Down and Dysfunctional in Beverly Hills

In my July 5th Movie Trivia posting, Lonestar Mike first identified one of the two films based on only one scene: a teenage boy wearing a union suit which he had been sleeping in, running out to his front yard in the middle of the night, filming a video of his enraged next door neighbor. 

"Lonestar" correctly identified the movie, Down and Out In Beverly Hills, a 1986 comedy, released by Touchstone Films and The Walt Disney Studios. You remember. Believe it or not, the movie was based on the 1932 French film, Boudu Sauve Des Eaux, by Jean Renoir. This was the very first Disney film to have received an "R" rating! The boy, Max Whiteman, was played by Evan Richards. The neighbor was Orvis Goodnight (Little Richard). What a fit Little Richard threw out in the front yard of the ultra wealthy Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss), the boy's father. Other big stars in this movie included the incomparble Bette Middler (Dave's wife, Barbara) and Nick Nolte, as Jerry Baskin, was way down and out. 

Baskin was later saved from doing himself in by drowning the Whiteman's fountain. It's a great story if you haven't seen it. But, watch again if you have. 

But back to the teenager who had a not so great relationship with his dad and mom. At his age and demeanor, his primary form of communication was speaking through his home videos which he was constantly shooting. 

One night, Dave who had eyes for the hired maid, made mischief with her. This so excited the dog who caught them in the act, that the mutt ran crazily around the house, barking and jumping up and down, until it accidently set off the home alarm. That immediately brought a dozen or so cops in cars with sirens blaring and lights flashing, waking up the household as well as the neighbor.

Hearing the commotion, Max climbed out of bed*, grabbed his video camera and without dressing, ran out into the yard wearing only his union suit to begin filming the excitement:

The boy even beat his sweatty and exhausted dad outside. Dave had had to take a moment from his tryst to catch his breath, grab a robe and rush out in an attempt to calm the situation before his wife, Barbara, was awakened! Max happily filmed away, first the police helicopter and then dear ole daddy: 

Yikes, what's this coming through the bushes? Why, it's the next door neighbor, Mr. Orvis Goodnight, coming to investigate all the clamor. He looks none too happy. And, Max, never giving a thought that he was outside in his union suit underwear, thinking he better get some good footage of this: 

Orvis had come scurrying over from his mansion in his bathrobe, outraged, not only for having been awakened in the middle of the night, but because a large number of cops had descended on the Whiteman household, given them priority because of their wealth and because, Dave Whiteman was...uh...well, white! Orvis didn't believe for a moment he would have gotten the same attention from the police as did his intolerable neighbor. 

This was just the sort of action for which young Max lived and breathed. And it had fallen right into his underwear clad lap. Afterall, he was going to be a great avant-garde film maker. What with sirens still blasting, the dog barking, his dad yelling, the neighbor shrieking, what more could a boy ask for.

Suddenly, the family pooch decides to stop barking at the the police K-9 and chases after the neighbor, grabbing ahold of his robe: 

Max was elated. What a great movie. He would probably win an Oscar for this one! 

The excitement over, the cops are convinced it had all been a misunderstanding and go on their way. 

 

Even the helicopter pilot determines, "nothing to see here!"  

It's back to bed for Max. Soon he'll be dreaming about this night and looking forward to editing his best work yet! 

"Nite Dad"

* Factoid: When Max springs out of bed and grabs his camera, he's wearing a night shirt as his bed time attire. By the time he hits the front door, he has miraculously changed into his union suit.

A big thank you to Disney Studios and Touchstone Films, for another very amusing film.

Great job, Lonestar. You sure know your movies..Chris