Written by / 11/09/2023 / No comments / , , , , , , , , , , ,

DAN AYKROYD WITH HOWARD HESSEMAN IN 'DOCTOR DETROIT'

End Credit Fake Sequel Gag from DOCTOR DETROIT Year: 1982 Rating: ***1/2

By 1982, Dan Aykroyd wasn't completely into playing a total goofball since, after four gorgeous limo-riding hookers spot his ultra-nerdy college professor Clifford Skridrow power-walking in an obviously rehearsed/notably overboard fashion, they can't quit noting how cute and even sexy he is, thus marking Dan's first stand-alone leading role following the tragic death of legendary comedy-partner John Belushi... 

Basically a NUTTY PROFESSOR alter-ego theme, foreshadowing Aykroyd's forgettable THE COUCH TRIP in that an otherwise average dolt wields conveniently miraculous traits of an improvisational performer yet here, Clifford feels idealistically motivated to save those hookers (including future trophy wife Donna Dixon and mouthy Fran Drescher) from encroachment by viciously monopolizing Kate Murtaugh after their own flashy pimp Howard Hesseman, owing tons of money and driving the film's entire first act (while literally being driven by T.K. Carter), heads for the hills...

Donna Dixon with Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with Fran Drescher and Lynn Whitfield

Scenes where Aykroyd morphs into a Southern Lawyer, and then the titular Bond-villain-style hustler, are like overlong SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE skits... thankfully director Michael Pressman puts more effort and screen-time into Dan's original geek persona (who's also busy saving his fledgling college), progressively adhering to the wild surroundings orchestrated by timely tunes from Rick James's Superfreak to James Brown BLUES BROTHERS-inspired musical numbers following the opening title sequence by Devo...

Making DOCTOR DETROIT fit uniquely between the colorful and breezy 1980's new-wave aesthetic and grungy late-1970's drug-fueled/full-frontal R-Rated madness so that... edited in a swift pace so nothing too wacky mars the basic save-the-day premise... Aykroyd semi-triumphs with an endearing underdog like he would (far more successfully) in TRADING PLACES and GHOSTBUSTERS before derailing into future cartoonish catastrophes like LOOSE CANNONS, and almost everything else thereafter.

Howard Hesseman with My Bodyguad bully's bully Hank Salas in DOCTOR DETROIT
Howard Hesseman with Hank Salas in DOCTOR DETROIT with Kate Murtagh as lead villain Mom
Howard Hesseman with Donna Dixon in DOCTOR DETROIT
Dan Aykroyd in DOCTOR DETROIT
Dan Aykroyd in DOCTOR DETROIT
TK Carter in Doctor Detroit with Fran Drescher and Lynn Whitfield
Dan Aykroyd andKate Murtagh in DOCTOR DETROIT
Dan Aykroyd in DOCTOR DETROIT
Howard Hesseman in DOCTOR DETROIT
Donna Dixon in DOCTOR DETROIT

Donna Dixon with Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with Lydia Lei and Lynn Whitfield
Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with George Furth and Nan Martin
Donna Dixon with Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with Fran Drescher, Lydia Lei and Lynn Whitfield
Donna Dixon with Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with Lydia Lei and Lynn Whitfield
Donna Dixon with TK Carter in Doctor Detroit with Fran Drescher, Lydia Lei and Lynn Whitfield
James Brown in Doctor Detroit
Donna Dixon with Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit with Fran Drescher, Lydia Lei and Lynn Whitfield
Dan Aykroyd and James Brown in Doctor Detroit
Andrew Duggan and Hank Salas in Doctor Detroit
Dan Aykroyd in Doctor Detroit
Donna Dixon and Andrew Duggan in Doctor Detroit
Lydia Lei and Donna Dixon in Doctor Detroit


Share This Post :
Tags : , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

All Time Popular

Featured Post

LANCE GUEST WITH ROBERT PRESTON IN 'THE LAST STARFIGHTER'

Title: THE LAST STARFIGHTER Year: 1984 Rating: ***1/2 The connection of THREE AMIGOS, GALAXY QUEST and TROPIC THUNDER... of actors thinking ...

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM
Movie Reviews, Interviews, Articles and Pop Culture from White Heat to Blue City

RIP ACTOR KEN HUTCHISON

TOTAL HITS

Popular Trending

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE
RANDOM QUOTE: "He was unique; and he was dead." Craig Stevens, Peter Gunn

FILM NOIR & NEO NOIR CRIME

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE BREAK 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)THE SERGEANT 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6) CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER

BRITISH NEW WAVE CINEMA

RARITIES AND EXPLOITATION

HAMMER HORROR & THRILLER

Popular This Month

CHARLES BRONSON CINEMA

CINEMA OF DANA ANDREWS

WESTERN GENRE REVIEWS

PEAKING INTO THE SIXTIES

KICKING IN THE EIGHTIES

TALES AND REFLECTIONS

REVVING THE SEVENTIES

Most Popular Last Year