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video recordings shown on three television sets, which was a novelty to the audiences of the time. Compilations of sketches from these presentations were taken on tour to college venues, and based on audience responses, the best-received sketches were restaged on film with most of the original actors
478:
gave the film 3 stars out of 4 and stated, "Television is such a ripe subject for satire that a new comedy film roasts the medium quite well without taking a poke at such natural targets as bigot-led situation comedies, educational kiddie shows, station editorials, or the 'happy-talk' news format."
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said, "There are sequences in 'The Groove Tube' that are absolutely inspired, and, unfortunately, not describable in a family newspaper; there are others that make you wonder how the same perceptions could think them funny or amusing or even conceivable."
372:
Channel One
Evening News - Shapiro portrays a desk anchor reporting on countries and character names based in obscene puns. Segments involve Belzer playing a vain President of the United States heckling a visiting dignitary meant to suggest India's
380:
Uranus
Corporation - a series of commercials interspersed with the news sketch, with the company name pronounced with the stress on the second and third syllables. One Uranus commercial touts the amazing properties of its space-age
489:
stated, "Silly, sophomoric and scatological 'The Groove Tube' undoubtedly is for much of its 75 minutes. But so gleeful and zany is it in its sheer outrageousness that the result is virtually nonstop hilarity." John M. Dower of
228:
satirizes television and the counterculture of the early 1970s. The film was derived from sketches shot on videotape and shown at the
Channel One Theater on East 60th St. in New York, a venue that featured
358:
The
Dealers in “Wasted” - a lengthy sketch about a pair of urban drug dealers (Shapiro and Belzer) introduced by a wildly overdone, hip title segment in the style of a police action drama;
230:
404:) having sex, with the most explicit portions of the act obscured either by distortion or a "Please Stand By" card while the sportscasters describe what the audience cannot see;
314:
Kramp TV Kitchen - a parody of sponsored television cooking shows in which
Shapiro, as a female baker seen from the shoulders down, mixes and bakes a complicated
234:
reprising their roles. The news desk satire, including the signature line "Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow," was later used by Chase for his signature
284:) is picked up by a pretty woman who suggests an escapade in the woods, leading to them both getting naked and the hitch-hiker getting a rude surprise;
591:
329:
and its then-controversial ad campaign tag line, "My wife, I think I'll keep her." Chevy Chase plays the narrating husband while adult film actress
859:
396:
International Sex Games - a sports program features announcers doing play-by-play over video footage of a couple (played by adult film actors
869:
377:
played by
Shapiro in drag and brownface, and Shapiro as another field reporter visiting a prostitute played by Belzer in drag and blackface;
304:
Mouth Appeal - a commercial parodying toothpaste and mouthwash, with an attractive couple getting the whitish product smeared on their lips;
659:
839:
772:
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29:
315:
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340:-style news-of-the-day panel program become distracted from their topic by a steadily increasing offering of coffee and snacks;
254:
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that covertly (though more and more obviously as the camera zooms in, to humorous and/or shocking effect) used a real human
874:
645:
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459:
864:
534:
273:
834:
425:
318:"Heritage Loaf" while repeatedly using handfuls of the fictitious "Kramp Easy Lube" brand of shortening (a spoof of
854:
723:
480:
443:
on the streets of New York to other pedestrians then engages in a choreographed dance number with a policeman.
539:
421:-style outfits, perform the 1927 standard, with Chase singing as Shapiro slaps Chase's head for percussion;
407:
Democratic
Mumbles - news footage of '70s Democratic hearings where participants appear to be singing the
397:
287:
Koko the Clown - a mock children's television show in which
Shapiro, as the show's Bozo-esque host, reads
583:
566:
361:
Butz Beer - a parody of '70s beer commercials, with the name "Butz" meant to suggest a portmanteau of
280:
The Hitch-hiker - a hippie-ish hitch-hiker (played by songwriter and the film's soundtrack supervisor
829:
745:
492:
337:
242:
767:
654:
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The film was reissued in 1975, 1976 and 1977, and as of July 1, 1977, had grossed $ 28,572,438.
803:
728:
649:
485:
440:
369:, featuring a takeoff of Schlitz's tag line, "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer;"
259:
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I'm
Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover - Chase and Shapiro, dressed in red-and-white striped
389:): "It has the strength of steel, the flexibility of rubber, and the nutritional value of
330:
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456:, the film has a score of 13% based on 8 reviews with an average rating of 3.80/10.
411:
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wrote, "It is indeed wild, and often hilarious. But much of it is blandly dull."
