Full Transcript for Matilda

and Lenny Montana as Hood number two. 36 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:06,800 Matilda opens with establishing shots of New York City landmarks as the insipid ballad 37 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,320 When I'm with You, I'm Feeling Good plays over the credits. 38 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:15,400 This is a tame love song sung by the father-daughter duo of Pat and Debbie Boone. 39 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:20,400 As a child's chorus of La La's to go in the background and it's really obnoxious. 40 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,400 And unfortunately we are not hearing it for the last time. 41 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:30,800 As the montage of New York City continues, we closed it on a bridge and we see a man riding 42 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,800 a bike over said bridge and he rides it to the pub that he runs. 43 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,080 Not sure what the name of the pub is but there is a boxing kangaroo on the sign. 44 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,120 He stops to say hello by honking at it. 45 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,120 And then he smiles and invices to join him inside. 46 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:50,620 He turns to the camera and says that he wants to talk to us and that we should follow him. 47 00:02:50,620 --> 00:02:51,620 So we do. 48 00:02:51,620 --> 00:02:52,620 We go in the pub. 49 00:02:52,620 --> 00:02:54,120 We have no choice. 50 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:55,120 Yes. 51 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,240 Well we had a choice of not to watch this movie. 52 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:58,640 We go into the pub with him. 53 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:01,480 He tells us his name is Billy Baker. 54 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,280 He did business as the kid. 55 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:05,880 He was the Walter White champ of the British Isles. 56 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:10,000 He explains that he owns this pub and there are pictures of fighters adorning the walls. 57 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 The one picture is displayed in a place of honor behind the bar. 58 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:18,120 It's a picture of a guy in a kangaroo suit wearing boxing gloves. 59 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,080 Billy tells us that this is the greatest fighter who he ever stepped in the ring with by his 60 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:23,160 reckoning. 61 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:28,680 And he says that if God created man and beast and he gave Matilda the most extraordinary talent. 62 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:33,920 So as far as he's concerned, this is a real kangaroo. 63 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:37,000 He's going to maintain that illusion for the rest of the movie. 64 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:42,480 He tells us that most ex-fighters and a destitute can't even afford a drink let alone own a pub. 65 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,840 But it's all down to Matilda that he has this nice place. 66 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,160 And though nobody asks, Billy is going to tell us the whole story. 67 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,120 It flashed back of course. 68 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:55,520 He remembers the story as if it were yesterday.

69 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,840 He and Matilda arrived in New York times were hard and they were hungry. 70 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,320 Yeah, they're on a crowded New York City sidewalk where people are lining up for the 55 71 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:08,240 hot dogs and the 25 cent pretzels being sold by a vendor with a card on the street. 72 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:13,000 Matilda goes for the hot dog cart vendor and the cart ends up getting knocked over. 73 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,880 Billy does tell us that they're new in town. 74 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,280 They don't have much money and they're hungry. 75 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:21,120 Apparently Matilda is a big fan of hot dogs. 76 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,720 The site of a guy in a kangaroo suit hopping around New York causes a year riot. 77 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,080 Authorities are called in and Matilda is taken away to a dog jail. 78 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:30,080 Billy is giving the paperwork. 79 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,720 So he has to figure out how to get Matilda out of the pound. 80 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:38,520 So naturally he turns to variety for help and there he spots an ad for a promoter that says 81 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:39,520 book with Bernie. 82 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,680 Though he's off to see a man about a marsupial. 83 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:44,880 It was me only hope he says. 84 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:50,240 Now in the office of Pinkie Schwab, manager of Boxers, he's on the phone and eating a sandwich. 85 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:52,440 Also in the room is Lee Dockardy, fighter. 86 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,080 Pinkie is telling the person on the phone that Lee don't give no exhibitions until 87 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,480 he's over that kind of money. 88 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,280 All while corn beef dribbles out of his mouth. 89 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:06,520 He needs them to agree to triple the money before he leave and consider talking to him again. 90 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,440 So I guess the fine people of Toledo missed out on that. 91 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,720 The phone rings again and this time Bernie who I guess was there the whole time takes the 92 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:14,720 call. 93 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,680 He's trying to sell the collar with an act that sounds pretty outlandish. 94 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,680 He stands up and says sure he's got a knife act. 95 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:24,960 How about this man's blindfolded, a girl spinning on a wheel, flaming torches at the end 96 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,080 of the knives and ends with a American flag overhead. 97 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:29,400 The color hangs up. 98 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,960 He loved it, Bernie announces. 99 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,320 Pinkie says that's the most ridiculous act he's ever heard of and who would even conceive 100 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:36,320 of a knack like that. 101 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:37,840 I guess Bernie would. 102 00:05:37,840 --> 00:05:41,080 So the two of them start to bicker while Lee Dockardy watches. 103 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:45,200 Pinkie is married to Bernie's sister and took Bernie in when they were orphaned and obviously 104 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,680 gave him a job too but he really has a low opinion of Bernie. 105 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,000 Pinkie wants Bernie to give up on showbiz booking. 106 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:53,520 It's passé because boxing is where it's at. 107 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,200 Bernie rises Pinkie for still trying to book boxing gigs. 108 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:59,680 Lee Dockardy looks alarmed but Pinkie assures him that America still loves him. 109 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:01,000 Bernie says if that's the case. 110 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,760 Why is it Pinkie booked him a fight in a year then? 111 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:08,240 He says Lee Dockardy has been and he has a newspaper article by Duke Parker's The Local 112 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:09,560 Sportswriter to prove it. 113 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,800 Lee Dockardy is a little concerned to hear this mostly because he's not really good at 114 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:13,800 anything else. 115 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:17,320 But Pinkie tells him there's nothing to worry about that the guy in the paper doesn't know 116 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:18,640 what he's talking about. 117 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:22,240 Before this fascinating argument can continue, there's a knock on the door. 118 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,600 The door opens and Billy Baker enters. 119 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,680 The three of them stared him as he gives his name into brief resume. 120 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:31,960 Upon hearing that Billy Baker was a former boxing champion, Pinkie says he's not hiring 121 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:32,960 seconds. 122 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:35,680 Billy says he came here to speak with Bernie Benelli. 123 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:38,320 Bernie says he doesn't handle boxers, he books acts. 124 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:39,600 And Billy says he hasn't act. 125 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:41,080 Him and Matilda. 126 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:42,840 You box a woman, ask Bernie? 127 00:06:42,840 --> 00:06:45,280 No, Matilda is a he and a room. 128 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:47,280 This does not compute for Bernie. 129 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:48,600 Maybe it's the Aussie slang. 130 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,680 So Billy has to say that Matilda is a kangaroo. 131 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,040 Bernie says he's not looking for animal acts right now. 132 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:55,040 Maybe next year. 133 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:56,960 Billy says it's not just an act. 134 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,160 Matilda is the greatest boxer in the world. 135 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,520 Nobody has ever lasted more than two rounds with him. 136 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:05,560 And now Pinkie has the opening he's been waiting for to res Bernie about his potential critter 137 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:06,560 client. 138

00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:08,280 Lee mentions that he has some kangaroo slippers. 139 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:12,360 And Pinkie tells him that he has a whole kangaroo suit while Billy resumes his pitch. 140 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,200 At this point, Pinkie has had enough amusement and he and Lee leave. 141 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,440 Billy pulls on a wallet photo with Matilda and hands it to Bernie, telling him to look 142 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:23,240 at those eyes so full of love and Billy explains that Matilda is in a dog jail now. 143 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:24,800 And it's like a Sunday Billy. 144 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:27,200 In fact, Matilda is all Billy's got in the world. 145 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:31,080 Bernie says he wishes he could help, but he can't even help himself these days. 146 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,520 He offers Billy the half-mascaded sandwich that Pinkie left behind, but Billy declines 147 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:36,520 this treat. 148 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,000 He can eat while Matilda's in jail starving. 149 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,840 So next we see Bernie and Billy exiting a cab. 150 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,400 The driver tries to collect the fare, but Bernie tells him to keep it running. 151 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:45,400 They'll be right back. 152 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,000 And then Billy and Bernie go to the front counter of the pound. 153 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,160 Billy says he's looking for his kangaroo. 154 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:52,600 The guy at the desk sarcastically says he'll have to go check. 155 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,000 They get a lot of kangaroos around here. 156 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:00,200 They're not taking them very seriously, but Billy's persistence and sincerity gets the officer 157 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,240 to make a call to the back to see if Matilda got gassed yet. 158 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:08,280 Billy looks sick at hearing this, but then a woman from the ASPCA arrives and says that 159 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,120 in the worst-case scenario Matilda would have been sent to the zoo. 160 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:13,960 "But Matilda isn't a wild animal," says Billy. 161 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:17,440 She also harrangs the officer for being self-flip with these people who obviously love their 162 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:18,440 animal. 163 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,160 Bernie introduces himself to the woman. 164 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,720 She tells him that she's Kathleen Smith from the ASPCA. 165 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,920 Then another attendant comes from the back and tells them to come and take their kangaroo. 166 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,880 He laid out one of the other attendants, knocked him out cold. 167 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:31,720 Billy says that Matilda wouldn't hurt anybody. 168 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:32,720 He was just playing. 169 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:33,720 He loves to box. 170 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,480 Over the scene of them leaving the pound, Billy narrates that things were looking up at this 171 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,720 point until Bernie invited Kathleen to watch Matilda box. 172 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,080 Kathleen then went bonkers. 173 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,840 So we see Billy leading Matilda back to the cab. 174 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,920 As Kathleen chases after Bernie, she says she can't allow them to go through with this. 175 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:54,000 Bernie pulls her aside and says he's always respected people who respect animals, but she has gone 176 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:57,200 too far and is budding into its marsupial affairs. 177 00:08:57,200 --> 00:09:00,840 Bernie tells her that she's missing something from her life and that's why she's such a do-gitter. 178 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,080 As for the cabie, he doesn't want Matilda in his cab, but Bernie pushes a $50 bill into 179 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:06,480 his breast pocket. 180 00:09:06,480 --> 00:09:09,120 The cabie says he's been waiting for over an hour with the meter running. 181 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,160 "What are you complaining about making money? 182 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,040 That's just the tip," says Bernie. 183 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,280 The cabie tells Billy that if she makes a mess, they're cleaning it up. 184 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:20,400 Billy assures him that Matilda is as clean as he is and he can hold his water like a camel. 185 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:24,960 They all get into the cab as Kathleen stares, stewing from the sidelines. 186 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:30,400 And they all arrive at a boxing gym where Bernie tells Donnie you the owner that Matilda is 187 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,400 the greatest fighter that ever hopped. 188 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,720 Donnie he says, "Sparry me the hooi." 189 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,440 He likes them so he's going to let him do his little demonstration. 190 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,600 So Billy takes the ring with Matilda. 191 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,600 The bell rings and Billy immediately takes a punch to the face and falls. 192 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,560 Seeing this, Bernie decides he needs to make a phone call. 193 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:48,680 Then a challenger enters the ring to take on Matilda. 194 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:52,720 Bernie calls one of his clients to tell him that the knife throwing act is out. 195 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,280 But good news, he's got an act with a kangaroo. 196 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:56,280 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 197 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:57,880 It's a boxing kangaroo. 198 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:02,840 As his conversation goes on, a second challenger enters the ring, then a third and a fourth. 199 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:04,040 And they all get laid out. 200 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:08,200 By now Bernie tells the man on the phone that the kangaroo has had six straight knockouts. 201 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:10,440 His act is weighted G. There's something for everybody. 202 00:10:10,440 -->

