Siskel & Ebert: Dogs Of 1981 - Buddy Buddy, Cannonball Run, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, The Fan

In this episode, Siskel and Ebert talk about the worst movies of 1981 with include: Buddy Buddy, Cannonball Run, Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, Chu Chu and the Philly Flash, First Monday in October, Halloween II, Hardly Working, Heaven's Gate, The Fan, The Legend of the Lone Ranger, Under the Rainbow and Zorro the Gay Blade.

[@GenerationX1967]

I miss these guys...

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Cannonball Run is absolutely not a dog. But it aint high art if we are being honest. Sometimes its ok to watch something thats a lot of fun and not much more.

[@e11aguru]

People complaining about too many sequels and remakes and Hollywood running out of ideas even back then. Nothing ever changes.

[@devindevon]

I think I'd still rather watch a lot of these dogs than most of the films coming out in 2023.

[@Wellch]

And in 2024

[@devindevon]

@@Wellch The same.

[@vincentwilliams5271]

Halloween 2 is awesome!!

[@gspendlove]

I remember loving and laughing very hard at all the comedies they have on this list. Of course, when I saw them I was 10 years old. That was apparently the target audience for these movies.

[@audionmusic2787]

The target audience for the average movie is age 12.

[@gspendlove]

@@audionmusic2787 You should look these things up before you respond. The key demographic for moviegoers is 14 years of age to 34 years of age. Only children's movies (rated G to PG) are made for 12-year-olds. I'm not saying you're stupid. I think you're being glib and sarcastic. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you're being serious, get your facts straight.

[@audionmusic2787]

@@gspendlove I was quoting a Hollywood director from the 1950s. And you should probably shut up.

[@gspendlove]

@@audionmusic2787 "Audion Music is a complete idiot, and he doesn't attribute quotes." ---_A Hollywood director from the 1950s._

[@audionmusic2787]

@@gspendlove you and your tedious nature don’t inspire me to look it up. I don’t owe you anything.

[@bijibadness]

now that _IS_ impressive. I really do have to give Disney some credit, here: the terrible, terrible, critically-despised Lone Ranger movie from way back in 1981 cast an actual Native American instead of Disney hiring Johnny Depp for the role 32 years later.

[@mildredpierce4506]

In Hardly Working, the music that is played when Jerry is at the gas station sounds like something that is more suited for comedy on television such the Andy Griffth show.This is another example of a big name actor still trying to make the same type of movie they made 30 years ago.

[@FloraWest]

Ha! Your comment is exactly what just went through my mind that music came on.

[@kt9166]

I still love ZORRO THE GAY BLADE. Silly movie, with a great cast!

[@Hammerhead547]

The only funny thing about cannonball run is the fact that they could've made a fantastic comedy based entirely on the story of the real cannonball run race across america. The true story was filled with larger than life personalities, under cover racing cars and hilarious stories about inexplicable things that actually happened.

[@kevinmcdonald6477]

Halloween 2 was lousy. But the nurse who got roasted in the Hot tub had a great set of knockers!

[@Mondomeyer]

I found it funny when RM said "I have to warn you, I'm Roger Moore", but the follow up wasn't funny. A better punchline (pardon the pun) would be for RM to get offended after the biker say "Who?" and then for RM to punch him out.

[@theessentials450]

A better line maybe, "Who do you think you are, James Bond?"

[@Darbobski]

Cannonball Run was made on a sub-20Million budget, but grossed 160 million. Critics hated it, but people loved it. I remember thinking it was silly when I was a kid, but I still watched to the end. I cant sit through it now, but I think they just hit at the right time.

[@CaptainSpalding72]

MOST people have no taste.

[@Captain-Cosmo]

Under the Rainbow was anticipated to be a big hit. I was schedule to attend an exhibitor's screening of it on the same day as the lessor anticipated (at the time) Raiders of the Lost Ark. I couldn't attend both and literally flipped a coin. Raiders won. Word immediately got out in the industry that Rainbow was terrible and Raiders was fantastic. We booked Raiders and had a fabulous summer!

[@JM_-ix7yh]

imagine being the producers of Rainbow and watching Raiders for the first time, and then realising that is what you are going to be up against!

[@MrDougman59]

The Buddy Buddy review reminds me of something Tarantino said about directors peaking after x number of films and never returning to form. He might be right.

[@orbyfan]

That movie ended Wilder's career.

[@joevaldez6457]

Trying to explain to someone why Jerry Lewis is loved in France is probably worthy of a term paper. Americans love physical farce and have from the Three Stooges to Borat, so content isn't where we diverge. It may be distribution. TV has proven that if you give audiences enough of something they'll usually come around to tolerating if not enjoying it. Lewis' films played in revival theaters in Europe during the '70s, but not so in the U.S., where Lewis was forgotten. Not that _Hardly Working_ is misunderstood. Taken on its own merits, it's awful.

[@mowm88]

I liked Cannonball run.

