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First Family (film)
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Wikipedia article
'First Family' is a 1980 American comedy film starring Bob Newhart, Madeline Kahn, Gilda Radner, Harvey Korman, Rip Torn, Austin Pendleton, Fred Willard, and Richard Benjamin. It was the second and final film written and directed by director, comedian and actor Buck Henry.
Plot
Manfred Link is the president of the United States. He and the usually tipsy First Lady have a 28-year-old, sex-starved daughter named Gloria. The president is surrounded by a number of eccentric staffers and allies, including Vice President Shockley, Ambassador Spender, Press Secretary Bunthorne and a presidential aide named Feebleman. He also is advised by General Dumpston, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The administration needs the support of the (fictional) African nation of Upper Gorm for an upcoming vote and must deal with Longo, that country's United Nations ambassador. Unfortunately, it can find only one American who knows how to speak the Upper Gormese language, a man named Alexander Grade. As best they can understand it, the ruler of Upper Gorm wants, in exchange, a number of Americans sent to his land so that his country, like the United States, can know what it's like to have an oppressed minority. Gloria is kidnapped and Americans are transported to Africa like slaves.
Cast
*Bob Newhart as President Manfred Link
*Madeline Kahn as Constance Link
*Gilda Radner as Gloria Link
*Richard Benjamin as Press Secretary Bunthorne
*Bob Dishy as Vice President Shockley
*Harvey Korman as Ambassador Spender
*Fred Willard as Chief of Staff Feebleman
*Rip Torn as General Dumpston
*Austin Pendleton as Dr. Alexander Grade
*John Hancock as President Mazai Kalundra
*Julius Harris as Ambassador Longo
Reception
Critical reception to 'First Family' was hostile, generally considering it unfunny. Some writers were especially unimpressed given the strong cast, all of whom were established comedians and comic actors as not having much to work with. Buck Henry had written other successful TV shows and films such as 'Saturday Night Live' and 'The Graduate', but critics uniformly felt gave the actors largely inferior material in 'First Family' which he also directed. Richard Corliss of 'Time' magazine wrote that "Henry began with a funny situation but no plot" and that "Any episode of 'M*A*S*H', 'Taxi' or 'The Muppet Show' has more laughs and pathos per minute than this impeachable farce."Corliss, Richard (January 12, 1981). [http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,922366-2,00.html "Cinema: Comedy: Big Bucks, Few Yuks"]. 'Time'. 'People' magazine wrote that the screenplay "disintegrates about halfway through the film."[https://web.archive.org/web/20160416200317/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20078513,00.html "Picks and Pans Review: First Family"]. 'People'. February 2, 1981. Vincent Canby of 'The New York Times' offered a more positive review than other critics, praising the cast and saying that some of the sequences were hilarious. Canby did agree that the film's second half somewhat ran out of ideas, though.Canby, Vincent (December 27, 1980). [https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/27/arts/first-family-a-topical-farce.html First Family', a Topical Farce"]. 'The New York Times'.
The film grossed $15 million at the box office.[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl4216555009/weekend/ 'First Family']. Box Office Mojo
Actor John Hillerman was up for a role in the film and "wanted the part very badly", and had he gotten the role, he would have turned down the role of Higgins in 'Magnum, P.I.'
References
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