00:10:15,120 And he's offering $500 to anyone who can last two regulation rounds against his kangaroo. 203 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,120 And of course he has the money. 204 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:18,400 And they'll be right there. 205 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,280 Now we're back in the cab where the cabie who will find out is named Gordon tells them 206 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:25,720 that he's going to call his friend Duke Parker's to plug their act. 207 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,680 He was the sports writer who wrote that article about lead-occurty. 208 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:32,480 And apparently he's friends with Gordon who's always calling him to deliver some tips. 209 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:34,520 You'd be surprised at what you hear in a cab. 210 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:36,240 Bernie thinks this is fate. 211 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,480 Any cab could have stopped, but Gordon's cab is the one that did. 212 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,160 Yes, Gordon, if you'd like to work with them, you don't 5% of Matilda. 213 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:44,640 Gordon's not interested in business. 214 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:46,200 That's why he drives a cab. 215 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:47,920 But Bernie tells him this isn't business. 216 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:49,720 It's show business. 217 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:53,960 Gordon pauses, smiles into the rear view, puts on a pair of sunglasses, removes his hat, 218 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:56,080 and honks his horn twice. 219 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:56,920 He's in. 220 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:06,000 The first stop is at a lounge. 221 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,120 So Bernie can visit his finance here. 222 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:13,480 He goes in, naves some flowers from a display, advertising the singer at the bar, and then goes 223 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,400 over to the piano to present them to the woman singing there. 224 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,320 I couldn't tell if they were an item or not. 225 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,800 They seem to be romantically entangled, but maybe not. 226 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:24,640 But anyway, he's got good news for her the big time. 227 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,200 Tellsery, just got her a gig on the coast. 228 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,240 That is good news, but she really wants a gig on the west coast. 229 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:33,240 He also says they call him a loser, but not anymore. 230 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:34,760 The gods have smiled on them. 231 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,840 They have Matilda, and he has so much faith in Matilda. 232 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,520 He has no problem accepting $500 from Tanya. 233 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:44,880 He announces his intention to take a $500 advance on her pay to fund this promotion. 234 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:47,760 Tanya, questions this, but Bernie assures her everything is fine. 235 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,680 She'll have two points on Matilda, and next stop for her is Hollywood. 236 00:11:51,680 --> 00:11:56,040 He tries to take off before she can fully register what he said, but he notices Lee Dockardy 237 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:57,760 is sitting at a bar nearby. 238 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,040 Tanya tells Bernie he comes in every day to watch her sing. 239 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:03,920 Bernie tells Tanya to be nice to him, and that she's going out with him tonight. 240 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:05,920 Then he whispers further instructions to her. 241 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:09,960 Then Bernie jogs back to the cab and tells the others that they just need a license from 242 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:11,600 the boxing commissioner. 243 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,400 Wild Bill Wildman Gordon says there's no way that O'Caughboy is going to be giving him 244 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:17,000 a boxing license. 245 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,520 Bernie tells him to just stop at a western store first. 246 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:20,760 He'll take care of the rest. 247 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,880 And now we're in Wild Bill Wildman's office. 248 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,480 This is Roy Clark of Heahafame. 249 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:30,080 Bernie is sporting a ridiculous western get up, lying to Bill about, hailing from Arizona 250 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:31,480 just outside Wickenburg. 251 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:34,480 Bernie further lies by omission about the license that they need. 252 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,760 Bernie tells Wild Bill that this will be a match of Billy's experience versus Batilda's 253 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:39,760 strength. 254 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:40,760 He's strong, huh? 255 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:41,760 As Wild Bill. 256 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,000 Batilda is an animal, but Wild Bill thinks that Billy doesn't look up to the task of fighting 257 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,000 someone like that. 258 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:49,200 And besides, what's with the name Batilda? 259 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:50,520 Funny name for a boy. 260 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,440 Bernie replies that Batilda is all boy. 261 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,640 Wild Bill says that with a name like Batilda, he must have been fighting all his life. 262 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:01,600 Unless he's strange, Wild Bill says, which is code for gay. 263 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:02,600 Or a kangaroo. 264 00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:04,280 I don't think that entered his mind. 265 00:13:04,280 --> 00:13:05,720 He now read a carnival. 266 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,240 Duke the writer in Gordon the Caby arrived outside the tent where a big painting of a boxing 267 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:10,920 kangaroo adorns a panel. 268 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,200 Duke thinks this looks preposterous, but they go inside. 269 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:15,520 They take seats. 270 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,040 Bernie is already there, and we see Tanya is there too, with Lee Dockardy. 271 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:23,120 The ringside announcer says that there was a $500 reward for anyone going up against 272 00:13:23,120 -->

00:13:24,120 Batilda. 273 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,960 Upon hearing the mention of $500, Tanya looks over at Bernie. 274 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,480 Mine, she mouths. 275 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:33,240 Bernie gives her an okay settle, and Tanya nods and crosses her fingers. 276 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:37,120 Lee mumbles that this is all fake, so Tanya nudges him to do something about it. 277 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:39,120 So Lee stands up and yells, it's a setup. 278 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,720 The ringside announcer asks if that's a challenge, and Lee says, you bet it is. 279 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:47,960 Billy looks a bit alarmed at the heavyweight champion of the world, is the first contender. 280 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:51,640 Billy rushes to apologize to Batilda, but there's no need to fret. 281 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,840 Once the fight begins, she knocks Lee out with a single punch. 282 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:56,920 And Duke is very excited to write this story. 283 00:13:56,920 --> 00:13:57,920 It still is preposterous. 284 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:02,280 And then Billy tells us through voiceover that what no one knew was that Lee Dockardy 285 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,000 was owned by a mob boss named Uncle Nono. 286 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,360 Uncle Nono has his own theme. 287 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:11,520 It's like the theme to the Godfather, but kind of played inside out. 288 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,320 Just different enough to not get sued. 289 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,520 Uncle Nono is not happy. 290 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:19,760 He's reading a newspaper account of the fight to his fellow mobsters of whom he is the boss, 291 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:20,760 of course. 292 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,640 And then Pinky turns up to the meeting and takes a seat. 293 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,160 Nono singles out Pinky, who was supposed to have been keeping an eye on Dockardy, and 294 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:27,400 keeping him out of trouble. 295 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,720 And it was his brother and a lost stunt that got Dockardy's name in the papers in a bad 296 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:31,720 light. 297 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:33,880 And then he apologizes, saying, what was he supposed to do? 298 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:37,440 Then he gives a sob story about how his brother-in-law is so pathetic, he felt sorry for him, but 299 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,120 don't know if there's a one who hear that. 300 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,240 He tells his hoods to just take care of it. 301 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,160 Yeah, if this happens again, all their kids are going to be orphans, he says. 302 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:50,560 So Pinky and some thugs go to Pinky's office where Bernie is sitting on his desk on the 303 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:51,560 phone. 304 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:53,800 The thugs pick up Bernie's desk and put it out in the hallway. 305 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:55,800 And then they pick up Bernie and put him out in the hallway. 306

