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Set in San Francisco, a natural location for the film’s overblown and crazy escapades, we meet Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal), a nebbish in the city to attend a music conference with very frosty, propriety-fixated fiancée Eunice Burns (the one and only Madeleine Kahn in her debut role).
This milquetoast musicologist is carrying a plaid case full of his musical rocks. The hotel he is staying in however has three other guests with identical bags. Judy Maxwell: gregarious drifter (played with remarkable comedic prowess by Barbara Streisand) owns a bag full of clothes as she mooches all she can from hotel lobbies. Another is Mrs Van Hoskins carrying her priceless jewellery with wannabe thieves hot on her heels. Then there is mysterious Mr Smith whose case contains top secret government documents; closely followed by the golf club wielding, even more puzzling Mr Jones. Any one care to speculate what will happen to the cases?
And to make things more difficult? Judy falls instantly in love with the reluctant Howard. In the next 90 minutes, a truly unique and charming comedy ensues. Judy attempts to get in between Howard and Eunice, taking Eunice’s place at a banquet and calling herself Burnsie for example. Around this highly entertaining duo mayhem is breaking out. All aided by one of the best ensemble casts including Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Liam Dunn and the extraordinary Kahn who will be remembered as a comedic queen seen in gems like Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.
Bogdanovich, as a film critic and historian, has not left anything out: a chaotic scene in a hotel corridor, a woman hanging off a window ledge, a party deteriorating into a pie-fight, all the cases being swapped and confused, and the finale, a car chase through San Francisco. Taking you through the sights of the city (destroying a few of them) the chase includes smashing through glass, jumping off hills and ends up literally in the Bay.
Any one care to speculate what will happen to the cases?
At a machine gun pace, script writers Robert Benton, David Newman and Buck Henry have created a masterpiece. A wonderful paradigm of dialogue comes during the havoc of the chase. Howard and Judy, laden with all four cases, are riding on a delivery bike and lose control on a hill. They somehow end up dragging a Chinese dragon down the street. Judy, unable to see where she is going asks for directions. Howard replies “Well there’s not much to see actually, we’re inside a Chinese dragon”. Genius.
With a myriad of references to Buster Keaton, Looney Tunes, even Bullitt, What’s up Doc? must be seen by any fan of screwball. As has been famously said of this film, it is the ultimate wacky comedy with no redeeming social importance whatsoever.
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