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210:
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Just You, Just Me - Shapiro, dressed in a seersucker suit, exuberantly sings
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fashion doll and the decline of her relationship with her male doll partner;
814:
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743:
Dower, John M. (April 23, 1974). "'The Groove Tube': 'A Good Try'".
433:
386:
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684:(August 2, 1974). "'Tube' roast is food for the satiric soul".
246:, although in the film he does not appear in that segment.
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American film distribution : the changing marketplace
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product "Brown 25" (which looks suspiciously like human
271:
The Dawn of Man - a parody of the opening sequence of
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Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
301:
the next day) on the air during "Make
Believe Time";
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307:Babs & Roy Dolls - a commercial parodying the
325:The Geritan Girl - a parody of the vitamin tonic
762:"The Groove Tube $ 28,572,438 (advertisement)"
726:(June 27, 1974). "Scattergun Spoof of Video".
343:Let Your Fingers Do It - a parody of the '70s
8:
692:
27:
18:
521:
546:from the original on February 16, 2022
351:"Walking Fingers" ad campaign for the
775:from the original on January 13, 2023
336:Food for Thought - participants in a
7:
626:from the original on August 20, 2021
571:. UMI Research Press. p. 291.
14:
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662:from the original on May 26, 2019
594:from the original on 10 July 2017
771:. November 9, 1977. p. 13.
708:
703:
698:
693:
588:AFI Catalogue of Feature Films
565:Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987).
510:List of American films of 1974
1:
860:Films directed by Ken Shapiro
870:1970s English-language films
535:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
530:"The Groove Tube - Details"
426:public service announcement
891:
840:American independent films
291:(specifically a page from
333:plays the energetic wife;
33:Theatrical release poster
26:
845:American anthology films
436:as its puppet spokesman;
414:nonsense song "Mumbles;"
255:Children of a Lesser God
213:. It features the song "
201:written and produced by
16:1974 film by Ken Shapiro
690:. p. 5, Section 2.
540:American Film Institute
297:, with promises of the
130:June 23, 1974
732:. p. 13, Part IV.
355:telephone directories;
221:in its opening scene.
205:and starring Shapiro,
850:American parody films
274:2001: A Space Odyssey
252:, who later directed
875:1970s American films
138: (New York City)
865:Sketch comedy films
746:The Washington Post
493:The Washington Post
338:public broadcasting
243:Saturday Night Live
194:is a 1974 American
835:1970s parody films
655:The New York Times
465:The New York Times
855:1974 comedy films
729:Los Angeles Times
648:(June 24, 1974).
614:"The Groove Tube"
584:"The Groove Tube"
486:Los Angeles Times
441:the 1929 standard
260:script supervisor
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460:Howard Thompson
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424:Safety Sam - a
331:Jennifer Welles
299:Marquis de Sade
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219:Curtis Mayfield
191:The Groove Tube
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658:. p. 25.
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777:. Retrieved
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682:Siskel, Gene
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664:. Retrieved
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650:"The Screen"
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628:. Retrieved
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548:. Retrieved
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481:Kevin Thomas
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412:scat singing
353:Yellow Pages
292:
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250:Randa Haines
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190:
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147:Running time
123:Release date
779:November 1,
470:Gene Siskel
409:Clark Terry
402:Mary Mendum
398:Paul Norman
345:Bell System
320:Kraft Foods
211:Chevy Chase
203:Ken Shapiro
199:comedy film
196:independent
84:Chevy Chase
75:Ken Shapiro
64:Ken Shapiro
61:Produced by
52:Ken Shapiro
43:Ken Shapiro
39:Directed by
830:1974 films
824:Categories
516:References
391:beef stew.
294:Fanny Hill
215:Move On Up
180:Box office
151:75 minutes
134:1974-06-23
101:Bob Bailin
56:Rich Allen
49:Written by
448:Reception
240:piece on
175:$ 200,000
106:Edited by
815:AllMovie
773:Archived
660:Archived
624:Archived
592:Archived
544:Archived
504:See also
349:AT&T
316:July 4th
266:Sketches
164:Language
69:Starring
768:Variety
666:May 26,
630:May 26,
550:May 26,
483:of the
472:of the
383:polymer
367:Schlitz
327:Geritol
289:erotica
231:R-rated
167:English
156:Country
132: (
598:7 June
309:Barbie
258:, was
172:Budget
434:penis
387:feces
363:Blatz
347:-era
217:" by
804:IMDb
781:2020
668:2019
632:2021
600:2017
552:2019
400:and
365:and
224:The
209:and
813:at
802:at
462:of
452:On
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136:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