00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:57,120 They threaten him. 307 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,640 And Bernie takes their threats rather well, advising them to be nice, Raywold and Dockardy 308 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:02,320 have a rematch with Matilda. 309 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,720 Pinky shows out that there never was a match to begin with. 310 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:06,720 That was just a publicity stunt you dreamed up. 311 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,120 Then Pinky warns Bernie. 312 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,880 To be careful, he's getting the wrong people's mad. 313 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:12,040 And he returns to his office. 314 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,960 And the mob guys leave and Bernie just sits there in the hallway. 315 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,240 They say they didn't set him on fire like they threatened. 316 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,360 The next day, Gordon tries Bernie to the newspaper office. 317 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:21,720 They both go in. 318 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,960 Dock Parkress has summoned Bernie, but Bernie doesn't know why. 319 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:29,360 Bernie goes into Dock's office and Dock has Bernie if he knows who owns lead-acquery. 320 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,840 Pinky Schwab and a couple of other guys says Bernie. 321 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,640 Pinky Schwab is one rung below a moron says Dock. 322 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,800 He tells Bernie that Dockardy is owned by Uncle Nono, the gangster. 323 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,480 Dock wants to get him out of boxing to clean up the game. 324 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,120 And he has a proposition for Bernie. 325 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:44,960 Right now Bernie's got a circus act. 326 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:48,960 But if he can get Dockardy in the ring with Matilda, it's worth a million bucks. 327 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,680 In the meantime, Bernie can book the fights and Dock will write the stories. 328 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,200 But there's one other thing that Bernie needs to take care of. 329 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,920 Kathleen Smith at the ASPCA. 330 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:00,280 She's taking them to court to stop the fight. 331 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,880 Bernie promises that she's already taken care of. 332 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:06,400 So next Gordon drives Bernie to Kathleen's block. 333 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,080 Bernie exits the cab with six dogs in tow. 334 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,560 He walks them down the street just as Kathleen exits her building, walking her dog. 335 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,040 Bernie says he walks his dogs here every day, but he's never seen her here before. 336 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,320 And he loves his animals. 337 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:18,840 They're all straight as he's adopted. 338 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:22,000 But Kathleen isn't impressed nor is she falling for this ruse. 339 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,080 Then Bernie tells her that Matilda is like family to him. 340 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:29,000 You don't exploit family, says Kathleen. 341 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:31,440 No one's exploiting anyone, says Bernie. 342 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:33,800 You think you can teach a kangaroo to fight? 343 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,440 It's like the human sex drive he awkwardly explains. 344 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:41,480 They box and we, well, you know, he awkwardly hits on her by asking how tall she is, but 345 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,280 Kathleen's not going to play along with this. 346 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:44,840 Her injunction is going to stand. 347 00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,200 There's no way Matilda is going to fight again. 348 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:51,520 Kathleen turns to go back inside, but spins around again when she hears Bernie yell "ow." 349 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:53,360 He claims one of the dogs bit him. 350 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,840 Kathleen runs down the check on him, taking off his shoe. 351 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,760 And she's disappointed to see that the fight hasn't drawn blood. 352 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:01,800 And she calls his legs ugly. 353 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,360 Gordon is down the street standing beside his cab, laughing at this display. 354 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:08,680 She says she's thrilled to be battling against him. 355 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,640 Then she tosses his shoe at Gordon for one of the dogs to fetch. 356 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:13,320 Gordon and one of the dogs go to retrieve it. 357 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:18,040 As Bernie and the dogs make their way back to the cab, Gordon hands Bernie his shoe. 358 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,920 Bernie says that Kathleen will have a difficult time keeping up with them. 359 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,520 Bernie will book Matilda State to State and she'll have to file an injection to stop them 360 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:25,520 in each one. 361 00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,240 Any S. Gordon if he's ever considered selling his cab. 362 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:29,240 Now we're on the road. 363 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:33,280 Gordon's apparently sold his cab because he's driving a custom Ford van decked out with 364 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,320 a bubble top and Matilda's face, application to the side. 365 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:40,340 Billy tells us we have voice over that they spent six months criss-crossing the country for 366 00:17:40,340 --> 00:17:41,340 small matches. 367 00:17:41,340 --> 00:17:44,640 Hal Assi, Tuscaloosa, Indianapolis, whatever. 368 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,200 They had seven fights and Matilda caled every opponent. 369 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:52,440 It was tiring, but Bernie always made sure they ate well at least. 370 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:56,560 Or at least eight because of this stop their epic donalds. 371 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,040 Gordon's in picking up the order while Matilda entertains children in the parking lot. 372 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:01,360 Little product placement here. 373 00:18:01,360 --> 00:18:05,920 And now we're at the Cow Palace in

Oklahoma where Kathleen is covering up fight posters 374 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:11,160 with stickers reading do not attend this atrocity and save the creatures of God. 375 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:12,760 Bernie sees her and goes over to her. 376 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:14,320 Hello he says. 377 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:15,320 Kathleen turns to face him. 378 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:17,840 Did you really think you could stop me by leaving New York? 379 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:21,640 Bernie who's pulling off the stickers from the posters as they talk says he called to say 380 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:23,320 to buy but her line was busy. 381 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,960 He asked her if she came all this way just to see him. 382 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:27,720 Don't flatter yourself she says. 383 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,400 I came here to play an injunction to stop this fight, but it failed. 384 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,040 She says she hears the next fight is in Los Angeles. 385 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:35,600 Bernie confirms this and asks why. 386 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:40,000 Though my brothers the boxing commissioner for the state of California she says with a smile 387 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:41,360 and she turns to leave. 388 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:42,720 And now she's in her hotel room. 389 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:47,000 Outside her room, Bernie pays off the room service waiter and delivers the food to 390 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,360 Kathleen's room himself. 391 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:51,800 Bernie stays behind after parking the cart in her room. 392 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:56,520 She comes out of the bathroom in her robe and in rage tries to get him to get out. 393 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,480 He offers flattery and wine but she's not accepting either. 394 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:01,960 Bernie says that he was hoping they could just be friends. 395 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:04,800 Then Bernie tells her that when women come out of the shower they're supposed to look 396 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,520 pretty but they never do. 397 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,600 But she does. 398 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,600 He pours some champagne and takes a sip. 399 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,560 Nice but friendly he says. 400 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:14,520 He forces the glass into her hand. 401 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:17,120 She dashes the champagne in his face. 402 00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,800 And then he assaults her with a kiss and now she's livid. 403 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,960 Nice but friendly he says again. 404 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:24,360 She almost blows her top. 405 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:28,000 She hates him more than she's ever hated anyone she see. 406 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,960 She slaps him so he kisses her again. 407 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:32,760 It's great but it's not friendly. 408 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,640 He said the same thing three times. 409 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:36,960 And he assaulted her twice. 410 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:40,320 He sits down on the sofa and she asks why he's there. 411 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:44,320 Is it her beauty or the fact that her brother is the boxing commissioner? 412 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,040 Why not both ask Bernie? 413 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,360 He tries to encourage her to spare some sympathy for Billy. 414 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:51,120 Even though he's not an animal. 415 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:54,920 Billy was on his way to the poor house and that means something to Bernie. 416 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:58,480 Kathleen isn't moved so Bernie throws his shoe at her telling her to send her the bill 417 00:19:58,480 --> 00:19:59,480 for it. 418 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:00,640 Then he storms out. 419 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,320 He stops in the hallway and realizes he now has to walk around with only one shoe. 420 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,920 He looks like his three toes on his feet. 421 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,440 Like pre-henself feet like a sloth. 422 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:15,600 In a room Kathleen contemplates Bernie's shoe with a smile or some reason. 423 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,520 Meanwhile Nuno's hoods are setting up an elaborate trap for Matilda. 424 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:22,720 The argue amongst themselves is they check that they have room in the trunk of their car. 425 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,200 They have a net they have to get into place and they do this arguing the entire time. 426 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,080 Then when Gordon comes by with Matilda, one of the hoods knocks Gordon over the head. 427 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,880 The net is dropped over Matilda and one of the hoods. 428 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,760 Matilda starts pummeling the hood so the others make a plan. 429 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:38,320 They lift the net to let him out. 430 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,360 Leaving the kangaroo trapped. 431 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,920 But it doesn't work as planned and Matilda gets out and punches on everyone. 432 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:50,600 [Music] 433 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,840 Now we're at the bout at the cow palace where the announcer introduces Matilda, 434 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:56,680 healing from Sydney, Australia. 435 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,400 They promise 10 rounds of heavyweight boxing, 436 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:02,800 where Matilda is fighting the number two ranked heavyweight in the world. 437 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:04,520 Cowboy Jones. 438 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:06,120 The bell rings the match starts. 439 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:08,520 Cowboy Jones is knocked out and the fight is over. 440 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:10,000 And there was much rejoicing. 441 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:11,800 Yeah. 442 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,160 Yeah, these fights are not worth the money that you pay to get in. 443 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:17,480 They last all of two seconds. 444 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,400 And now we're in California. 445 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,360 Billy Warren's Bernie to not upset Kathleen's brother. 446

