O.C. and Stiggs
O.C. and Stiggs is a 1987 American teen comedy film directed by Robert Altman, based on two characters that were originally featured in a series of stories published in National Lampoon magazine.[2] The film stars Daniel H. Jenkins and Neill Barry as the title characters. Other members of the cast include Paul Dooley, Jane Curtin, Martin Mull, Dennis Hopper, Ray Walston, Louis Nye, Melvin Van Peebles, Tina Louise, Cynthia Nixon, Jon Cryer and Bob Uecker.
O.C. and Stiggs | |
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Directed by | Robert Altman |
Produced by | Robert Altman Peter Newman |
Screenplay by | Donald Cantrell Ted Mann |
Story by | Tod Carroll Ted Mann |
Starring |
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Music by | King Sunny Adé |
Cinematography | Pierre Mignot |
Edited by | Elizabeth Kling |
Production company | Lewis Allen/Peter Newman Productions Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Distributed by | MGM/UA Communications Co. |
Release date |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $7,000,000 (est.)[1] |
Box office | $29,815[1] |
The film, a raunchy teen comedy described by the British Film Institute as "probably Altman's least successful film", was shot in 1983, but not released until long after post-production was completed (copyrighted in 1985). MGM shelved it for a couple of years, finally giving it a limited theatrical release in 1987 and 1988.
Plot summary
O.C. & Stiggs is the adventure of two Arizona teenagers. In their car, the Gila Monster, they pick up sluts (loose women) and torture their nemesis, Randall Schwab, while procuring liquor from "Wino Bob" (a bum who lives in the oleander bushes behind the 7-Eleven).
Cast
- Daniel H. Jenkins ... O.C. (Oliver Cromwell Oglivie)
- Neill Barry ... Mark Stiggs
- Jane Curtin ... Elinore Schwab
- Paul Dooley ... Randall Schwab
- Jon Cryer ... Randall Schwab, Jr.
- Laura Urstein ... Lenore Schwab
- Victor Ho ... Frankie Tang
- Ray Walston ... Gramps
- Donald May ... Jack Stiggs
- Carla Borelli ... Stella Stiggs
- Stephanie Elfrink ... Missie Stiggs
- Amanda Hull ... Debbie Stiggs
- James Gilsenan ... Barney Beaugereaux
- Tina Louise ... Florence Beaugereaux
- Cynthia Nixon ... Michelle
- Greg Wangler ... Jefferson Washington
- Dennis Hopper ... Sponson
- Alan Autry ... Goon
- Louis Nye ... Garth Sloan
- Dan Ziskie ... Rusty Calloway
- Martin Mull ... Pat Coletti
- Melvin van Peebles ... Wino Bob
- Tiffany Helm ... Charlotte
- Dana Andersen ... Robin
- Bob Uecker ... Himself
- Margery Bond ... Mrs. Bunny
- Jeannine Ann Cole ... Nancy Pearson
- Nina van Pallandt ... Clare Dejavue
- Thomas Hal Phillips ... Hal Phillip Walker
- Danny Darst ... Schwab Commercial Singer
- Caroline Aaron ... Janine
- Maurice Orozco ... Bandido
- Louis Enriques ... Promotor
- Frank Sprague ... Actor in Play
- Robert Fortier ... Wino Jim
- Allan Berne, Bob Reilly, Robert Carter, Richard Thompson, Roy Gunsberg, Wayne Wallace, Robert Ledford, D.C. Warren, Lobo, and Florence White ... Winos
- Fred Newman ... Bongo Voice
- Special music and appearance by King Sunny Adé and His African Beats; Courtesy of Island Records, Ltd.
Crew
- A Lewis Allen/Peter Newman Production
- Executive Producer: Lewis M. Allen
- Editor: Elizabeth Kling
- Art Director: David Gropman
- Production Designer: Scott Bushnell
- Director of Photography: Pierre Mignot
- Based on a Story by: Tod Carroll & Ted Mann
- Screenplay by: Donald Cantrell & Ted Mann
- Produced by: Robert Altman and Peter Newman
- Directed by: Robert Altman
- Based on a story from: National Lampoon Magazine
- Associate Producer: Scott Bushnell
- Production Manager: Allan Nicholls
- First Assistant Directors: Stephen P. Dunn, Paula Mazur
- Second Assistant Director: Ned Dowd
- Artistic Consultant: Stephen Altman
- Set Decorator: John Hay
- Wardrobe Supervisor: Kirstine Flones-Czeki
- Hairdresser: Victor DeNicola, Jr.
- Makeup: David Craig Forrest
- Special Effects: Alan Hall/Movie Mechanics
Uncredited songs
- "Mo Ti Mo" (opening title and concert scene)
"O.C. and Stiggs" (ending title, unreleased as LP)
by King Sunny Adé and his African Beats
Production
The movie's plot was very loosely based on stories from National Lampoon magazine that were written by Ted Mann and Tod Carroll. O.C. and Stiggs were recurring characters in articles in the magazine, eventually leading up to the entire October 1982 issue being devoted to a fictional first-person account of the story of their summer, "The Utterly Monstrous Mind-Roasting Summer of O.C. and Stiggs". The plotline and main characters of the movie were significantly different from the National Lampoon stories they were based on. Most notably, the original magazine characters were destructive, malevolent teenagers, whereas the main characters of the movie were not inherently destructive, and significant portions of the magazine story were omitted from the movie.
Aftermath
In an interview years later, included on the DVD release of Tanner '88, Altman acknowledges that the film didn't work but is quick to defend the cast, which included Tanner star Cynthia Nixon, saying it was "not their fault."
Reception
The film received generally lackluster reviews.[3]
Related Works
Alan Moore's comic characters D.R. and Quinch are a science fiction take on the magazine's O.C. and Stiggs characters.[4]
References
- O.C. and Stiggs at Box Office Mojo
- Maslin, Janet (March 18, 1988). "O C Stiggs (1985) Review/Film; A Look at High School In 'O.C. and Stiggs'".
- Rotten Tomatoes
- Parkin, Lance (2013). Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore. London: Aurum Press Ltd. p. 156. ISBN 9781781310779.