La Folie aux trousses

Gene Wilder plays the amusingly named Michael Jordon, an architect from Chicago, in this comedy / thriller. Jordon is an innocent guy who gets swept into big time trouble after sharing a cab with an operative named Janet Dunn (Kathleen Quinlan), who's being pursued by traitorous American thugs. They desperately want their hands on a valuable computer tape, and will do anything to get it. Wilder's real-life love Gilda Radner plays the young woman eager to help him out, and she has her own reason for doing so, although he won't be aware of this for a while. Not only are these spies out to get him, but the cops in NYC assume him to be a killer. (When WILL innocent movie characters learn not to pick up murder weapons?) Knowing that "Hanky Panky" was originally intended as a reunion of director Sidney Poitier and actors Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor (after "Stir Crazy") makes one wonder what could have been, as the comedy fireworks would certainly have been even greater. As it is, Wilder and Radner (who's cute and adorable) do have an energetic chemistry. The movie itself is pretty entertaining and energetic itself, moving along very well and offering up some good action sequences; Poitier does a nice job with the material. The movie actually takes itself rather seriously much of the time, but there are still some good comedy moments, especially when Michael steals a tuxedo and, while aboard a bus, realizes it belonged to a magician, and the sequence with a sickly airplane pilot where Michael has to take the controls. Suffice it to say, there aren't many people who can freak out as well as Gene Wilder. "Hanky Panky" finds him in fine form, and the supporting cast features a slew of recognizable and reliable actors. Richard Widmark, as the chief heavy, shows that he still had great villainous presence on screen, well into his 60s. Also appearing are Robert Prosky, Josef Sommer, Johnny Sekka, Jay O. Sanders, and character actors Pat Corley, James Tolkan, Beau Starr, Frankie Faison, Larry Pine, William Sadler, and Victor Argo in small roles. This is of course no "North by Northwest", but it's not bad at all, either, remaining agreeable entertainment for a lively 108 minutes. At the least, it's worth noting that this is where Wilder and Radner met. Seven out of 10.

The typical mistaken identity thing here as a man named Michael Jordon (go figure that one) played by Gene Wilder gets caught in a web of bad guys. He is being chased for a murder he did not commit and it is also believed that some classified military secrets were stolen as well. Naturally Wilder falls in love with Gilda Radner in the process and constantly tries to elude Richard Widmark. Sidney Poitier actually directed this dud that just never does really come together. The routine is nothing new and it ends up being just like a Road-Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon that has silly episodic situations coming at you over and over again. Not a total waste, but still not really interesting enough to make itself any different from dozens of the kind. 2.5 out of 5.

A mildly engrossing, tepid suspenser that apparently bombed in theaters and drew the ire and castigation of moviegoers - an overreaction if ever there were one. Granted, it will never be taken for a masterpiece - the comic elements of the film consistently fall flat, and the plot is a fourth-rate knockoff of Hitchcock - but it isn't a complete dud either. At least 'Hanky Panky' manages to be consistently engaging as an actioner/thriller (as far as I'm concerned) and it is fun to see Gene Wilder and Richard Widmark sharing screen credit. And it boasts a fun supporting cast: Robert Prosky, James Tolkan, Kathleen Quinlan, the wonderful Josef Sommer (of Lydie Breeze fame), and even a young Larry Pine pop up and keep things hopping. Overall, a passable movie experience - it works as a time-filler if nothing else - but some of the attempts at comedy are pretty pathetic. If the scriptwriters had spiced up the scenario with a bit of wild physical comedy and more amusing situations, they probably could have saved the picture. No, Mr. Poitier - sorry to disappoint you, but watching a helicopter pilot belch for two minutes does not, by any stretch of the imagination, qualify as intrinsically funny.

This Hitchcockian comedy-thriller misfire re-united star Gene Wilder with actor-turned-director Poitier after the box-office success of STIR CRAZY (1980; which I should be getting to presently), but it was also the fourth and last collaboration between Poitier and Richard Widmark – the others being NO WAY OUT (1950; Poitier's debut), the similarly maligned THE LONG SHIPS (1963) and the superb THE BEDFORD INCIDENT (1965; produced by Widmark). Incidentally, HANKY PANKY was intended as a follow-up to SILVER STREAK (1976) and STIR CRAZY itself as yet another teaming of Wilder with Richard Pryor – but the latter's role eventually got turned into a female character and played by Gilda Radner (from TV's "Saturday Night Live"). The two stars would then fall in love and marry but, alas, the relationship was not long-lasting as Radner would die within 5 years! Anyway, while HANKY PANKY is hardly terrible, it is far from a classic either: the thrills are largely mechanical (leading predictably to violence, a case of mistaken identity for the bewildered hero, and elaborate action for the denouement) and the laughs – the genuine ones, that is – too few (mostly, it is Wilder doing his idiosyncratic hysterical shtick). Radner herself, to say nothing of Widmark (albeit still effortlessly intimidating at 68), is somewhat underused; notable supporting roles, then, are played by Kathleen Quinlan and Robert Prosky as Intelligence operatives – respectively pursued by and pursuing Widmark and his henchmen.

I didn't think this film was as bad as I had heard people say it was when they saw it. I love Gene Wilder and it was nice to see him working with Gilda Radner. The film isn't very well done but it has a very watchable attraction and that is watching the leads do their thing. Watch it on a rainy day and enjoy the performances of Wilder And Radner.