Reviews

Well, I don't know how old DKOSTY is or when he first saw this episode, but I first saw it on Dec. 20 1975 (it's first airing). In fact it was the very first episode of SNL I ever watched and it was by accident. I worked grave shift on Saturdays back then and had never even heard of SNL. On that Saturday I was home sick with the flu and had just awakened and turned the television on and SNL was already about fifteen minutes in. I almost changed the channel, but decided to see what this was and I must tell you that I'm glad I did, because it was the funniest and craziest thing I ever saw up until that time. I was laughing so hard and coughing from the flu that I honestly thought this show was going to kill me. Sure there have been better episodes since, but this was the one I broke my SNL cherry with. Last year it was also my first SNL download on ITUNES and I really enjoyed seeing it again after all these years.

It's an entertaining movie about one of the biggest hoax's of all time, I remember it well, but it would have been nice if the movie producers or someone involved would have checked out facts and locations. This movie just might be the champ for factual deficiencies. IMDb has listed many of the inaccuracies this film has and I would like to add one. The movie shows the Richard Gere and Alfred Molina character's in Las Vegas. They are staying at "Vegas World" hotel/casino. The problem is that Vegas World didn't open until July 13, 1979. About 3 weeks after I moved to Las Vegas. This movie takes place in 1971/72, so it wasn't even close. The sad part is that many people believe the facts in movies and get their history lessons from them.

I loved this show. Admittedly the only two episodes that I distinctly remember are first; the episode in which Lloyd Bridges was Wild Bill Hickok. I remember him in a shootout at night on the streets I believe of Abilene, Kansas, where he kills the "bad guy", but hears someone coming up behind him and turns and fires and he kills his deputy and one of the town folk yells out in disbelief, "He shot his own deputy." It was because Hickok's eyes were going bad and he was too vain to wear glasses. The other episode is the one about American Revolutionary spy Nathan Hale. I'll never forget as he was about to be hung by the British he said his famous last words. "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country." I don't remember the actors name, but to this day anytime I see him in anything else I always remember him as Nathan Hale. I too would love to see this show on TVland or on DVD. I think it would still hold up.

You guys have the name of the actress who played Nellie Fontana, as Ruth Lee who was born in 1895 way too old for this character. The actress was actually Ruta Lee who was much younger like 41 years younger. Ruta went on to doing game shows especially "Match Game" in the late nineteen sixties and seventies. She has appeared on Roseanne and is still performing. So, IMDb you guys need to change that. You can believe me because I just finished watching the episode on the Western Channel and read the after show credits. As for the show itself, old Bat finds himself dead. He of course is quite confused. This leads to Bat having to investigate and try and right this confusion.

The the opening credit says it all, "A Rock and Roll Fantasy" and that's what this film is. I'm watching it right now as I write this. I hadn't seen it for quite a few years now, but I had watched it at least 20 times back in the day. This movie's look was just (to put it simply) COOL. I have to agree with MisterFahrenheit's comments about Diane Lane. She was just absolutely beautiful in this film. This movie gave Willem Defoe a big push. That face of his and a little highlighting makeup really gives him a look to remember. Unfortunately this movie didn't do the same for it's hero Michael Pare. After doing Eddie and the Cruisers, this movie should have pushed him onto the Hollywood "A list", but it didn't and after his next movie "The Philadelphia Experiment" failed to help, his career nosedived into "B movie" limbo, which was too bad.

With Ry Cooder doing original music, along with some others bands and one hit coming out of this movie, "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman, and some other outstanding songs which should have been pushed more, I highly recommend this movie. You shouldn't be disappointed.