00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:24,360 They really need this fight. 447 00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:27,960 So Bernie goes into the commissioner's office to meet with him. 448 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,080 The commissioner, Payne Smith, thinks this has to be a joke. 449 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:34,760 Bernie tells him that Matilda is licensed in 10 states and is won every fight, 450 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,440 including won against lead-occurty. 451 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:39,320 He thinks he's the serious contender for the boxing crown. 452 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:42,760 But Payne says that Bernie's circus act isn't welcome in the state of California. 453 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,120 Bernie leaves in a huff, telling Payne that he doesn't own the world. 454 00:21:46,120 --> 00:21:49,000 He returns to the van, allowing not to be stopped. 455 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,040 He tells the others that they should take him to Herman Kaplan, 456 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:53,960 his friend in the advertising business. 457 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,040 And then without boring us with another scene, 458 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,880 we find out that Bernie sold Herman on a TV show featuring Matilda 459 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,280 versus Cyclone Roberts in the studio. 460 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:06,200 And they all happily pile into the van to make it happen, I guess. 461 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,240 Now we're back with Uncle Nono and he's educating his hoods. 462 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:11,800 He has a board with a picture of a man in a kangaroo. 463 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,840 He points out that they both have two legs and he has more of the hoods, 464 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,120 what the difference is. 465 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:18,440 And one of the notices that the kangaroo has a tail. 466 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,680 Nono says that's right. 467 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:24,200 And what that means is the kangaroo has an advantage in balance. 468 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,400 So we once them to go to Los Angeles and cut off the kangaroo's tail. 469 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,960 All the goons are gobsmacked by this mission. 470 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,920 And now we're with Bernie still grousing about Kathleen and her brother. 471 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,240 As they park at the hotel, they talk amongst themselves, 472 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:39,640 and we find out that they're going to be on network television broadcast all across the country. 473 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:42,440 And I'm trying to figure out how this happened. 474 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,000 Bernie goes back to his room and finds a box there. 475 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,880 He opens it and finds a new pair of shoes with a note for him. 476 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,080 It's from Kathleen saying she's sorry she's ruined his big night, 477 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:54,200 but hopes he won't hold it against her and that he will join her for dinner. 478 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,800 Other it was women's shoes though, so I don't understand that. 479 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,560 So Bernie calls Billy and tells him that he's on his own for dinner. 480 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,680 Kathleen's feeling guilty, so Bernie's gonna go upstairs and make her feel 481 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:05,880 even more guilty. 482 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,600 Up in Kathleen's room, she invites Bernie in, 483 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:11,720 and it looks like her eyes are filled with loathing, 484 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,320 but she offers him food and drink. 485 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,800 She seems surprised at his seemingly cow demeanor. 486 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,280 He play acts that he's lost everything. 487 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,240 He's trying to get her sympathy and apparently it works. 488 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,080 In ways that I find disgusting. 489 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,120 She offers him some fruit and he declines saying that he has a headache, 490 00:23:26,120 --> 00:23:28,200 and then a neck ache, and then a back ache. 491 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,640 So she massages him in all the affected areas. 492 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,920 She keeps trying to cheer him up, telling him that he's great at what he does, 493 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:37,560 that he really kept her running trying to keep up with him. 494 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:39,160 He moans that she couldn't understand. 495 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,120 Everyone was depending on him, and he's let them down, 496 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:44,120 but she continues to try to comfort him. 497 00:23:44,120 --> 00:23:45,000 So he lets her. 498 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:46,680 Yeah, she kisses him. 499 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:47,640 Gross. 500 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,840 Now the van parks behind the TV station. 501 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,400 Two of the goons, who I'll call Goon 1 and Goon 2, 502 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:57,400 are waiting with an axe so they can cut off the tail of the kangaroo. 503 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,040 When Bernie and Billy and Matilda come by, 504 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:03,160 Goon 1 stops them, asking for an autograph for his kid. 505 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,520 They pull out an autograph book, a giant ink pad, 506 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,440 and Matilda dips his fake paw in the ink, 507 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,600 and then barely touches the autograph book with his popper. 508 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,280 While they're distracted, the other hood swings the hatchet over his head, 509 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,040 which hits a ladder on a van. 510 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:21,640 The head of the hatchet breaks off, 511 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:25,320 flies over, and hits Goon 1 in the head, knocking him out. 512 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,560 Then Matilda turns, when swings his tail, 513 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:29,320 knocking down Goon 2. 514 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,080 Then Billy and Bernie walk in Matilda, 515 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:32,440 half toward the TV

station, 516 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:34,280 and then the wiser about the attempted maiming. 517 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,360 Now we're in the studio, and apparently Matilda is not there for a sporting event. 518 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:43,560 He's in a skit, and Billy tells us that this was his national television debut as well. 519 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,400 He's on screen, very obviously reading from a badly placed cue cart. 520 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,440 In the scene, Matilda is reunited with Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, 521 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:52,760 who rescued Matilda when he was just a Joey, 522 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,520 and maybe he can pay them back by boxing against Cyclone Roberts. 523 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,040 The only notable thing about this scene is that the grandmother on Mark and Mindy, 524 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:01,080 plays Mrs. Hardy. 525 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:06,920 And we go to the booth where two technical directors are cursing their career choices. 526 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,120 One of them leaves a room in disgust. 527 00:25:10,120 --> 00:25:11,960 But there are at least two people watching the show. 528 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:14,040 We see that Kathleen is watching from her room, 529 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,680 and Uncle Nono is watching in his office. 530 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,760 And they actually do stage a fight. 531 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,520 So that's what they're watching at this point. 532 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,000 And of course, Cyclone Roberts is easily KO'd. 533 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,880 Kathleen throws something through her TV screen, 534 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:31,560 as good number one makes like Tommy Wazoo and Chuck's Uncle Nono's TV out the window at his 535 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:32,360 behest. 536 00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:36,520 So Bernie and Billy and all return to New York and visit Duke Parkhurst. 537 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,840 Duke tells them he has good news and bad news. 538 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,040 The good news is that the championship fight in Reno is on. 539 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,920 The bad news is they're working for free. 540 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:47,400 Duke explains that the person will have to go to charity. 541 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:49,400 It's the only way it could agree to make the fight happen. 542 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:54,680 Bernie and Billy are upset, but Parkhurst is serious about catching Uncle Nono. 543 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:58,040 He tells them that after this fight, all their winnings will be theirs. 544 00:25:58,040 --> 00:25:59,800 But it has to go down this way. 545 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:01,400 Bernie thinks Parkhurst planned this. 546 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,840 Knowing that Bernie would be dumb and greedy enough to fall for this trip. 547 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:06,520 But then they let Billy decide. 548 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,560 Billy defers to Bernie, who agrees to do it Duke's way. 549 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,680 So Bernie tells Parkhurst he's going to wait about the fight of the century. 550 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,480 And now we have a training montage. 551 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:16,280 Times two. 552 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,720 This will be Matilda's toughest fight and lead activities as well. 553 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:23,320 And we see both Matilda and lead activity training for the big day. 554 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:24,600 Yeah, they're in the mountains. 555 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:29,400 And it looks like there's just a brief scene of the hoods training as well. 556 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:31,080 Like running around in tracksuits. 557 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:33,160 There's some nice scenic vistas here. 558 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:37,720 And now Bernie goes to visit Matilda, who is apparently sleeping in a barn while all the rest of them 559 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:39,320 have nice warm beds. 560 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:40,680 Matilda can ride in a cab. 561 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:42,360 Why can't Matilda sleep in a house? 562 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,080 Bernie asks Matilda a bunch of existential questions. 563 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:51,160 Like why such a weird looking creature is imbued with so much boxing talent? 564 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,520 Then he says that for the first time in his life, Bernie is a winner. 565 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:56,120 And it's all because of Matilda. 566 00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:57,720 And then he just leaves him there alone. 567 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,920 Then we see Bernie walking from the barn through the woods and 568 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:02,680 Nono's goons surround him. 569 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:03,880 They take him to their car. 570 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:06,120 Are we going for a ride as Bernie? 571 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:08,280 And they drive him to see Uncle Nono. 572 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:12,760 If Uncle Nono's going to have a one-on-one with Bernie in an enormous conference room. 573 00:27:12,760 --> 00:27:14,920 The other two goons are way in the back. 574 00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:16,200 You probably can't hear. 575 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:21,000 Nono offers Bernie a contract so that he can only dockety after the fight. 576 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:21,960 It's already been signed. 577 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,720 But the catch is that Bernie has to sign over Matilda to Nono. 578 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,280 Bernie says no deal. 579 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,560 Didn't Nono suggest that they might play a visit in the middle of the night 580 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,560 and knock off Matilda and the enlistment. 581 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,560 But Bernie calls Nono's bluff. 582 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,320 He doesn't think Nono is that stupid. 583 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:39,000 He couldn't handle the heat if they did that. 584 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:40,920 Nono likes the cut of Bernie's jib. 585 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:41,960 And offers him a job. 586 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:45,240 He owns 45 different

companies of varying legality. 587 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:46,760 But Bernie's not interested. 588 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,840 Boxing is his hobby, not his vocation. 589 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,280 Nono has one of the goons take Bernie back to his house. 590 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:53,960 But tells the other one to call his bookie. 591 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,840 They haven't bet $1 million on Matilda tomorrow. 592 00:27:56,840 --> 00:27:59,080 Now it's the night of the championship fight. 593 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:02,200 Limels arrive at the venue and a large crowd is in attendance. 594 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,080 They say it's Harris and Reno Nevada, but it's actually not. 595 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:06,280 We'll talk about that later. 596 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,520 Duke Parker is there and he's sitting ringside. 597 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:10,280 And Nono's side is up to him. 598 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,040 And he asks Duke who he likes. 599 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:15,400 The injury of my last column has Duke, Matilda and two. 600 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:17,560 He asks Nono if he's got any money on the fight. 601 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,560 Nono says no. He doesn't gamble. 602 00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:22,840 In the dressing room, Billy has a confession. 603 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:24,680 He's been hiding something from the others. 604 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:26,520 And it's about kangaroos and boxing. 605 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,240 What they didn't know is that if a kangaroo gets hit, 606 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:30,680 they'll stop fighting. 607 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:32,600 So whoever gets the first punch wins. 608 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:34,680 This is how kangaroos naturally fight. 609 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,600 And up until now, they've been lucky. 610 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:38,360 No one's ever landed a punch on Matilda. 611 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,320 You knew that the others, cowboy Jones and cyclone rabbits, 612 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:42,280 were washed up fighters. 613 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:45,000 And Matilda even fought Lee Dachery before. 614 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:46,600 But yet had a few drinks that night, 615 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:49,080 Billy has worried since now Dachery has been training 616 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:50,280 and is in peak form. 617 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,600 He's afraid he's going to tear Matilda apart. 618 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,040 Everyone looks concerned. 619 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:55,400 But there's nothing they can do about it 620 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:56,680 because it's time for the fight. 621 00:28:56,680 --> 00:28:58,600 The challenger Matilda has announced. 622 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:00,200 Parker says to no one in particular, 623 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,200 "I love that animal, fighting machine." 624 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,480 The champion also enters the arena. 625 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,120 We see Kathleen is in the audience, too. 626 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,520 In the

