Bugsy Malone

Infobox Film
name = Bugsy Malone


caption = "Bugsy Malone" movie poster
director = Alan Parker
producer = Alan Marshall
writer = Alan Parker
Paul Williams (Lyrics)
starring = Scott Baio
Florrie Dugger
Jodie Foster
John Cassisi
Martin Lev
music = Paul Williams
cinematography = Peter Biziou
Michael Seresin
editing = Gerry Hambling
distributor = Fox-Rank
Paramount Pictures
released = September 15, 1976 flagicon|United States
runtime = 93 min.
country = flagicon|UK United Kingdom
language = English
website =
imdb_id = 0074256

"Bugsy Malone" is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in Chicago, Illinois in the Prohibition era, specifically, the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone as dramatized in cinema. The tongue-in-cheek movie stars children as the gangsters and their molls, toning down the subject matter sufficiently to receive a "G" rating. The plot concerns the manufacture of a brand of custard, which is used first in cream-topped pies (being hit with one in the face "kills" the character) then later in "splurge guns" that enable the dessert to be deployed on an unprecedented level. The musical centers on "Fat Sam's Grand Slam" speakeasy.

Written and directed by Alan Parker produced by Alan Marshall with executive producer David Puttnam, the film stars Scott Baio as the title character, with Jodie Foster in the role of Fat Sam's moll Tallulah. The music and lyrics are by singer-songwriter Paul Williams. All the songs on the soundtrack were actually performed by adults, including Williams himself, in his unmistakable high-pitched voice, and lip-synched by the cast. To commemorate its 30th anniversary, the film was re-released in limited cinemas in the UK on December 8, 2006.

Plot

Fat Sam engages the help of Bugsy Malone, a smooth city slicker who has been occupied in sweet talking Blousey Brown, a would be girl singer. With Bugsy's help Fat Sam escapes from a frame up, but he later learns that Dandy Dan's mob have splurged nearly all his gang. They've also destroyed his sarsapararilla and grocery rackets- his whole empire's gone.

There's only one hope left, Fat Sam gets Bugsy to help him, meaning he has to break his date with Blousey, who he promised to take to Hollywood.

Meanwhile Bugsy and Leroy Smith, a guy with an awesome punch, witness a secret delivery of splurge guns at Dock 17. With a bunch of down and outs, they help themselves from the crates.

Finally Dandy Dan prepares for the showdown at Fat Sam's. When his mob burst in, Bugsy and the guys fire splurge, pies, and flour bombs. Out of the splurging mayhem, Bugsy and Blousey escape to Hollywood and peace breaks out.

Cast

* Scott Baio ... Bugsy
* Florrie Dugger ... Blousey
* Jodie Foster ... Tallulah
* John Cassisi ... Fat Sam
* Martin Lev ... Dandy Dan
* Paul Murphy ... Leroy Smith
* Sheridan Earl Russell " [as Sheridan Russell] " ... Knuckles
* 'Humpty' Earl Albossan... Fizzy
* Paul Chirelstein ... Smolsky
* Andrew Paul ... O'Dreary
* Davidson Knight ... Cagey Joe
* Michael Jackson ... Razamataz
* Jeffrey Stevens ... Louis
* Peter Holder ... Ritzy
* Donald Waugh ... Snake Eyes
* Michael Kirkby ... Angelo
* Jon Zebrowski ... Shoulders
* Jorge Valdez ... Bronx Charlie
* John Rafter Lee " [as John Lee] " ... Benny Lee
* Ron Meleleu ... Doodle
* Paul Besterman ... Yonkers
* Kevin Reul ... Laughing Boy
* Brian Hardy ... Jackson
* Dexter Fletcher ... Baby Face
* Bonnie Langford " [as Bonita Langford] " ... Lena Marelli
* Mark Curry ... Producer
* Kathryn Apanowicz ... Assistant
* Vivienne McKone ... Velma
* Jo Zarb...Tillie
* Helen Corran ... Bangles
* Lynn Aulbaugh ... Louella
* Nick Amend ... Barman
* John Williams ... Roxy Robinson
* Herbert Norville ... Pickett
* Louise English ... Ballet dancer
* Kathy Spaulding ... Lorretta
* Fifi Marchese, Romana Kyriakou, Joanna Garbutt, Melanie Kelly,
Beverly Horn, Susan Baker, Geraldine Cobb, Caren Lumsdale ... Dancers
* Phil Daniels* ... Waiter who spills spaghetti
*Jonathan Scott-Taylor* ... Radio newsreader/Johnson, the butler/English reporter

* Not credited on-screen.

