SKIDOO (1968) ¢ 1/2
D: Otto Preminger
Jackie Gleason, Frankie Avalon, Carol Channing,
Groucho Marx, Mickey Rooney, Frank Gorshin,
Burgess Meredith, Peter Lawford, George Raft,
John Phillip Law, Cesar Romero, Arnold Stang
A retired hit man (Jackie Gleason at his most bloated and abrasive) checks into prison to knock off an old crony (Mickey Rooney) on orders from God, played by Groucho Marx. That's the story. Really. Somebody obviously thought an all-star comedy about gangsters and hippies would be hilarious, but then somebody forgot to put the jokes in. Gleason tripping on acid is a bizarre sight not to be found anywhere else, but that doesn't make it funny, just misguided. This is why some people shouldn't do psychedelic drugs, or make movies about them. Groucho looks like he's reading his lines off a cue card, which under the circumstances is way more attention than they deserve.