ring, referee George Lotka asks 627 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,040 if Matilda understands the rules. 628 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,080 Billy assures the ref that Matilda was trained 629 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:16,840 under the Marker's of Queensborough rules. 630 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:17,880 So the fight begins. 631 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:19,720 The bell rings. 632 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:21,560 Matilda gets a few early hits in. 633 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:22,760 The referee has to pull him apart 634 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,240 when Matilda's big feet step on Dachery's. 635 00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:26,680 Matilda gets another punch in, 636 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:28,520 nearly sending Dachery through the ropes. 637 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:29,720 The referee begins to count, 638 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:32,280 but Dachery is up at eight, and they face off again. 639 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:33,560 Yeah, it's all Matilda here. 640 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:35,400 Dachery can't seem to land a punch. 641 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,480 We see Tanya in the audience cheering for Lee 642 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:38,680 as the fight resumes. 643 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:40,360 And Matilda knocks Dachery down again. 644 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:42,200 The referee starts to count. 645 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:43,720 Dachery is saved by the bell. 646 00:29:43,720 --> 00:29:45,400 Both fighters go to their respective corners 647 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:46,600 to wait for round two. 648 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,640 The bell rings, and in round two Matilda is still dominating. 649 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,120 Matilda knocks Dachery literally out of the ring, 650 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,000 but he climbs back in just some time for the end of the round. 651 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,200 Parker's comments that Dachery is the first to ever make it to round three. 652 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,400 And round three begins Matilda's still wailing on Dachery. 653 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:04,120 He lands a punch on him just as he's adjusted his mouth gear. 654 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,440 Parker's wonders what's keeping Dachery going. 655 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,680 The crowd, who was previously rooting for Matilda, 656 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:09,720 turns on him. 657 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,240 They start booing Matilda. 658 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:13,320 Matilda again knocks Dachery to the floor, 659 00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:15,080 and once again he's saved by the bell. 660 00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:17,720 Parker says that Dachery doesn't even know where he is. 661 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,800 No way he'll make it through a fourth round. 662 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,800 Nearby, Uncle Nuno smiles. 663 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:23,800 The Dachery is being examined by a doctor. 664 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,040 Apparently he's healthy enough to get back in the ring. 665 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:27,720 He seems determined in this round. 666 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:29,880 In the fourth round, Dachery gets in a punch, 667 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:31,480 hitting Matilda in the gut. 668 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:32,360 Matilda freezes. 669 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:35,960 This is the first for Matilda, who just stands there looking hurt. 670 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:37,880 Kathleen jumps up, alarmed. 671 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,280 The rough signal is Dachery to resume fighting. 672 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,080 So Bernie loves the white towel of surrender into the ring, 673 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:44,280 thus ending the fight. 674 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,920 The Dachery is still the heavyweight champion of the world. 675 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:47,880 Phew. 676 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:48,840 That was close. 677 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,160 Billy jumps into the ring to cover Matilda, 678 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:53,000 and Duke Parker stays in shock. 679 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,600 This is not the story he wanted to write. 680 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,320 Tanya embraces Dachery, 681 00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,400 and for some reason Kathleen jumps into the ring 682 00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:01,400 to declare her love for Bernie. 683 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:01,960 Look. 684 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,040 And Duke Parker explains through voice over 685 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,120 that the crowd didn't like seeing one of their kind 686 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:07,880 being pummeled by another species, 687 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:09,560 and that's why they turned on Matilda. 688 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:11,240 But now they're back on team Matilda 689 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:12,600 because he lost to a human. 690 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,400 Matilda goes to hug Dachery as the crowd cheers, 691 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,200 and the band plays the Australian national anthem, 692 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:20,280 and Matilda hops back to the locker room. 693 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:21,320 And now we're back at the pub, 694 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,240 so Billy can wrap up this ridiculous story. 695 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:24,760 [laughs] 696 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:27,320 He tells us that Bernie is now handling lead Dachery. 697 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:29,080 Piquit Schwab is Bernie's assistant, 698 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,560 and Bernie and Kathleen are married with four kids. 699 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,120 Duke Parker says one of a bunch of awards for writing, 700 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:35,960 and Gordon Baum is now Vice President 701 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,360 of the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles. 702 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,160 Tanya is singing in Las Vegas and still dating Dachery. 703 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:42,840 Uncle Nono adopted Matilda, 704 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,320 and then bought a small Central American country 705 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,320 where he raises ruse with his family. 706 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:49,720 Billy says they were all the nicest people in the world, 707 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,800 and that's exactly the way it

happened. 708 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:52,440 Truly. 709 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:53,800 He tells us to hold tight. 710 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:55,000 He'll be right back. 711 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,960 He grabs a Joey, Jr., spawn of Matilda, 712 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,120 and tells him Uncle Bernie will be coming in a minute, 713 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,280 and Bernie and Kathleen and their kids arrive in a car 714 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:03,800 to take this young kangaroo. 715 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:05,320 Billy hands Bernie the Joey, 716 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:06,920 telling him that he's had his milk, 717 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,320 and that the kids get to give him a mini-Mr. Goodbart. 718 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,080 Bernie tells Billy they'll have him back soon 719 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:12,520 after they drop off the kids. 720 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:13,880 They're going to take Jr. to the gym. 721 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:15,160 He's got training to do. 722 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:18,280 Kathleen tells him it's inhuman to do that to a baby kangaroo. 723 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,920 But Bernie tells her that this isn't just any kangaroo. 724 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:22,040 Remember who his father was? 725 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:25,720 They drive off as a single red balloon escapes 726 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:27,720 one of the kids' grasps and flies away. 727 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,080 Billy turns to us as the horrible theme song starts up 728 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:32,760 and says, "Life's grand, isn't it?" 729 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:36,120 We watch the balloon soar away as the boon sing 730 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:38,280 their love song over the end credits, 731 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,040 and that's the end. 732 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:48,680 Welcome back to the American International Podcast 733 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:51,240 where we're talking about Matilda from 1978. 734 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:53,480 Red Kill Day of the Los Angeles Times 735 00:32:53,480 --> 00:32:55,080 interviewed producer Albert Ruddy 736 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,960 for an article published October 8, 1977, 737 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,120 saying he was ready to announce a new movie, 738 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:03,480 writing, "Instead, the conversation turned to kangaroos, 739 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,240 I've become quite an expert on kangaroos," 740 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:06,120 Ruddy said. 741 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:07,080 Kill Day continued. 742 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:09,720 Even as we spoke, somewhere in New Jersey, 743 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:11,800 a kangaroo that ready who has under contract 744 00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:12,760 was busy training. 745 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:14,360 "What's the kangaroo's name?" 746 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:15,400 Kill Day asked. 747 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,040 Ruddy answered, "I don't know what the hell he's called. 748 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,320 We're going to call him Matilda." 749 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,880 Ruddy

told Kill Day it's a marvelous story 750 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:23,720 with wonderful capper-esque touches. 751 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,520 The kangaroo is a total innocent, a great character. 752 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,000 In another article by Kill Day headlined, 753 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,680 "A man behind the kangaroo" published in late November 1977, 754 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,760 Kill Day said that when Matilda was announced, 755 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:37,240 producer Albert S. Ruddy promised the role of Matilda 756 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,160 would be played by a genuine kangaroo. 757 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,040 And that ready was, quote, "naturally disinclined" 758 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:44,200 to publicize the fact that much of the time, 759 00:33:44,200 --> 00:33:47,320 Matilda will actually be played by a kangaroo impersonator. 760 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:49,720 That actor was Gary Morgan, who told Kill Day, 761 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,920 quote, "They are going to use a real kangaroo exclusively, 762 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,000 but approve virtually untrainable. 763 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,640 Then they decided to use a fighter, but he couldn't cut it. 764 00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,320 I just happened to know the stunt coordinator 765 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:00,760 and I got an audition. 766 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,480 I just put on the suit and jumped around and did some stick." 767 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,400 Morgan also told Kill Day that the suit, 768 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,120 which cost $30,000, was not made for comfort. 769 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:10,920 There's no air exchange and it's very cumbersome. 770 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:12,760 The head is controlled by electronics. 771 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:15,480 For close-ups, they can control the eyes and ears. 772 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:17,000 There is no peripheral vision, 773 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,320 so everything has to be completely choreographed. 774 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,800 He went on to say that he wanted the audience to like Matilda, 775 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:23,320 despite his prowess in the ring. 776 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:27,000 This kangaroo is such a good fighter, the audience could hate him. 777 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,880 I'm trying to show that he doesn't realize he's hurting anyone. 778 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:33,400 I'm also trying to show that there's real love between the kangaroo and his trainer. 779 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,320 Half of the $5 million budget was provided by Melvin Simon Productions. 780 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:40,200 TV rights were sold to CBS for $2.5 million. 781 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,200 Foreign sales were $1.6 million, 782 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,160 and AIP paid an advance of $1.8 million. 783 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:51,720 This added up to $5.9 million, meaning that Simon made a profit of $450,000. 784 00:34:51,720 --> 00:34:54,200 In an interview with Loveboat actor Gavin McLeod, 785 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:56,520 published December 25, 1977, 786 00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,720 McLeod said that he was in contention for a role in Matilda. 787 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:01,160 It's a show for the whole family, 788 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:03,720 and that's the kind of thing I like to do, he said. 789 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:07,640 Marilyn Back wrote in her column, published October 19, 1977, 790 00:35:07,640 --> 00:35:12,920 that Matilda producer, Al Rady, "wanted Tony Toneel to leave the side of Captain Darryl, 791 00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:16,520 long enough to play the female lead in the film about a boxing kangaroo." 792 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,760 But she KOed the suggestion. 793 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,320 "Hallum is Jack Anderson, wrote in his syndicated column, 794 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:25,400 published in September of 1977, that first brother Billy Carter had been off 795 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,320 of the role of a taxi driver in the film. 796 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:29,400 But similar Lee turned down the role, 797 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,200 saying it was not quite the right vehicle for his debut." 798 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:36,760 The casting of he Haas star Roy Clark was announced on December 29, 1977. 799 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,080 According to the blurb quote, 800 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:44,440 "Clark plays a whacked out arizonaan who sets Matilda on the road toward a world champion fight. 801 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:47,160 In another column published after the movie's release, 802 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:51,080 Clark told Country Music columnists Bill Hans that his performance was, quote, 803 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:52,200 "Not a big deal. 804 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,800 You can tell Reynolds, Redford, and Newman, they ain't got anything to worry about." 805 00:35:55,800 --> 00:36:00,200 Filming from Matilda took place in part in New York City, beginning in early November and running 806 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:06,200 through December of 1977. A wire photo in the November 2nd, 1977, New York record showed a scene 807 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:11,640 from rehearsals for the film, where live-reveled tries to stop Matilda, identified as stuntwoman Kay Bailey, 808 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:16,200 and attacking a hot dog vendor as other New Yorkers stared. According to the photo's caption, 809 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,480 an actual kangaroo would be playing the part when filming began. 810 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:24,760 "According to the Detroit Free Press, a real kangaroo named Wemma was used in some scenes. 811 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:30,280 Wemma weighed 195 pounds in, quote, "pack such a mean punch that a stand-in had to be used in the 812 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:35,400 boxing scenes." I call BS on that one. Some of Matilda scenes were shot in Reno, Nevada, 813 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:39,960 at the Washu County Fairgrounds and other locations. According to the Nevada State Journal, 814 00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:45,000 the

