The Hollywood Knights

The Hollywood Knights. 1980 Columbia Pictures.
Starring: Tony Danza, Fran Drescher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Wuhl, Stuart Pankin, Leigh French
Director: Floyd Mutrux
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Although this movie was largely considered to be a rip-off of Animal House, it is notable today for debut performances of many well-known actors, like Tony Danza (this was his first film role), Robert Wuhl (his cinema debut), Fran Drescher, and of course, Michelle Pfeiffer. Oh, yes, and Stuart Pankin, too. You can't forget that he went on to the HBO series Not Necessarily the News, which really needs to be put on DVD someday.

By the way, Tony Danza does not play a character named Tony.

Halloween, 1965: The Beverly Hills Homeowners Association has made the decision to shut down a local drive-in diner, which enrages a local group of high school pranksters, known as the Hollywood Knights. The Knights wage war on the conservative organization as well as two hapless cops with several completely juvenile pranks, like spiking a punch bowl with urine, and ruining a high school pep rally by spraypainting obscenities on the large banner urging the local team to beat their crosstown rivals. The group's most elaborate prank is their leader Newbomb Turk (Wuhl) impersonating Dudley Laywicker (Pankin) at the rally, and performing an obscene rendition of "Volare", making sure to punctuate the end of each musical phrase with a burst of flatulence. I cannot understand why this DVD isn't in the Criterion Collection with highbrow comedy like this.

It should be noted that Wuhl, Danza and Pankin all played teenage characters, even if Wuhl and Danza were in their late twenties, and Pankin was 33 years old at the time of filming.

The Hollywood Knights is by no means a classic movie, and if it had been released in the past five years, I probably would look upon it with scorn, but every so often, everyone needs some tasteless, immature fun while watching films. Recommended movie.