I've seen this movie easily a thousand times. It is one of my favorite movies as a kid, and is now one of my kids favorite movies. It is hilariously campy and quite obviously doesn't take itself seriously and no one should. It is a hidden gem of comedy.
For the longest time I wasn't sure if this movie actually existed or if I imagined it in a fever dream. God damn it... Do yourself a favor and watch the Kevin Kline version of Pirates of Penzance. Love that movie.
I’ve seen that and oh Lord it’s so much better. Kevin Kline is hilarious as the Pirate King, Dame Angela is great as Ruth & even Linda Ronstadt as Mabel is good (they’re the strongest singers of the bunch and are not dubbed)
At the Razzies, it was nominated for • Worst Actor for Christopher Atkins • Worst Actress for Kristy McNichol • Worst Supporting Actor for Ted Hamilton • Worst Original Song for Happy Endings • Worst Screenplay • Worst Picture It won 3 awards • Worst Director • Worst Musical Score • Worst Original Song for Pumpin’ and Blowin’
Then sing it with Archibald Asparagus! After all, Classic VeggieTales beats the Hotel Transylvania trilogy and Home on the Range. Yeah, I said it and will never take it back!
I am the very model of a diva demoniacal I send my musicals to hellfire with laughter maniacal I've seen the worse of the genre and meet their sins accordingly From Repo, Mame, and Phantom down to From Justin to Kelly If your star is so deaf you may be certain I will call you out then for the choreography I'm calling beyond any doubt Within my court, this is no poorer two plotholes are such nonsense or characters who behave in manners particularly dense And here's where the chorus would come in, but it's Hell. We don't have the budget for a chorus So say your prayers offenders and hope that you'll get a saving grace and yearly dancer chertaste without falling flat upon your face as I send your musical to hell with laughter maniacal I am the very model of a diva demoniacal
How about this. Chorus (first verse): Or characters who behave in manners particularly dense! Or characters who behave in manners particularly dense! Or characters who behave in manners particularly dense! Chorus (second verse): As she sends your musical to hell with laughter maniacal, she is the very model of a diva demoniacal!
Out of curiosity, I looked up who the head animator of the pumping and blowing scenes because the style looked familiar. To my surprise, it's animator, Maggie Geddes, was the head animator of the movie Yellow Submarine.
There are two continuity errors: Frederick is born in 1856, so at 21 years the film should be set in 1877, but in the garden scene Mabel says "These are the 1880s..." Later in the garden scene Frederick uses a handy book-calculator (?) to measure 21 birthdays, and it says 1940. This is also wrong because 1900 is one of those oddball exceptions that was NOT a leap year, so the real number should be 1944.
I saw this movie once as a kid and for most of my life for all I knew "Modern Major General" had always contained references to Bo Derek, the Beatles and Star Wars. I did pick up along the way that the song was by Gilbert and Sullivan, so I naturally assumed that they were roughly contemporaries of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Notice Fredderick is left-handed. I wonder if there's any symbolism there. Or maybe it's just another Star Wars reference because Mark Hamil is left-handed as well.
I swear the animation for Pumping & Blowing looks like a primitive Spongebob. It makes me wonder if Stephen Hillenburg has ever seen this crap or the play it's based on. It would also make me laugh out loud if a future Spongebob special (That doesn't SUCK) was made that's based off Pirates of Penscanz. Also I would personally condemn everyone responsible for the animation for Pumping & Blowing to watch the entirety of the worst of Spongebob Squarepants (Both classic & modern eras) for all eternity. May the Flying Dutchman have mercy on their souls.
Man - I realize it’s critically/objectively a bad movie, but my first crush was Kristys character - I love this movie and all the cheesy songs and jokes and that’s the end of it. 😂
What kind of pirate songs are these? You want to hear a real pirate song? I've got one for you: Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew, Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide, O'er across the ocean's tide. Rays of sunshine far and wide, Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by, Bid farewell to weaver's town, say 'so long' to port renowned, Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off, Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease, Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends, Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew, Pirates we eternally are challenging the sea, With the waves to rest our heads, ship beneath us as our beds, Hoisted high upon the mast, our jolly roger flies, Somewhere in the endless sky, stormy winds are blowing by, Waves are dancing, evening comes, it's time to sound the drums, But steady men, and never fear, tomorrow's skies are always clear, So pound your feet and clap your hands 'til sunny days return, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' brew, Wave goodbye, but don't you cry, our memories remain, Our days are but a passing dream, everlasting though they seem, Beneath the moon we'll meet again, the wind's our lullaby, Gather up all of the crew, it’s time to ship out Binks’ brew, Sing a song, and play along for all the oceans wide, After all is said and done, you'll end up a skeleton, So spread your tale from dawn 'til dusk upon these foamy seas, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho, Yo hohoho, yo hohoho,
The Pirates of Penzance didn't need buried treasure or swordfights, it was funny enough it didn't need to be parodied. The Pirate Movie should just go walk the plank.