championship fight scene was filmed on Friday, November 11, beginning at 8 a.m. at Reno's Centennial 815 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:50,840 Coliseum. Filming was expected to last until 6 p.m. Jimmy Lennon, longtime fight announcer, 816 00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:55,480 served in the same capacity in the film, as did George Lacka, a former boxer, turned ring official, 817 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:59,720 who played the referee. Bredy when answered Don Dunphy, known locally as the voice of boxing, 818 00:36:59,720 --> 00:37:04,520 was also there for the shoot. Reno Mayor Bruno Manacucci also played a part in the movie. 819 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:09,000 And coming from the same article, the producers invited Reno Residence age 25 and up, 820 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:15,160 in appearance, if not in actuality, to dress elegantly and fill the seats. Instead of paying the extras, 821 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:20,360 associate producer Paul Sapinakis told the journal that the first 2000 attendees would receive a 822 00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:24,680 souvenir t-shirt and everyone would have the chance to win prizes like a microwave oven, 823 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:29,880 color TV, or water bed. He said, "Some of the people who come here will appear on camera. 824 00:37:29,880 --> 00:37:33,000 We can't say which ones because the camera will catch them in the background." 825 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,040 In the Nevada State Journal article about the scenes film there, 826 00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,560 the need of powers watched Morgan as the fight scene was being filmed, 827 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:43,880 writing that while Elliott Gold was munching peanuts between takes, in the middle of the 828 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:49,160 Coliseum's floor, the kangaroo was using a hairdryer, grabbing gulps of air from an oxygen mask, 829 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:53,800 and using a hairdryer to pan himself. Morgan was trying to keep his cool and a kangaroo suit 830 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:58,680 heated even more by hot movie lights. Heavyweight boxer Jerry Cory was scheduled to play 831 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:03,320 him a tilde's opponent in the Reno scenes, according to powers, but was dropped from the film after 832 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:06,600 getting his face bruised in a fight in Las Vegas the previous weekend. 833 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:12,440 Power said Cory's replacement wasn't known yet, but an article published Sunday November 13th 834 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:17,160 named Larry Penel as the other fighter in the ring. Robert Appluxick of the New York Daily News 835 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:21,080 interviewed Larry Dorn, a public relations representative, located in Los Angeles, 836 00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:26,520 about the blatant product placement in Matilda. In the film, ringside beverage vendors walked around 837 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:32,200 with trays adorned with the Pepsi logo and Matilda advertises a water bed. Dorn told Placick that he 838 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:37,480 gets products from companies and uses it to decorate sets, thus saving movie producers money on props. 839 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:42,440 Let'sick wrote, "Whether anyone profits is less discernible, the party line is that no one 840 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:46,760 connected with the film gets paid over or under the table, that the filmmakers are just glad to have 841 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:51,880 someone say than the effort and expense of finding their props." Elliott Gould told Linita Powers in 842 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:56,520 her article about the Reno shoot quote, "This is the first G-rated movie I've had an opportunity 843 00:38:56,520 --> 00:39:00,760 to be in. I have three children and they'd like them to see me in something on screen that they 844 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,160 would enjoy and not be frightened of. I like the script, the book, the people I work with, 845 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:10,760 and my part." Gould also said he loved the city of Reno because of the sky, the mountains, and the 846 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:15,880 air. Matilda was released on June 22nd, 1978, and was waited G for general audiences. 847 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:21,960 To promote the movie, AIP sent a man in a kangaroo costume on Robert Mitchem's press tour for the film. 848 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:27,480 Holm Ness Maryland backwrote, Mitchem's secretary entered to announce that Matilda had arrived. 849 00:39:27,480 --> 00:39:33,240 Behind his aid could be seen a team of photographers that had publicists for AIP and an actor 850 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:38,200 hit an inside a kangaroo costume. Mitchem had agreed to pose for pictures to hype the release of 851 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:43,880 Matilda. And as he lumbered to his feet, Mitchem mumbled all part of the job, Mitchem told 852 00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:48,680 back that he hadn't seen Matilda yet and didn't know if it was good or bad. Whoever knows how a picture 853 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:53,720 turns out anyway, he asked before mentioning his work in the big sleep and how the movie's post-production 854 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:58,920 edits had changed the story. "If my contributions to the film can be altered after the fact, 855 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:02,360 why should I feel responsibility towards movies I make?" he asked. 856 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:08,200 AIP sent a kangaroo to Kalmas List Smith to promote Matilda. She wrote, "What does one do with a 857 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:12,280 five-foot stuff kangaroo called Matilda when American International Pictures sends it to one's 858 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:16,680 two-room New York City apartment to help promote Elliot Gould's new movie? Will the children 859 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,760 in the psychiatric division at Bellevue are now having more fun with it than you were truly did?" 860 00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:25,640 box office magazine recommended a tie-in with the Berkeley Books Paperback novel of Matilda 861 00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:31,880 and to mention the pet and

