Of Sound Body and Mind: John Ritter ABC special (1980)

[lester1/2jr]

edit:  don't even bother reading this review just watch this clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3JARyBW_rk                 







If I were a big, or rather, bigGER weirdo I would give this 5 stars but I just can't go there.   It is a great demonstration of the acting and comic styles of John Ritter but it's definately got a case of the variety show wtf? s

   Things start out predictably enough:  a physical comedy heavy sketch lampooning then current trend of macho lady killer how to books  and another about the alleged saftey of nuclear energy.  The material isn't exactly amazing but it is damn entertaining and Ritter is in top form.  A nice touch is where they show bits of the rehearsal then blend into the actual skit.  Suzanna Sommers, Joyce Dewitt, Vincent Price and the guy from Charlies Angles show up to revel in the revelry.  Then there is a skit that I THOUGHT was going to be a brilliant Andy Kaufman type sort of bizarro measure the audiences patience thing but was actually  a serious dramatic sketch!!  Another one was somer new dad with baby "gentle comedy" (as Sarah Silverman once trenchently described) . 

           
                       I think this is on some level great and is certainly, to me, an important historical document that I'm glad was rereleased.   Can you face the soul of Tripper?  and live to tell the tale? 

[zombie no.one]

what is that. a film? is it like a collection of out-takes? I cant really guess from that clip but it looks kind of funny...

[lester1/2jr]

no it was a tv special that aired I would guess only once in 1980.  just a bunch of skits shown in prime time. I don't know how well it did ratings wise but Ritter and the others were still pretty big stars at the time.

[Rev. Powell]

That was somethin kinda cool that the networks used to do in the 70s and 80s, those one-shot comedy skit specials.  I remember Steve Martin had a very funny one, and I think Johnathan Winters had several of them.  I guess Comedy Central may occasionally do something similar, but they mostly just film the comic's stand-up routine, which is a lot cheaper, I guess.