You know what it is. It's Skidoo, director Otto Preminger's 1968 attempt to do something that "these kids today" would relate to…or at least go see. I do not recommend viewing this film but there are certain things in this world that you oughta do just once…and Skidoo should be seen one time or less. The cast alone boggles the mind: Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Mickey Rooney, Burgess Meredith, Peter Lawford, George Raft, Frankie Avalon, other folks like that…and in his final motion picture appearance, Groucho Marx in the role of God. Gleason called the picture "the greatest meatball of all time" and he didn't mean that as a compliment despite his apparent love of meatballs.
Why am I telling you this now? Not to get you to order the DVD…and My God, they've also put it out on Blu-ray! But you can if you want. I mean, I won't stop you.
No, I'm here to alert folks in the Los Angeles area that the Beverly Cinema — the movie theater near Beverly and La Brea that's either owned or somehow controlled by Quentin Tarantino — is running a Technicolor print of the thing as a Midnight Movie on June 29. Here's your chance to be part of an audience that will look exactly like the folks watching the "Springtime for Hitler" number in The Producers except they won't start laughing and declare it a hit. I will either be at this screening or not be at this screening. In a way, neither is a great choice.
(Hey, I just realized: The Producers was released on November 10, 1968 and Skidoo had its world premiere on December 2, 1968. That's probably significant in some deep way but I have no idea what it is.)
If this film fascinates you, know that it's been discussed a lot on this blog starting with this post. If that whets your appetite to read more about it, go to our search box and slap in that name. Here, once again, is the trailer — and the movie is even weirder than this…