Home Video Releases / DVD / Blu - Ray

In the early eighties, the movie was released on VHS and Beta. On April 16, 1996, it was re-released by Paramount on VHS. Although the movie has never been commercially released on DVD in the US, it has been available through internet sites as an Asian import supporting Region 1 (US). Although this edition of the movie has been acclaimed by commenters on sites such as Amazon to be perfectly fine for US DVD players, it has met with speculation of quality issues by possible purchasers per other comments. On September 9, 2008, BMG/Arista released a Blu-Ray version, encoded for "all regions", as a United Kingdom import. This edition includes a director's commentary as well as other special features. A US DVD (Region 1) release was listed around 2003/04 as being available soon; however, as of September 2008, the movie has yet to be released in this format.

Soundtrack

In March 1996, Polydor UK released the soundtrack on CD. It has yet to be released in the US on CD but is available through various outlets as an import. It was released as an LP in 1976. Performers include Paul Williams, Archie Hahn, Julie Mc Wirder, and Liberty Williams. These are the artists who actually sing the songs for the movie. The track listing is as follows:

#Bugsy Malone - Paul Williams
#Fat Sam's Grand Slam - Paul Williams
#Tomorrow
#Bad Guys
#I'm Feeling Fine
#My Name Is Tallulah
#So You Wanna Be a Boxer?
#Ordinary Fool
#Down and Out
#You Give a Little Love - Paul Williams

After the film

*Since the film's release, "Bugsy Malone" has been adapted into a stage show. [cite web|url=http://www.mtishows.com/show_home.asp?ID=000208|title=Bugsy Malone|accessdate=2008-06-18|publisher=Music Theater International]

*The song "Ordinary Fool" has been performed on record by Karen Carpenter, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Tormé.

*In 2003, "Bugsy Malone" was voted #19 on a list of the 100 greatest musicals, as chosen by viewers of Channel 4 in the UK, placing it higher than "The Phantom of the Opera", "Cats", and "The King and I". Channel 4 adapted the list to a TV special format, on which Scott Baio appeared. [cite web|url=http://www.thecustard.tv/linksandlists/100musicals.html|title=100 Greatest Musicals|accessdate=2008-06-18]

*A TV documentary called "Bugsy Malone: After They Were Famous" features a reunion and interviews with Jodie Foster, Scott Baio, John Cassisi and Florrie Dugger. The British actors who played Fat Sam's gang are also reunited at Pinewood Studios. It was aired in December 2004 on ITV in the UK. [imdb episode|0506829|"After They Were Famous", Bugsy Malone (2003)]

*The song "So You Wanna Be a Boxer" was used during 2005 to promote Cheesestrings. In the advertisements children would pull bits off a cheesestring and the string which collapsed would lose.

*In 2007 during the Super Bowl XLI, an animated Coca-Cola commercial was based around the song "You Give a Little Love" from "Bugsy Malone". It was animated to look like the action computer game "Grand Theft Auto." But they replaced the character's normal actions of anger and crime with opposite redeeming actions. The song, "You Give a Little Love" starts when our character throws some money in the guitar case of a street musician and he starts singing it. It builds from there to a loud musical chorus with an animated cast of hundreds all dancing in the street and singing the words from the song. The version of the song in the commercial features vocals by [http://www.mosespatrou.com/ Moses Patrou] .

*The episode "Dissolution" of "Spaced", a British situation comedy written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, pays a clever and brief homage to "Bugsy Malone". A cake fight occurs during Daisy's birthday dinner. The waiter signals angrily to the pianist to end the fight. The brief piano piece heard at the end of "Bugsy Malone's" final splurge gun fight and as an incidental throughout the movie is played.

*The 13th track on British rapper Dizzee Rascal's 2007 album, "Maths + English", entitled 'Wanna Be' references the Bugsy Malone track 'So You Wanna be a Boxer'.

*The Swedish EBM band Spetsnaz performed a cover of "Down and Out", which was released as an extra track on the "Hardcore Hooligans" single.

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0074256|title=Bugsy Malone