Directed by:
Otto PremingerScreenplay:
Doran William CannonCinematography:
Leon ShamroyComposer:
Harry NilssonCast:
Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Frankie Avalon, Fred Clark, Peter Lawford, Michael Constantine, Frank Gorshin, John Phillip Law, Burgess Meredith (more)Plots(1)
Producer and director Otto Preminger reportedly experimented with LSD in the late 60's, which inspired him to make this notorious comedy in which Jackie Gleason plays Tony, a mid-level gangster and former hired killer not very happy with his life. He bickers a lot with his wife Flo (Carol Channing) and isn't sure what to make of his daughter Darlene (Alexandra Hay), especially since she started dating a hippie named Stash (John Phillip Law). Two of Tony's superiors, Angie (Frankie Avalon) and Hechy (Cesar Romero), order him to get arrested, go to prison and once behind bars whack "Blue Chips" Packard (Mickey Rooney). Though he's not pleased with the idea, Tony grudgingly goes along, but once inside, he's accidentally dosed with LSD by counterculture activist the Professor (Austin Pendleton). His consciousness expanded by his trip, Tony leaves his violent lifestyle behind him and with the Professor's help plans an escape after turning the entire prison population on to acid. Certainly your only opportunity to see Groucho Marx play a character named "God," not to mention a supporting cast that includes Slim Pickens, Peter Lawford, George Raft, Frank Gorshin and Arnold Stang, Skidoo is also remembered as the film in which Harry Nilsson sang all the credits. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Jackie Gleason
USA
Best movies:
L'Arnaqueur (1961)
Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
All Through the Night (1941)
Carol Channing
USA
Best movies:
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
Happily Ever After (1989)
The First Traveling Saleslady (1956)
Frankie Avalon
USA
Best movies:
Casino (1995)
Brillantine (1978)
The Stöned Age (1994)
Fred Clark
USA
Best movies:
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
White Heat (1949)
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Peter Lawford
UK
Best movies:
The Longest Day (1962)
Easter Parade (1948)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Michael Constantine
USA
Best movies:
Roots: The Next Generations (1979) (series)
L'Arnaqueur (1961)
Voyage of the Damned (1976)
Frank Gorshin
USA
Best movies:
12 Monkeys (1995)
Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966)
That Darn Cat! (1965)
John Phillip Law
USA
Best movies:
High Infidelity (1964)
The Cassandra Crossing (1976)
The Sergeant (1968)
Burgess Meredith
USA
Best movies:
Rocky (1976)
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Clash of the Titans (1981)
George Raft
USA
Best movies:
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Scarface (1932)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Mickey Rooney
USA
Best movies:
Captains Courageous (1937)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Strike Up the Band (1940)
Groucho Marx
USA
Best movies:
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Monkey Business (1931)
A Day at the Races (1937)
Austin Pendleton
USA
Best movies:
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Front Page (1974)
Cesar Romero
USA
Best movies:
Tales of Manhattan (1942)
Frontier Marshal (1939)
The Racers (1955)
Arnold Stang
USA
Best movies:
Richard Kiel
USA
Best movies:
Raiponce (2010)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
Robert Donner
USA
Best movies:
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
El Dorado (1966)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Slim Pickens
USA
Best movies:
The Name of the Game (1968) (series)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
The Sacketts (1979) (TV movie)
Jeffrey Sayre
USA
Best movies:
Bon Voyage! (1962)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
North by Northwest (1959)
Joe Ploski
USA
Best movies:
Inherit the Wind (1960)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Stalag 17 (1953)