''Greaser's Palace'' is a 1972 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr. It stars

Allan Arbus Allan Franklin Arbus (February 15, 1918 – April 19, 2013) was an American actor and photographer. He was the former husband of photographer Diane Arbus. He is known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the CBS television series ...

as Jesse, a man with amnesia who heals the sick, resurrects the dead and

tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perf ...

s on water on the American frontier. A parable based on the

life of Jesus in the New Testament The life of Jesus in the New Testament is primarily outlined in the four canonical gospels, which includes his genealogy and Nativity of Jesus, nativity, Ministry of Jesus, public ministry, Passion of Jesus, passion, prophecy, Resurrection of ...

, the film has been described as an acid Western.

Plot

Jesse (

) paraglides into a town on the American frontier run by a saloon owner named Seaweedhead Greaser ( Albert Henderson), a tyrant who collects the town's

taxes A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, o ...

while keeping his mother and favorite mariachi band in cages, and suffering from chronic

constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel movement ...

. Jesse has amnesia and remembers nothing except that he is anticipated by

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sp ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, telling people that he's on his way to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, where he will become a singer, dancer and actor. Greaser murders his son, Lamy Homo Greaser (Michael Sullivan), for being a homosexual, and Jesse resurrects the dead man. Subsequently, Jesse heals the sick and

s on water. Greaser's saloon is losing money due to the declining popularity of his daughter Cholera (

Luana Anders Luana Anders (born Luana Margo Anderson, May 12, 1938 – July 21, 1996) was an American film and television actress and screenwriter. Career Anders began her career with supporting roles for American International Pictures. Some of the early f ...

)'s performances, so he hires Jesse to sing and dance at the saloon. Jesse concludes his act with him bleeding stigmatically from his hands. The audience loves it, but the talent agent pans the act. Jesse begins a relationship with a woman (Elsie Downey) who ultimately crucifies him so he can resurrect her son (

Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and producer. His career has been characterized by critical and popular success in his youth, followed by a period of substance abuse and legal troubles, before a resurgence of ...

), who was killed by Indians.

Cast

* Albert Henderson as Seaweedhead Greaser *

as Cholera Greaser * James Antonio as Vernon *

as Jesse *

Toni Basil Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943), better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit th ...

as Indian Girl * Don Calfa as Morris *

Woody Chambliss Woodrow Lewis Chambliss (October 14, 1914 in Bowie, Texas – January 8, 1981 in Ojai, California) was an American character actor who appeared in both feature films and television. He is probably best known for his appearances as several cha ...

as Father *

Pablo Ferro Pablo Ferro (January 15, 1935 – November 16, 2018) was a Cuban-American graphic designer, film titles designer, and founder of Pablo Ferro Films. Childhood Born in Antilla, Oriente Province, Cuba, he was raised on a remote farm before emigrat ...

as Indian *Stanley Gottlieb as Spitunia *Joe Madden as Man With Painting *George Morgan as Coo Coo *Ron Nealy as Card Man / Ghost *Michael Sullivan as Lamy "Homo" Greaser *

Hervé Villechaize Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize (; April 23, 1943 – September 4, 1993) was a French actor and painter. He is best known for his role as the evil henchman Nick Nack in the 1974 James Bond film '' The Man with the Golden Gun'', and his role as Mr ...

as Mr. Spitunia *Lawrence Wolf as French Padre *Elsie Downey as The Woman *Jackson Haynes as Rope Man *Alex Hitchcock as Nun *John Paul Hudson as Smiley *Larry Moyer as Captain Good *Don Smolen as Gip *Rex King as Turquoise Skies Cast notes: *

, the son of the writer-director of the film, has an uncredited role as a child. Elsie Downey who played "the Woman" was Robert Downey Sr.'s wife. Also in the cast were Allyson Downey and Stacy Sheehan, Downey Sr.'s daughter and niece.

Production

''Greaser's Palace'', which was shot on location in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, was produced by Cyma Rubin, a neophyte

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

producer who gave Downey a million dollars to make the film.TC
"Notes"
/ref> Downey had previously made the cult hit ''

Putney Swope ''Putney Swope'' is a 1969 American satirical comedy film written and directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starring Arnold Johnson as the title character, a black advertising executive. The film satirizes the advertising world, the portrayal of ...

'' (1969) as well as lesser-known films such as '' Pound'' (1970), ''Babo 73'' (1964) and ''

Chafed Elbows ''Chafed Elbows'' is a 1966 still image film directed by Robert Downey Sr. A manic comic parody underground film made for $12,000, ''Chafed Elbows'' was a commercial success. The film was premiered at The Gate Theater in New York City and ran f ...

'' (1966).Stafford, Jef
"Greaser's Palace" (TCM article)
/ref>

Reception

Although ''Time'' magazine's

Jay Cocks John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College. ''Greaser's Palace'' did not receive generally good critical reviews. Thomas Meehan, writing in the '' Saturday Review'' said "Robert Downey seems to have absolutely everything it takes to be a successful movie director except talent," and thought that this film was "even worse than his earlier pictures – an absurdist, incomprehensible Western that mixes in scatology, William Morris agents and the second coming of Christ." Kevin Thomas, the critic for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' wrote of it "...the film is so utterly devoid of wit and imagination that the unremitting gross behavior and language it wallows in is quickly revolting." Kathleen Carroll, critic for the '' New York Daily News'' asked "Does this weird concoction of

Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

parody, half-serious symbolism and silly slapstick really work?" The film, which was presented at the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado during Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 49th edition took place on September 2 -6, 2022. History First held on 30 August 1974, t ...

in 1976,Allmovi
"Awards"
/ref> was not a commercial success.

References

Notes

External links

* * * {{Robert Downey Sr. 1972 films 1970s English-language films 1972 comedy films 1972 Western (genre) films Films scored by Jack Nitzsche Films directed by Robert Downey Sr. Films with screenplays by Robert Downey Sr. American Western (genre) comedy films 1970s American films Acid Westerns