Debbie Boone's soundtrack song. I would not do that. Taglines for Matilda 862 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:38,040 include America Love's a Winter. "Meet Matilda, the boxing kangaroo. He's got a good love took, 863 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:42,440 a fast-right jab, and in his corner are four of the craziest characters you'll ever meet." 864 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:47,640 All he wanted was two chocolate bars, a glass of milk, and a shot at the title. 865 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:51,480 "You'll laugh and cheer at the funniest knockout comedy of the year. It's all about the 866 00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:54,920 about-some-of-foxy-boxy kangaroo who thinks he's rocky." 867 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:59,320 The New York Daily News review blurb said, sitting through this insipid movie about a boxing 868 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:03,800 kangaroo is enough to make anyone hopping Mat. "Box office magazine wrote in their review that 869 00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:07,560 "shoulder may like to see the daffy doings and older folk might come to see Robert Mitchem, 870 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,880 Elliot Gold and Harry Gardino. Only a small child would be fooled in the believing Matilda is 871 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:17,480 played by a real kangaroo." Raymond Lowry in the Raleigh North Carolina news and observer set of Matilda, 872 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:22,200 quote, "Pleasure abounds every time Matilda hops out to ring center and lays out a human 873 00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:27,960 opponent as neatly as an undertaker. Between Bouts, Sob, there are a few pleasures in the movie, 874 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:33,400 all his foolishness which hasn't the saving grace of humor. If Matilda were a real rue, 875 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:39,320 maybe we might have succumbed to her or rather his charm. But he is ersatz, like Kong and the 876 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:44,600 jaw sharks, and it's hard to go ape over a kangaroo costume inhabited by a juvenile actor." 877 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:48,600 Tom Sullivan in the New York Jersey Herald News called Matilda "hopping bad," 878 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:52,040 saying Radio City Music Hall has bound up with perhaps the worst, 879 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:56,920 dreary-est piece of work to come along in a kangaroo's age. It must have been evident to a man 880 00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:01,560 like Reddy, if not director Daniel Mann, that nothing was working after the first few days of filming, 881 00:42:01,560 --> 00:42:06,520 but all hands platted the disaster to its completion, and somehow managed to get Sam Arcoff 882 00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:10,360 and American International Pictures to release it. A review published by the New York Times 883 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:15,400 News Service countered the New Jersey reviewer saying, quote, "The real test of a good children's 884 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:20,120 movie as far as most parents are concerned is that it not only be clean and thought in language, 885 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,720 but that they can watch it without screaming with boredom or embarrassment." 886 00:42:23,720 --> 00:42:27,960 Matilda, playing at the natural habitat for such pictures, Radio City Music Hall, 887 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:32,680 passes this test so well that despite its g-rating, it can't really be considered a run-of-the-mill 888 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:38,200 children's picture. This is the kind of movie Radio City was built for, and seriously needs to survive. 889 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:43,160 It is better than most similar efforts mechanically cranked out these days by the Disney studios. 890 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:48,120 "Geney Rasbussen" and the Nevada State Journal wrote, "Once you accept the idea of a kangaroo 891 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:52,600 fighting for the heavyweight championship, you should be able to enjoy this lightweight comedy tale." 892 00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,840 The film has nothing weighty around its mind than the screenplay's final thought. Life is grand, 893 00:42:56,840 --> 00:43:01,400 isn't it? And said, the film is also weak in thought and incredible characters. 894 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:06,680 Cardino and his henchmen are presented as Mafia Morons, sending the film back 20 years to the 895 00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:12,600 deaths of Italian stereotype jokes. "Mike Mayo, writing for the Ronaug Times called Matilda, 896 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:17,640 a nice whimsical little fable, saying, 'It's all handled with a very light touch, just the right 897 00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:22,920 amount of silliness. After all, how serious can it get when Matilda is blatantly a man in a kangaroo 898 00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:28,280 suit?' The movie works mainly because of Rebels' presence. He is our occasional narrator, 899 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:33,960 speaking directly to the camera, and manages to give his part in endearing vulnerability and innocence." 900 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:38,840 Mark Alverson in the Sacramento Union said Matilda provides some pleasant and hoagie entertainment 901 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:43,800 for the whole family. The film throws a few unexpected punches, but don't expect too much. 902 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:48,840 The script by Timothy Galpher and producer Albert S. Ruddy is flimsy and more amusing than really 903 00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:54,040 funny, and the costume worn by the human kangaroo stand-in is disappointingly tacky. It seems to be 904 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:59,320 pieced together from remnants found on a plan with the Apes set. Rod Humphreys in the Sydney Morning 905 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:04,360 Union wrote Matilda, the coronable movie that was supposed to make Australian TV journalist Michael 906 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:10,520 Willisie a Hollywood star, was released in the United States this week. The reviews have not been good, 907 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:15,240 and it is reported that the actors are not too keen to publicize the picture. Willisie was 908 00:44:15,240 --> 00:44:19,880 embarrassed when the Sydney afternoon press made his

Hollywood debut front page headlines last year. 909 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:25,160 He will be even more embarrassed when his film is released in Australia. Willisie apparently 910 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:29,960 had a brief cameo as an audience member during the championship fight. Robert W. Butler in the Kansas 911 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:36,040 City Times called Matilda a "stalt-of-finally mediocre film." In a way, it's like a no-hitter game. 912 00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:39,720 The tension mounts as the film's conclusion draws near, and you wonder whether this alleged 913 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:43,080 comedy is ever going to anchor genuine laugh out of you before the curtain comes down. 914 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:48,520 And finally, David Maas, a 14-year-old junior high student, wrote a review for the Charlotte 915 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:54,200 Observer and said, "I found most of the dialogue corny and most of the character's ridiculous. 916 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:58,280 Even the kangaroo suit looked fake. While I found parts of the movie ridiculous, 917 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:03,080 my little brother, who is six, found them funny. If I recommended this film to anyone, it would be kids 918 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:04,200 from 5 to 10." 919 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:16,520 Hey Jeff, I think that last review kind of summed up my feelings on this movie. I don't think this movie 920 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:21,880 was made for me. But it did kind of surprise me to find out that this was supposed to be a kids' 921 00:45:21,880 --> 00:45:27,640 movie. Doesn't have that feel. It's way to G, and it kind of plays a lot like the movies that 922 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:33,080 Disney was putting out at this time in the mid-late 70s, and they put in a lot of really bad comedies 923 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:38,680 that aren't finally remembered. Yeah, I can remember a few, I guess I forgot a bunch of them, 924 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:43,480 but stuff like the strongest man in the world with Kurt Russell. I was thinking more like the Shaggy 925 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:48,760 DA with Dean Jones. Yeah, I don't think I watched that one. But I don't know, it's a movie about 926 00:45:48,760 --> 00:45:52,920 fighting and there's drinking and I don't know. There's mobsters in it. Yeah, there's mobsters, 927 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:58,440 there's fighting, there's drinking. How is this a kids movie? Well, there's monsters in it, but they're 928 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:05,800 more comedic than, say, the godfather. Well, comedic without being funny. Well, yeah, I mean, 929 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:11,000 there are morons and there play to be morons. And it was funny to me, but I don't know if it was 930 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:16,040 supposed to be as funny as it was. I mean, obviously that was played to be funny. And it was one of the 931 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:22,520 few things I did get a kick out of in this movie was. Oh, well good for you. It was cartoonish. 932 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:28,040 They were acting was cartoonish. Well, it was. And I think they had to be because they're acting 933 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:32,520 with this guy in a kangaroo suit and having to play it straight. Yeah, I think that would have 934 00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:38,280 been the most difficult part for me being on set. Oh, sure. That's a kangaroo. So I left a lot, but 935 00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:42,440 I don't think once that a part that was supposed to be intentionally funny mostly is just every time 936 00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:47,640 little tilde hopped because I've taken this guy's in there and people are acting like this is a 937 00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:52,280 real kangaroo or they just don't know the difference. Well, I got a big laugh when I noticed that the 938 00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:58,120 headpiece of Matilda's costume was just casually draped over the body where you could see where it 939 00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:03,000 joins together. I don't know why they didn't put more effort into this at least make the suit kind 940 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:09,080 of realistic. Make the kangaroo a little bigger. The kangaroo was one of the shortest characters. 941 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:13,800 Yeah, this is another one of those movies and I've asked this before is who is the audience for 942 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:18,520 this movie? Well, according to the 14 year old kid, it's his little brother. I can't even see it 943 00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:23,160 holding a kid's interest for as long as this movie is. It's about 90 minutes. And Matilda really 944 00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:27,720 doesn't have a lot of screen time. And that's got to be the only thing that would interest a kid 945 00:47:27,720 --> 00:47:31,880 because Elliot Gould isn't that interesting to kids. I don't think. No, and here he's not 946 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:38,840 interesting to me. In fact, I think it was and maybe this is the 2026 me saying this, but he assaults 947 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:44,520 Kathleen. He kisses her against her will and it's just gross. That was the 70s people did that all 948 00:47:44,520 --> 00:47:50,040 the time. I guess, but yeah, I don't want to see it. And somehow she fell in love with him despite 949 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:55,320 him being a pathetic liar who harms animals. Yeah, the plot seems a little complicated for a kid 950 00:47:55,320 --> 00:48:00,520 to follow. I don't think kids are stupid. I think kids can be smart, but I don't think that they 951 00:48:00,520 --> 00:48:05,320 would necessarily have the attention span for this kind of a film. I wouldn't have at that age. 952 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:10,280 And I was that age when this movie came out. Yeah, because it's about the world of boxing, 953 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:15,640 the world of promotion. It's a lot of adult concepts here. And I don't know how you can dumb it 954 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:19,960 down for kids, pardon the expression. I don't mean make it dumber. I just mean make it more 955

00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:25,560 palatable to an audience group don't have jobs. I guess the one scene that did make me laugh is 956 00:48:25,560 --> 00:48:32,680 when they were doing that stupid skit in the studio with Matilda and Billy and the two people, 957 00:48:32,680 --> 00:48:39,400 the hardies and the people in the control room, the technical operators were just like not having it. 958 00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:43,880 One of them is like banging his head on the counter and the other one just leaves and 959 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:49,080 I mean, I used to have that same job and I definitely understand that feeling when you 960 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:53,080 forced to watch something that you just can't bear. Well, I used to have that same job too. 961 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:59,000 But today the funniest part was the class where No No is pointing out the differences between a man 962 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:03,000 and the kangaroo and we didn't go into a lot of detail in description, but I do recommend that 963 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:08,920 scene because it's very cartoony and very amusing. Yeah, he puts little dots under each appendage. 964 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:15,080 He tries to simplify it for the idiots he has working for him and they do eventually get it kind of, 965 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:18,440 they do realize that they have to cut off the tail so that they have an equal number of dots. 966 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:23,480 That's kind of horrifying in itself though when you cut off a kangaroo's tail, I imagine that's 967 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:29,080 a fatal wound. You're not just snapping off a fingernail. Well, a kangaroo does use the tail 968 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:34,760 to help him balance. So it would be crippling at the very least. Yeah, I get the physics of it, 969 00:49:34,760 --> 00:49:41,720 but it just seems unnecessarily violent. If obviously they were dealing with an actual kangaroo and 970 00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:47,320 they had landed a blow which they didn't. Physicist cartoon. I don't know. Like I said, this might 971 00:49:47,320 --> 00:49:53,400 have been a movie for somebody, but it definitely wasn't a movie for me. I can't even get any whimsy out 972 00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:58,920 of it, any charm. The only thing that's remotely charming is the character of Billy. When I think 973 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:04,200 is amazing about this film is that it exists and everybody plays it more or less straight. I mean, 974 00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:09,000 the mafia guys are supposed to be the fumes, but all the characters around this supposed to 975 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:15,560 kangaroo who's obviously a guy dressed up are playing it straight and it's unintentionally funny just 976 00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:22,920 because of that. Yeah, Robert Mitchum. I love this animal. I mean, where was he at in his career 977 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:28,600 that he had to take this role in 1978? Well, it would have been two days work tops for him. Yeah.

