just parades stars through like they all took numbers at the studio cafeteria and were waiting in line.
I've never been a big fan of Amsterdam's version of vaudeville humor (consider the Marx brothers were from the same era and how much bawdy and funnier they were), so jamming it into a full length movie doesn't make it any better.
I have a feeling that Amsterdam was a great ad-libber on the Dick Van Dyke show, and they kept him around to sweeten scripts, but he wasn't really much of a performer - Dick Van Dyke could have done the show by himself.
This movie IS fun to run in the background just to see how many performers whored themselves out for a few seconds of screen time, but other than that, this movie has little entertainment value. -
mark.waltz14 March 2022This one's a real dog, a comedy that crawls slower than the turtle planted with a bug in the bookshop that Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie worked for after being fired from Richard Deacon's greasy spoon. She' the waitress and he's the cook, and he's also the look-alike for a spy whom another spy ring follows all around. You'll recognize a lot of the cast members in smaller roles, and they include such familiar faces as Moe Howard, Percy Helton, Irene Ryan and fellow "Dick Van Dyke Show" cast member Carl Reiner. With supporting characters named Olga and Magda, I'm surprised that June Foray didn't show up to voice her character of Natasha from the "Bullwinkle" series. This definitely is made with a cartoon age audience in mind as the farce is very juvenile, although there are a few moments that did make me giggle.
As for that title, it is obvious that someone just threw a mishmash of characters together, came up with a plot that was popular in culture at the time (although far from a Bond film), and created a script that made an episode of "Gilligan's Island" look like something written by Woody Allen. The laughs here are never accompanied without an eye roll, and that includes Deacon's appearance in dual roles which includes him breaking the fourth wall as he mentions that they are in a movie. The wrapping machine at the bookstore makes both Amsterdam and a heavy set woman think that their clothes are ripping, a scene in a basement with the turtle makes you ask how the turtle (hidden inside a box) would manage to get down a flight of stairs. Deacon in a bad wig, Deacon sitting on a cake, Amsterdam and Rose Marie not getting laughs with any of their antics indicates that the script is hideous, and the perfect part of that book called "Don't let this happen to you".
There were many bad comedies in the 1960s that thought they were being funny by the overuse of TV sitcom like farce, and when this makes "Sergeant Deadhead and "Birds Do It" seem funny, you know it's going to be bad. Even the worst of the Jerry Lewis films will make you laugh more than this does. I missed several of the promised cameos but I wasn't about to fast forward from the start do you have to endure this again. One time was painful enough. I gave this an extra star for the scene where Deacon places an order in the restaurant that is intertwined with a couple having a romantic dinner which actually did give me a genuine chuckle. But I was starving for more by the time this was over, one of the worst comedies I've ever seen. -
BandSAboutMovies18 April 2022While not strictly a movie made from a TV show, Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title is packed with TV stars either in lead roles or in cameos and that's always been my jam. In fact, this movie is meta before we even knew what that meant.
Charlie Yuckapuck (Morey Amsterdam) and Annie (Rose Marie) work =at the diner run by Mr. Travis (Richard Deacon), making this nearly a The Dick Van Dyke Show reunion, just as that show was in its last month of first-run episodes. It's a busy place, so busy that people like Danny Thomas and Forrest Tucker just drop by.
Then, one day, Crumworth Raines (Moe Howard!) comes in to inform waitress Magda Anders (January Jones) that she has inherited a bookstore at Updike University. She hires Charlie and Annie and all manner of hijinks ensue, as Charlie looks just like a defecting cosmonaut named Yasha Nudnik, which brings in spies out of the cold, as it were, such as government agent Jim Holliston (Michael Ford), Comrade Olga (Carmen Phillips) and KEB agents played by Peggy Mondo, Cliff Arquette and Nick Adams.
The bookstore gets even more cameos, including Milton Berle, Steve Allen and Carl Reiner. But perhaps the one that put this on the site was that Irene Ryan plays Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies and is completely in character, giving the protagonists a ride and driving back off to her show. In 1966, movie theaters and movies were battling for audiences, so it's just crazy to see her show up and literally everyone knows who she is.
Director Harmon Jones made some wild movies like The Beast of Budapest, Gorilla At Large and Bloodhounds of Broadway. Here, he's working from a script by Amsterdam, John Davis Hart (who wrote the English dialogue for Any Gun Can Play, The Great Silence, Argoman the Fantastic Superman and Kill, Baby...Kill!) and William Marks (War Party, episodes of Bonanza and The Wild Wild West. -
wacket-1466130 September 2017I wish people would watch this with an open mind. It may be a low budget movie but you need to look at the actors that are in it. Just sit back and enjoy the movie, not necessarily the plot. It was delightful especially to see all of the cameo appearances of great actors from days gone by. A good clean movie escape, without so many murders, car chases, explosions, drugs and over paid actors.
I was just laughing at the old vaudeville comic stints and jokes. I truly enjoyed it. Maybe not one of the best movies ever made, definitely not the Worst!
A little hidden gem!
That I hope is played more often so others can enjoy it also. More people need to watch movies like movie goers would and not just like critics do....
JUST ENJOY! -
jimcancook15 December 2021It's 84 minutes long. I lasted 7 minutes. I enjoyed Morey Amsterdam on the old Dick Van Dyke Show. Carl Reiner has a writing credit on all 158 episodes, Morey has none. One of Morey's few writing credits is this dog. So, I guess Morey was a funny performer, but not a good writer.
Avoid. -
This movie is like a film school lab.
The subject would be how important WRITING is to the success of a film. Here you have three wonderful actors who have entertained you on the Dick Van Dyke show for years. They were all experts in delivering comic lines.
But the thing is their LINES were funny. Here you have the same actors with a dreadful script in a film that lasts for less than 90 minutes and if you sit through the whole thing it will seem like hours. A hint: if you watch the first five minutes and think the film can only get better, here's a spoiler, it doesn't.
This movie was co-written and produced by Morey Amsterdam. As some reviewer stated, The Dick Van Dyke show had 158 episodes and Amsterdam didn't write any of them. I know he previously had a career in vaudeville and was a stand up comedian and musician, but just using one line jokes over and over for an hour and a half is awkward and eye-rolling.
As I said, watch the first five minutes, if you're entertained, stay with it, otherwise you can turn it off and thank me for giving you an hour and a half of your life back.