Arnold's Wrecking Co.
| Arnold's Wrecking Company | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Steven E. de Souza |
| Written by | Steven E. de Souza |
| Produced by | Otto G. Stoll III |
| Cinematography | Sam Vergolini |
| Music by | Adom |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Arnold's Wrecking Company is the first film written and directed by Steven E. de Souza, released in 1973. It was filmed on Library Place, Princeton, New Jersey, with residents of the home of Ellwood and Shirley Kauffman receiving credits for their work. Business-manager-to be Scott Kauffman made a cameo appearance as the younger version of de Souza's character, Kenny.
Synopsis
From the film's promotional materials: "Arnold Berman is a klutz. Just ask his cousin Kenny, who has to put up with him over summer vacation from college. Arnold has to be seen to be believed: an uptight, unreal, super-straight Business major who's a whiz at accounting and a failure at everything else. Kenny and his pal Rollo turn Arnold on to a little grass to loosen him up, but they don't realize the demons they've set free: for the now-swinging Arnold becomes a pothead Horatio Alger and soon has them all in the midst of a multi-million-dollar grass-dealing firm complete with snazzy executive offices, a fleet of delivery trucks, group insurance, and a little league team. All of this does not escape the attention of either the local police or the local "organization," and the result is a free-enterprise free-for-all in which the customers are as high as the company stock."[1]
Reception
The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1972 Atlanta Film Festival. It was released in a few venues the following September, with promotion and advertising all but absent when the film’s distributor went into bankruptcy at the same time. Nonetheless, it received some favorable notices[2][3] and had an extended run at the First Avenue Screening Room in New York as part of its Midnight Movie series along with Satyajit Ray films and Dance, Girl, Dance.
The soundtrack, by the band Adom, and produced by East Coast Records, has become something of a cult collectible, and the “Marijuana!” cut (the lyrics simply repetitions of that one word) has been heard frequently on Dr. Demento.
References
External links
 | This film article about a 1970s comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |