The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) (TV)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Eric Idle
Gary Weis

Writer:

Eric Idle (conceived and written by)

Release Date:

22 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

The Rutles, a living legend that will live long after other living legends have died.

Plot:

Charts the adventures of the prefab four, possibly the most famous band of all time.

Plot Keywords:

Beatles | Spoof | Rock Music | Imaginary Band | Fake Documentary

Cast

Eric Idle	...	Dirk McQuickly / Narrator / Stanley J. Krammerhead III,Jr.,Occasional visiting professor of applied narcotics at the University of Please Yourself Ca.
John Halsey	...	Barry Womble
Ricky Fataar	...	Stig O'Hara (as Rikki Fataar)
Neil Innes	...	Ron Nasty
Michael Palin	...	Eric Manchester, Rutle Corp. Press Agent / Lawyer
George Harrison	...	The Interviewer
Bianca Jagger	...	Martini McQuickly
John Belushi	...	Ron Decline, The most feared promoter in the world
Dan Aykroyd	...	Brian Thigh, Ex-Record producer who turned down the Rutles
Gilda Radner	...	Mrs. Emily Pules
Bill Murray	...	Bill Murray the K.
Gwen Taylor	...	Mrs. Iris Mountbatten / Chastity
Ron Wood	...	Hells Angel
Terence Bayler	...	Leggy Mountbatten
Henry Woolf	...	Arthur Sultan, The Surrey Mystic

Also Known As:

All You Need Is Cash (USA)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | UK:12 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Abbey Road Studios, Abbey Road, St. John's Wood, London, England, UK

Company:

Above Average Productions Inc.

Trivia:

One of the gold discs on the wall of Archie Macaw's office is Red Rose Speedway (1973) by Paul McCartney's Wings.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In one scene the Pre-Fab Four are in front of a wall with some graffiti in it. The words spell the name of a group that didn't form until 1972: Be Bop Deluxe.

Quotes:

Narrator: Stig, meanwhile, had hidden in the background so much that in 1969, a rumor went around that he was dead. He was supposed to have been killed in a flash fire at a waterbed shop and replaced by a plastic and wax replica from Madame Tusseaud's. Several so-called "facts" helped the emergence of this rumor...

Movie Connections:

Features "The David Frost Show" (1969)

Soundtrack:

You Need Feet

While "The Rutles" doesn't contain any outright belly laughs, there are many times when I chuckled and the humor was extremely clever

While "The Rutles" doesn't contain any outright belly laughs, there are many times when I chuckled and the humor was extremely clever. The mockumentory spoof of The Beatles has become a cult classic. You have to give credit to Eric Idle for conceiving such an accurate and well-researched spoof. In many ways, this can almost be seen as the dry run for "This Is Spinal Tap". If you are a fan of "Spinal Tap", "Monty Python", vintage "SNL", or the fab four, you'll most likely be amused by this made for TV movie.

One of the reasons why it works so well is the amount of comedic talent assembled. Eric Idle and Michael Palin from "Monty Python", Neil Innes from the Bonzo Doo Dog Band (who were featured in The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour"), and many cast members from the original season of "SNL" (John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner). Adding to this are cameos from musicians such as George Harrison and Ron Wood, and interviews with Mick Jagger and Paul Simon. Fans of the 70s will be in heaven! Plus the songs are both hilarious and catchy and well written, something which "Spinal Tap" would also manage to pull off. "The Rutles" is refreshing, very amusing, and deserving of its cult classic status. (7/10)