Will you ever review the 1948 movie The Pirate starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly? It was a huge box office bomb upon its release, and behind the scenes, the production was a nightmare. MGM honcho Louis B. Mayer forced director Vincente Minnelli to completely rewrite and reshoot the ending, and Judy Garland was heavily addicted to drugs, missing several days of work.
The one interesting thing about this was that "Modern Major General" Bill Kerr was a long time comic foil for great British comedians like Tony Hancock. He deserved a better film.
Hehehe. I cannot refute any position you have on this film, but just about every single sin you point out is "so bad it's good" for me. Full disclosure, nostalgia goggles are in full effect.
As a Former Stanley Daughter(chorus) on the Stage, I Adore the spoof 'The Pirate Movie'. 2 Things you can't Shoot Down: Victory! One of the Best Gaming Songs EVER! "Wait a Minute, Wait a Minute! This is My Dream....I Want a Happy Ending!" So Bad, It's Great! Hugs!
My favorite version of the "modern major general" song is the one from this web series called "Freeman's Mind" because he starts of by singing the original and then adds new verses of his own while shooting people from an aqueduct maze and dodging grenades.
Animaniacs has the best parody for “Major General” and also if you hear the Periodic Table Song set to the tune it’s also fun. Thankfully I actually know the original lyrics since I’ve never seen the show with a modern update
Enjoyed the vid, but just happen to disagree with... well.. all of it. I still watch this one over and over, and pumping and blowing is a song I still listen to ALL the time . I can't help it.. I love it. I just love everything about this movie, but then her dream runs a lot like a lot of my odd crazy dreams. Happy Ending is just so much a guilty pleasure.. I just love how the made a campy version of a campy musical. *sigh* I can watch this movie over and over and over.. Think I will go watch again now. LOL
The Pirate Movie’s Razzie “wins” and losses: It “won”: • Worst Musical Score - Kit Hain • Worst Original Song - Pumpin’ and Blowin’ • Worst Director - Ken Annakin (a tie with Terence Young for Inchon) It lost: • Worst Picture (lost against Inchon) • Worst Screenplay - Trevor Farrant (lost against Robin Moore and Laird Koenig for Inchon) • Worst Actor - Christopher Atkins (lost against Sir Laurence Olivier for Inchon) • Worst Actress - Kristy McNichol (lost against Pia Zadora for Butterfly) • Worst Supporting Actor - Ted Hamilton (lost against Ed McMahon for Butterfly) • Worst Original Song - Happy Endings (lost against the aforementioned Pumpin’ and Blowin’)
Oh man does THIS bring back memories. I was actually in a performing arts class at my high school and after a year's worth of work, the teacher gave us two options for a movie to watch with our final two classes. Either High School Musical or this (I know, the agony of choice). Because I had never heard of this movie nor known what it was about, I voted for it. Within maybe 15 minutes I regretted my decision. I remember even as a kid watching "Pumping And Blowing" and thinking that the film had just completely given up any shred of trying to be good. Like it just showed literally anything on screen in order to keep the attention span of whoever was watching it because it was just that afraid that they didn't have enough to keep the audience entertained but didn't actually want to put in any effort.
My memories of this movie as a kid while it was in theatres were always seeing the commercials for it with the lightsaber joke. Being a Star Wars obsessed kid at the time it always got my attention lol.
Too many cooks spoiled the soup for me to enjoy it on its own merits. However, now that you mention them, I love Mandy, and I love the score (what parts of it overlapped with the Euro version anyway).
Funny review. I saw this movie as a kid and back then Kristy McNichol could do no wrong in my eyes. I liked her 4th wall breaks. LOL. But yeah, the "Pumpin' and Blowin" song is a headscratcher.