978 00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:33,160 Probably just one. So it was probably wasn't that big a deal. You didn't have to play a buffoon. 979 00:50:33,160 --> 00:50:37,640 I guess he had that going for him. I don't know. Just the more I watched this movie, 980 00:50:37,640 --> 00:50:42,440 more I regretted seeing it at all. It's just so bizarre that throughout the entire film, 981 00:50:42,440 --> 00:50:46,520 nobody suggests that that might just be a guy dressed up in a kangaroo suit. 982 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:51,800 Yeah. Everyone's been this is an actual kangaroo and that's probably the hardest part to swallow 983 00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:58,120 with the whole film. The mass delusion of it all. I mean, it's a kangaroo with a tail that doesn't 984 00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:04,120 fold or bend sitting in the back of a car. How does kangaroo sit in a car with that tail that 985 00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:08,360 can't take it off? It did make it easier once they got the van though because he had that bubble top. 986 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:14,760 So he can't just head through it. All right. I did laugh at that too, but it's not a joke. It was 987 00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:20,280 supposed to be a joke. The vast majority of the laughs here are not intentional. Every time that guy 988 00:51:20,280 --> 00:51:25,960 hops, I pushed it down to the laughter. But I've struggling to figure out where the intentional 989 00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:31,480 laughs are. Can you even identify where it was supposed to be a joke? I think it's the mafia guys 990 00:51:31,480 --> 00:51:35,960 are probably the only part. They're supposed to be the comic relief in the film because they're so 991 00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:41,160 broad and cartoony. Yeah. They're not funny though. I think it had an interesting cast though. 992 00:51:41,160 --> 00:51:45,880 This is Elliott Gold's first real family movie. He did a couple of Disney movies after this. 993 00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:51,320 He didn't devil and max devil and with Bill Cosby. And the last play of Noah's Ark. So he was 994 00:51:51,320 --> 00:51:56,440 trying to do more g-weighted material because there was a time in the 70s when he heard somebody say 995 00:51:56,440 --> 00:52:01,720 that Elliott Gold was his own genre film for a short while there. The bedroom comedy. 996 00:52:01,720 --> 00:52:06,760 Probably. And we have Art Matrano as Gordon Baum and Lenny Montana as the 997 00:52:06,760 --> 00:52:12,360 taller of the two main hoods. And they would both appear one year later in Andy Sideris 7. 998 00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:17,800 We really like that movie. That movie was a lot of fun. Yeah. And I love fun. He was just good 999 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:23,480 number two here. But in seven he was the Guna. All right. I remember art Matrano, but I didn't 1000 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:29,320 remember. Yeah. I like that movie. I would much rather have watched that again. I do really think 1001 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:34,040 this was better than any of

the Disney movies that came out. Like one of the reviewers said. 1002 00:52:34,040 --> 00:52:41,000 Like the Shaggy DA. What was the one about the cat? The calf monitor space. The calf monitor space. 1003 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:44,920 Oh, I like the calf monitor space. It was a real cat, right? It was. It was. It was. It was. 1004 00:52:44,920 --> 00:52:50,760 Going to cut suit. Yeah. I don't have a lot to say about this movie because I just kind of sat 1005 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:55,880 there loathing it while being occasionally amused by the ridiculousness of it. Well, I think the 1006 00:52:55,880 --> 00:53:01,480 ridiculousness of it is the only reason to watch it because it's not because it's a good movie. It's not. 1007 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:08,120 No, but it was soon eclipsed by another movie called Matilda that came out almost two decades later 1008 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:13,800 based on the role Dal Book from 1988. So now when you look it up, that's what comes up. Yeah, 1009 00:53:13,800 --> 00:53:17,880 it makes this one a little more difficult to research. All right, Jeff. Let's lay a grade on this 1010 00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:23,640 turkey using our AIP scale where a is awesome. I is intermediate and p is pathetic. How do you rate 1011 00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:30,280 Matilda? Well, this movie has a lot going against it. There's a guy in a kangaroo suit and nobody's 1012 00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:36,520 acknowledging that this is a kangaroo suit. There's a lot of awkward product placement, a lot of it. 1013 00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:41,160 In a movie that's supposed to be for kids, there's a very strange love story going on. 1014 00:53:41,160 --> 00:53:46,680 And it's got a complicated plot that I don't think kids are really ready to handle yet. 1015 00:53:46,680 --> 00:53:53,160 involving mobsters and gambling and rules and regulations. So it's probably deserving of a P. 1016 00:53:53,160 --> 00:53:59,320 But I did enjoy it a little more than that. I think I'm going to raise it up to an eye. It's 1017 00:53:59,320 --> 00:54:04,440 probably really more than it deserves. And you're looking at me like I'm making a hard one mistake. 1018 00:54:04,440 --> 00:54:11,160 But I left I left not with this movie. I left at this movie and I enjoyed it enough. It's not 1019 00:54:11,160 --> 00:54:14,120 what I'm going to be in a hurry to watch again. But I'm still going to give it an eye. I think people 1020 00:54:14,120 --> 00:54:19,720 should check it out just to see something watchable how bad it could still be. So what's your take, Cheryl? 1021 00:54:19,720 --> 00:54:25,960 Well, the only reason I would watch this movie is if I were having a bad movie watching party. 1022 00:54:25,960 --> 00:54:30,360 And you wanted to watch something that was really dumb and that everyone could make fun of and 1023 00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:35,640 everyone could go, "Ha ha ha, look at the guy in the kangaroo suit." And if that were my criteria, 1024 00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:40,920 I'd definitely give it an eye because you could do better, but you could do worse. At least it's a movie 1025 00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:47,800 and it was competently made. But I don't know. I don't see this as a kids movie. I don't see this as a 1026 00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:54,200 grown-up movie. I just don't see where it's places in the world. And I just don't like it. I don't like 1027 00:54:54,200 --> 00:54:59,000 that they claim that there's supposed to be a real kangaroo in some scenes and there is not, 1028 00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:06,680 except for the Joey at the end. There's no WAMO who weighs 195 pounds in long shots. It's man in the 1029 00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:12,360 kangaroo suit all the way. So that feels like a bit of bait and switch. And it's kind of a dumb 1030 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:17,160 decision. You're going to make a movie about a kangaroo and you can't use a real kangaroo at least 1031 00:55:17,160 --> 00:55:22,600 part of the time. It's just ridiculous. I didn't like the love story between Bernie and Kathleen. 1032 00:55:22,600 --> 00:55:30,680 It was very unearned. Bernie is a terrible hero. And no one else in this movie, except for Billy, 1033 00:55:30,680 --> 00:55:35,720 is probably the only likable character in the whole thing. So even if I wanted to give it an eye 1034 00:55:35,720 --> 00:55:41,160 if you're being a competently made movie, I can't bring myself to do it. There's just nothing good 1035 00:55:41,160 --> 00:55:46,360 about it. Unless, like I said, at the beginning of this speech, you just want to watch a dumb movie 1036 00:55:46,360 --> 00:55:52,520 and have all your friends laugh at it. In that case, I got your movie. But otherwise, don't bother. 1037 00:55:52,520 --> 00:55:58,680 I'm giving it a P. It's true that if this movie was made today, the kangaroo would be CGI, 100%. 1038 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:04,280 Well, kangaroo jack action. But I don't think the movie would play any better. It would need a 1039 00:56:04,280 --> 00:56:10,920 total rewrite and update. Yeah, they have to pick a lane. Kids movie or adult movie, not a little bit 1040 00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:15,320 of something for each that excludes the other. Well, if you're enjoying what we're doing here on 1041 00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:20,280 American International podcast, we've built a companion website that really takes things to the next level. 1042 00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:24,680 It's not just a landing page. It's an ever growing digital archive dedicated to the full history 1043 00:56:24,680 --> 00:56:29,080 and output of American international pictures. We're working film by film to create a comprehensive 1044 00:56:29,080 --> 00:56:33,720 resource featuring original posters, press books, lobby cards, and detailed write-ups that could 1045 00:56:33,720 --> 00:56:38,360 each release into context. How it was marketed, how it was received, and where it fits within the 1046 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:43,640 AIP story. It's a long-term project and we're building it out piece by piece. But the idea is simple 1047 00:56:43,640 --> 00:56:49,080 to create the kind of centralized, visually rich AIP archive that we've always wished existed 1048 00:56:49,080 --> 00:56:53,080 and to make it available to anyone who shares an interest in these films for both the casual fan 1049 00:56:53,080 --> 00:56:58,280 or a deep dive researcher. And you can find all that at aippod.com. Well, now that we've been 1050 00:56:58,280 --> 00:57:04,120 KOed by a man in a kangaroo costume, I mean Matilda, the boxing kangaroo, it's time to throw in the 1051 00:57:04,120 --> 00:57:08,920 towel and end this episode. For the American International Podcast, I'm Cheryl Lightfoot. And I'm Jeff 1052 00:57:08,920 --> 00:57:15,080 Markin and we'll meet you at the drive-in. Follow the American International podcast on Instagram 1053 00:57:15,080 --> 00:57:21,720 and Letterbox at aip_pod and on Facebook at facebook.com/AmericanInternationalPodcast 1054 00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:29,800 The American International podcast is produced and edited by Jeff Markin, a man whose mind is 1055 00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:35,080 distorted by hatred and Cheryl Lightfoot. A girl hungry for too many things. 1056 00:57:35,080 --> 00:57:48,760 The American International Podcast is part of the Pop Culture Entertainment Network. 1057 00:57:48,760 --> 00:57:58,760 [MUSIC]