''The First Nudie Musical'' is a 1976 American

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as break ...

directed by Mark Haggard and

Bruce Kimmel Bruce Kimmel (born December 8, 1947), also known as Guy Haines, is an actor, writer, director, composer, and Grammy Award, Grammy-nominated CD producer (music), producer (for the revival of ''Hello, Dolly''). Acting TV Kimmel appeared in many ...

, with a score by Kimmel. Kimmel costars alongside Stephen Nathan and

Cindy Williams Cynthia Jane Williams (August 22, 1947 – January 25, 2023) was an American actress. She is best known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcoms ''Happy Days'' (1975–1979), and ''Laverne & Shirley'' (1976–1982). She a ...

in a series of farcical lewd numbers spoofing the style of classic Hollywood musicals. Originally distributed by Paramount Pictures, it was picked up by World-Northal in 1977. The film developed a

cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...

, aided by frequent broadcasts on

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television network owned by Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched on August 1, 1980, as a "maxi-pay" service to complement the offerings of its sister premium network, HBO (Home Box ...

and home video releases. Kimmel and Williams collaborated on the similar musical-comedy farce ''

The Creature Wasn't Nice ''The Creature Wasn't Nice'' (also known as ''Naked Space'' and ''Spaceship'') is a 1983 American comedy film written and directed by Bruce Kimmel. A parody of '' Alien'', it stars Leslie Nielsen in a role similar to those in the farcical comedi ...

'' in 1981.

Plot

Harry Schechter, heir to a failing

Hollywood studio Major film studios are production and distribution companies that release a substantial number of films annually and consistently command a significant share of box office revenue in a given market. In the American and international markets, t ...

, attempts to stave off bankruptcy by producing a

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

porno. Songs include "Orgasm", "Lesbian Butch Dyke", and "Dancing Dildos." Ron Howard had a cameo as an actor at the casting call scene.

Reception

The film was panned by

Janet Maslin Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, who served as a film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1977 to 1999, serving as chief critic for the last six years, and then a literary critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, M ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

,'' who described the concept of the film as "a losing proposition" and found the music "tuneless." Arthur D. Murphy of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote, "A few clever bits are drowned in a larger sea of silliness, forced gags and predictable cliche."

Gene Siskel Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune'' who co-hosted a movie review television series alongside colleague Roger Ebert. Siskel started writing for the '' ...

of the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' gave the film half of one star out of four, calling it "juvenile" and "flaccid." Alan M. Kriegsman of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' panned the film for "crude photography, bad editing, sophomoric story and forgettable music." Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' was more positive, writing, "Silly, sophomoric, at times downright inept, this little low-budget venture picked up by Paramount is more often than not hilarious, offering good, tonic laughter to those not offended by nudity and blunt language."

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

's film guide gave it two stars out of four and noted, "Basically a one-joke idea that wears thin despite an air of amiability." ''The First Nudie Musical'' holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on seven reviews.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:First Nudie Musical, The 1976 films 1970s musical comedy films American musical comedy films American sex comedy films Films about pornography Paramount Pictures films 1970s English-language films 1970s sex comedy films 1976 comedy films 1970s American films English-language sex comedy films English-language musical comedy films 1976 musical films