I'm watching this on my lunch break in my car...and thank goodness. I was not prepared for the fish stuff. That is fever dream stuff. Who thought that was a good idea? Hardest I've laughed in months
People magazine said that the director should be made to walk the plank. Two things - Mike Brady obviously ripped off songs from the Alan Parsons Project - mostly the ballads - and I'm left wondering how much better this movie could have been if Mel Brooks had made it.
For the first time since February 17, 2020, I'm about to watch this episode. EDIT - 2:45 P.M.: *finishes review 23 minutes later* I had completely forgotten that "The Pirate Movie" existed until now! 😅
Thank you very, very much for exposing this abomination- I am a G & S devotee and might have suffered extreme pain if I had started watching this thing. As it is, I am going to have to watch the Kevin Kline version immediately to clear my mind. Thank you again.
I LOVED this movie as a kid and give it partial credit for getting me into Errol Flynn flix. Limbo certainly...but...hell? Is it truly past all redemption?
I was forced to watch this movie in drama club in high school. I don’t remember if I’d seen the original or not (or at least the version with Angela Lansbury), But I do remember that I knew that THIS movie sucked. They put all the wrong emphasis on all the wrong parts, the music was lame, the romantic leads had nothing but a crappy easy listening music romance ballad before they tongue kissed (though while watching this, I kinda got the feeling that the romance ballad was part of a joke, that they were making fun of a cliche), and Puffin’ and Blowin’ was there. I have since seen at least two versions of it, one even on stage, and Pirates of Penzance is one of my favorite operettas or musicals or pieces of musical theatre.
Oh boy... This movie molested Indian Jones before Lucus and Spielberg did in Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. And hey- This makes the second acting gig I've seen the main actress in. The first that Empty Nest show back in the 80's and nineties.😮 Oh, I just noticed the young male actor isn't the one from American Hero but The Blue Lagoon.
I thought it was fun as a kid! I'm no kid anymore! On the DVD director commentary is bananas! Among the director's comments is he knows Amelia Earhart is alive!
Just because Gilbert and Sullivan used winking on the audience, easy to enjoy music and the hard clash between how everyone takes themselves seriously while everything goes insane... The movie's makers may had knew the notes but failed the tune, the act and even missed out on the point. A small nasty poke, Diva - Gilbert and Sullivan had never used a fourth wall if you could make a joke of it. Have a character jump off the stage if they need to hide, from Pinafore, and even from the Mikado, for instance...
I know this was from years ago. I don't care. I only just found your channel because of a different terrible musical. I don't *disagree* with your assessment. It's not a great movie. I don't know that I would even classify it as "good" or even "better than mediocre". However, I found this movie in about '86 or so and fell in love with it. I've owned so many copies it feels like it was only put out on DVD to keep me from demanding yet another VHS copy. I do own a copy of the soundtrack and sing along with it in all its hokey cheesy 80s greatness. I still rewatch it pretty frequently and sing along to the songs as I clean house or work on other projects. No one ever said that only good movies get to continue to exist with fondness! Where would MST3K be without awful movies? Still, I enjoyed your review quite a bit and laughed through it in the same way I laugh my way through this movie.
The movie takes place in her dream. That's why all the fourth-wall breaking, pop songs and then modern references. It's not meant to be taken seriously.
A.) that’s the point. B.) Movies hadn’t been invented yet, much less Star Wars. C.) (And this Part is a joke so take the stick out your ass) Star Wars happened a long, long time ago, so this obviously happened after!
If it makes you feel better, Diva, "Pumpin' and Blowin'" won a Razzie for Worst Original Song. The movie also won Worst Musical Score for Kit Hain and Worst Director for Ken Annakin.
Okay...so I'm watching the playlist of Musical Hell and while I just went to answer the door and get a parcel, this video starts up. I come back and it takes me a moment to realize that this isn't The Blue Lagoon...probably not helped by the male lead being the same, apparently. Huh.
I did not need to see the "Blue Lagoon" guy in a diaper-thong-thingy. Or the bejewelled codpiece. I hate this movie! The pop songs sound outdated for 1982. They sound like something from the mid-'70s.
This review made me laugh, but the thing that you seem to have missed, the most VALUABLE point about this movie that you seem to have completely forsaken, is the fact that it was MEANT to be stupid, slapstick, DUMB humor in the style of Airplane and other movies of that ilk. This was the era when THAT kind of humor--obvious, over-the-top, dumb humor that we are forced to laugh at simply because it is so stupid--was in vogue...