[@morgan8757]

so did I

[@wendiwonderly1419]

Smokey and the bandit was Burt Reynolds’s version of blue Hawaii. Both pleasant lightweight films but once their stars found there was so much money to be made with this type of film it’s all the f-- we saw, with ever diminishing returns. It ensured that neither Reynolds’s or Presley would be considered for serious roles ever again. It lead to atrocities like the cannonball run and the even worse stroker ace films, along with harem scarum and paradise Hawaiian style. At least Elvis had the singing career to fall back on

[@marieroberts5458]

But I understand that Boogie Nights was Burt's big comeback.

[@BallparkHunter]

@@marieroberts5458 Yes it was! He also finally was nominated for an Oscar--something he was looking for since Deliverance in 1972.

[@jazzypaul75]

the Cannonball Run was not an atrocity.

[@kimoandrews5802]

Best public television intro ever... I wonder why they changed it.

[@MusicVersa]

The show moved from PBS to Tribune Broadcasting to Buena Vista Entertainment over its lifespan.

[@CaptainSpalding72]

it wasnt there's any longer.

[@augustusmilligan9244]

I loved "The Cannonball Run" as a kid. I also thought "Spaceballs" was funny. I wish I could go back to that age when everything except Jerry Lewis made me laugh 😁

[@dancarter6044]

Any movie with Chevy Chase is going to blow badly.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

He made about three funny movies and 90 s*** ones.

[@morgan8757]

@@ricardocantoral7672 might they be fletch,foul play and caddyshack

[@BallparkHunter]

Is that a mouse in the opening credits getting sniffed out by the dog?

[@WildFungus]

I just wathced George Hamilton in Zorro the Gay Blade the other day and whatever that is a timeless comedy and it made me laugh, reminded me what a fun legendary batman type figure Zorro is in the first place and how making that camp on purpose is a pretty great comedy premise.

[@bacchuslax7967]

I loved 1st Monday and Cannonball Run. So much for my critique career. At least I know what I like

[@vatzjr]

Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor two days before First Monday in October released!

[@jameshudson169]

cannonball run is pretty good. S&E missed the mark on that one.

[@matthewschreck6418]

The dog was my favorite on the show.

[@marieroberts5458]

I'm sorry, I loved Zorro the Gay Blade!

[@wallyman292]

Kinda funny to see a Matthau/Lemmon movie that bombed, considering how successful they've been together both before and after. . .

[@FloraWest]

Right? And then there's Billy Wilder's track record!

[@theessentials450]

Charlie Chan wouldn't get past the page even with a high profile actor in the role with all that politically incorrect behavior.

[@lerm2866]

Halloween 2 doesn’t belong with the rest of these Dogs

[@Georgefhaley]

Didn't they say they weren't going to go after slasher flicks but instead focus on films with some ambition?

[@ricardocantoral7672]

​@@GeorgefhaleyI think they included it due to their continued outrage against slashers and the fact that they enjoyed original Halloween.

[@daughterofolaf]

@@ricardocantoral7672They (particularly Ebert) gave plenty of s****y horror movies thumbs up though. Like Motel Hell. 😆

[@daughterofolaf]

It does though. It’s truly one of the most pointless movies ever made.

[@Silenced23]

I'm guessing that little pooch is long dead in the beginning

[@creeg84]

1981 was a good year for horror

[@shaneharrisnj3484]

Cannonball Run... Burt Reynolds... Loonies... Worst Film!? That review was a load of B.S.! The Cannonball Run was pretty damn fun and it was 6th in the box office in 1981, and it wasn't the biggest 20th Century Fox release that year.

[@maskedmarvyl4774]

The Fan was depressingly sadistic and pointless, and was based on a book of the same name that was also pointless.

[@clarencesmith3522]

James Garner was especially ashamed that he was in it.

[@daughterofolaf]

The book was awesome.

[@crystalshaw8744]

That's why the dude (Mark Hamill) had to go to a galaxy far far away...restraining order...giggle

[@Phonesavanh-dd7oh]

Halloween 1,2,4,,6 was the best sequel cannon. And cannon ball run was funny af

[@MattRichardsonX]

10:33 "Street Bums" - Haven't heard that term in a long time.

[@kpowers]

I liked Halloween 2 and the Lone Ranger movie

[@branagain]

1981 really was a bad year in films.

[@thebargainshack6901]

It was subpar, but not horrible. There were some decent films that year, like Escape From New York, For Your Eyes Only, Time Bandits, Das Boot, Outland, American Werewolf in London, and Stripes.

[@tvmonte]

@@thebargainshack6901 And, of course, Raiders of the Lost Ark!

[@RobertPaulGass]

Funny thing is, Cannonball Run is a classic. It's kind of like them trash talking the original Phantasm and it turned out to be one of the classic 1970's horror films.

[@Silenced23]

Omg, 1980s and mid 90s was the best time to be an American.

[@matthewschreck6418]

I forgot how slightly annoying those two were. If they were unhappy about how many bad movies there were in 1981, it's a good thing they aren't around today!

[@theessentials450]

I remember Buddy, Buddy on HBO years ago and it was depressing.... but it was also humor free.

[@theessentials450]

Zorro the Gay Blade is very funny still....

[@theessentials450]

Heaven's Gate has been reappraised over the years. I need to watch it fully to see. I've seen many scenes and most are quite beautiful even.