American Raspberry

If you're a fan of TV parody movies like "The Groove Tube" or "Kentucky Fried Movie" you'll love this film. It may not be the best of them (I gave it a 7) but if you're a fan of the genre, it's worth a look. Keep an eye out for a pre-"Animal House" Stephen Furst. It's very hard to find and is not available for purchase, but if you do happen to find it, you'll like it. WARNING: Not for all tastes.

This short film is a hilarious compilation of skits spoofing 70s era television and commercials, tweaking racial stereotypes, consumerism, and American prudishness. Its premise is that television broadcasts in American and other countries get interrupted by a series of increasingly offensive commercials and television shows. Nudity, profanity, and all around bad taste are on this evening's schedule.

This movie is of its time, violating many of the tenets of political correctness that mute modern comedy. Spoofs on Apartheid South Africa and "Tran Puerto Rico Airlines" are particularly notable examples. Although some may find these skits offensive, they make one nostalgic for a time when satire and humor was more unbridled. Those who think that South Park and Judd Apatow movies are the height of ribald humor are in for a surprise.

Some unknown source has interrupted all television transmissions around the world. In place of the regular broadcasts, a lineup of extremely tasteless programs and commercials have been substituted.

Oddly, despite a cast of dozens, few known names appear in the film: a young Harry Shearer and Kinky Friedman are probably the best known (though maybe in the 1970s some of these people were better known and I am just too young).

I loved some of the skits: the retroactive abortion, frontier gynecologist, Bad Lucas, and the midget sheriff. Many others got a smile or chuckle out of me. And the very idea of just having short little sketches was perhaps before its time -- today's ADHD folks love "Robot Chicken", which is not unlike this movie.

Not every sketch is funny, and maybe some will appeal more to some people than others... but overall, not bad. Worth a look.

As I am kind of a fetishist for these 1970's sketch comedy movies, I was rather excited to finally have a look at this one, which I had neither seen nor heard of. As far as I can tell, this is the only example of this small but potent sub-genre I haven't seen yet.

If you liked Tunnelvision, which is much more well-known that this flick, you will enjoy the politically incorrect humor on display here, in the form of rapid-fire TV commercial and TV program parodies. This even has the same voice over guy as Tunnelvision (for part of it).

There are plenty of familiar character actors on display here if you were a TV watcher in the 1970's, including George Furth (you might recognize him from Blazing Saddles) as the President of the United States.

Also keep an eye open for fleeting parts by Stephen Furst, Three Stooge associate Mousie Garner, Harry Shearer, and current candidate for Governor of Texas and long time musician and mystery novelist Kinky Friedman, performing his chestnut "Ol Ben Lucas." This film is currently obtainable as it is present on a DVD box set titled "50 Drive-In Classics." Do an internet search for that and you should find it no problem. It costs about 20 bucks.

I'd put this movie about half-way up the scale of entertainment in this genre. Of course, Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon are at the top, as they were the only ones of these sketch movies made with any kind of budget to speak of.

As I was a young boy in the late 70's, I do remember most of the stuff they are taking off on in Prime Time, but you young movie hounds of today won't remember the R-O-L-A-I-D-S TV commercial, the Sears Die Hard battery spots or the American Express "Do You Know Me?" campaign, I fear.

In spite of its die-hard political incorrectness, it seems to give most minority or religious groups something to be angry about (equal opportunity offender), and its jokes are mostly laugh-inducing, which can ameliorate a multitude of sins.

If you like this film try the following, in order of recommendation: Kentucky Fried Movie, Tunnelvision, Amazon Women on the Moon, The Groove Tube, Loose Shoes, The Boob Tube, American Tickler, and Miss Nymphet's Zap-In. If there's any of these type of movies I forgot or am not aware of, drop me a line...

Closer to Tunnelvision than Groove Tube or Kentucky Fried Movie, in that it has a connecting plot this movie is pretty much 75 minutes of good TV show and commercial spoofs. The central plot has the President of the United States attempting to find out who is behind the decidedly un-family friendly shows that are playing on TVs across America.

For the most part the movie is full of very funny low brow and topical humor. Some of the topical stuff, the Biafra TV dinner for example, will mean nothing to those who weren't around in 1977 when this was made. If you were around then you'll probably find this very funny. Of course some of the jokes are topical once more with a tobacco ad spoof taking aim at organizations like Save the Children. Much of the humor is very pointed and it would probably be a good guess that it helped keep this from ever being widely released (of course the glut of movies like this didn't help either) If you can find this movie its worth taking 75 minutes to give it a shot (though look for it under the name Prime Time). Odds are you won't remember it in the morning but you will get some laughs out of it.

(Probably of interest to no one: The DVD I saw appears to have been made from an unmasked print which frequently allows lights, microphones and other goodies to be seen on the edges of the screen.)