Otto Preminger's drug culture meets mobsters movie goes beyond just being merely bad. It's a must-see for fans of "far out" films of the '60s. It's "plot" centers around a former gangster (Jackie Gleason) forced to return to the Mob by his old boss "GOD" (Groucho Marx) and break into jail to silence a potential government witness (Mickey Rooney). Much to the horror of his wife (Carol Channing...yes, you read correctly), Gleason vanishes back into the "underworld," takes LSD and escapes from jail via a trash can rigged as a balloon. You can imagine how ridiculous that scene is. However, it's nothing compared to the grotesque strip tease done by Channing for the pleasure of mafia under-boss Frankie Avalon. The great Harry Nilsson contributes a bunch of faux-psychedelic tunes and Channing croaks out the film's title song during the final freak out aboard Groucho's yacht (actually John Wayne's...borrowed for the filming). Marx, who appears to be reading cue cards, smokes some pot. In addition to the bizarre ensemble mentioned above, the cast includes: Cesar Romero, Arnold Stang, Peter Lawford, George Raft, John Phillip Law, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Fred Clark, and Austin Pendleton.
Review of Skidoo
