''Disco Beaver from Outer Space'' is a 1979 American

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

. It is an early production by '' National Lampoon'', and was made for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

. The short film is a collection of comedy sketches, contained within the main story which is centered on two characters: the protagonist, an extraterrestrial in the form of a human sized (and bipedal)

beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

; and the antagonist, a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

called "Dragula". Among the various side gags (which arise as the "viewer" channel-surfs) is a short concert by a stereotyped band of Irish singers called "The Spud Brothers" (potato-shaped puppets). Tagline: National Lampoon's mockery of everything that is wrong with cable TV.

Plot

The film is essentially a

shaggy dog story In its original sense, a shaggy-dog story or yarn is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax. In other words, it is a long story that is intended ...

, leading up to a single play-on-words joke based on "beaver" also being a euphemism for female genitals. At the film's climax, the vampire is frightened by the Beaver; in his delirium, he begins seeing double, thus seeing ''two'' images of the Beaver. He cries, "Split beaver!" and disintegrates.

Cast

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was a British and American actress. During a career that spanned five decades, she won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, two Em ...

- Dr. Van Helsing *

Rodger Bumpass Rodger Bumpass (born November 20, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Squidward Tentacles on the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants''. He voices several other characters on the show as well, includi ...

Peter Elbling The Times Square Two was a two-man act of music, comedy, acting and juggling. Their performance of "I've Got a Funny Feeling for Ophelia" on the summer TV series ''Dean Martin Presents'', starring The Golddiggers, Joey Heatherton, and Frank Sinat ...

- Dragula, Queen of Darkness *

Gilbert Gottfried Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried (February 28, 1955 – April 12, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, best-known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often-controversial, sense of humor. Hi ...

- Construction Worker *

James Widdoes James Landower Widdoes (born November 15, 1953, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), sometimes billed as Jamie Widdoes, is an American actor and television director. Early life Widdoes graduated from The Loomis Chaffee School in ...

- Construction Worker *

Alice Playten Alice Playten (''née'' Plotkin; August 28, 1947 – June 25, 2011) was an American actress known for her high-pitched, child-like voice. Life and career Born in New York City, Playten began her career in 1959 at age 11, playing Marie's young ...

Lee Wilkof Lee Wilkof (born June 25, 1951) is an American character actor who has been appearing on stage, film and television for 6 decades. Early life Wilkof is from Canton, Ohio. He is the middle child of Anne Louise and Darwin Wilkof. He has two broth ...

*Michael Simmons * Sarah Durkee

External links

* American television films HBO network specials National Lampoon films 1979 television films 1979 films 1979 comedy films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

External links