Dynamite Chicken (1971) EYR/Comedy RT: 76 minutes Rated R (language, nudity including full frontal, crude sexual humor) Director: Ernest Pintoff Screenplay: Ernest Pintoff, Frank Lauria, Eliza Nimmo and Michael O’Donoghue Cinematography: Gerald Cotts, Guy Fraumeni, David Hoffman, Dick Lacey, Ken Van Sickle and Greg Zilboorg Release date: January 20, 1971 (US) Cast: Richard Pryor, Ace Trucking Company (Patti Deutsch, Michael Mislove, Bill Saluga, George Memmoli, Fred Willard and Roy Bond), John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Sha Na Na, Joan Baez, Paul Krassner, Al Goldstein, Jim Buckley, Ron Carey, Marshall Efron, Tuli Kupferberg, Peter Max, Frank Lauria, Leonard Cohen, Richard Nixon (archive), Lenny Bruce (archive), Malcolm X (archive), Joe Namath (archive), Andy Warhol (archive). Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
I first heard of Dynamite Chicken when it was the “Dog of the Week” on a 1982 (?) episode of Sneak Previews. I can’t recall who selected it, Gene Siskel or Roger Ebert, but I do remember it was called out for its misleading marketing campaign. For its rerelease, it was repackaged as a Richard Pryor movie in order to capitalize on his popularity. It’s a half-truth. He’s in it, but he’s not the star of the picture. He shows up periodically to riff on a variety of subjects like farting, girls, his family and being black in America. The rest is a pastiche of comedy sketches, photos, old movie clips, archival footage of celebrity interviews, spoken word segments, musical performances and person-on-the-street interviews.
Directed by Ernie Pintoff (Lunch Wagon), Dynamite Chicken is definitely a product of its time. That’s a nice way of saying it’s dated as hell. It’s aimed at young, hip (and most likely stoned) audiences bored with safe comedies that favor The Establishment. It’s anything but reverent with its satirical take on issues like politics, race, drugs, feminism, patriotism, sex, violence, obscenity, religion, the Vietnam War, police brutality and the counterculture, all subjects considered taboo in mainstream entertainment.
I first saw Dynamite Chicken when I rented it from West Coast Video in spring ’86. I was expecting something more along the lines of Kentucky Fried Movie and The Groove Tube. I didn’t know what to make of it at the time. I knew it was a comedy, but I didn’t get the joke. Ultimately, I put it in the failure category and out of my mind. I didn’t even consider rewatching it until recently when I stumbled across it while researching another movie. Remembering how much I disliked it, I thought it would be fun to rake it across the coals with a scathing review. I bought a cheap, used DVD copy from Amazon (very poor transfer) and put it on the morning after it was delivered. Little did I know I was in for a rude awakening.
I should know by now to always expect the unexpected when rewatching a movie I haven’t seen in many, many years. As I watched Dynamite Chicken, it slowly began to dawn on me that I missed the point entirely 35 years ago. It’s not some dumb comedy intended for mass consumption. It’s an avant garde piece. In a nutshell, it’s performance art as cinema. This realization began with the psychedelic performance by the doo-wop group Sha Na Na (yes, that Sha Na Na!). From that point, I looked at it from a new perspective. When it was over, I researched it a bit via Google. Later that afternoon, I watched it again. It finally made sense…. well, as much sense as it will ever make.
Since there’s no plot of which to speak, I’ll just talk about some of the bits in Dynamite Chicken. It opens with Pryor doing a brief routine about farting. Next, we watch as an extremely obese man (Memmoli, Phantom of the Paradise) exits a fleabag hotel and walks down the sidewalk grabbing his ass. We see him a few more times making obscene phone calls from pay phones. Memmoli, who also co-starred in the short-lived sitcom Hello, Larry, is a member of The Ace Trucking Company, an innovative comedy troupe that also includes Fred Willard (Best in Show), Patti Deutsch (The Match Game) and Bill Saluga (Tunnel Vision). They do a few skits, the funniest of which is the filming of a commercial for Aqua Velva. Former Merry Prankster/founding Yippie member Paul Krassner expounds on the Vietnam War. Screw magazine editors Al Goldstein and Jim Buckley have a little tete-a-tete about obscenity. Speaking of which, there’s plenty of nudity. In one scene, a nun strips down to her birthday suit. That ought to piss off a few Catholics.
Let’s see, what else. People on the street are asked their views about obscenity and patriotism. We hear differing opinions about the importance of the American flag as a symbol. Folk singer Joan Baez, in the film’s only real musical performance, sings a short song. Leonard Cohen, in voiceover, recites one of his own poems. Near the end, a clip of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from their famous “Bed-In” is shown.
In addition to the above mentioned, we also get a collage of pictures, articles, interview sound bites and old movie clips, most notably a trailer for the 1949 WWII drama Home of the Brave. It’s edited in a rapid-fire frenzy that will wreak havoc on the minds of viewers under the influence of mind-altering drugs. Presumably, this would be most of the audience. Remember when Dynamite Chicken was made and who it was made for, the college crowd circa the early 70s. It certainly echoes their radical politics and disdain for The Establishment.
Do I think Dynamite Chicken is a good movie? No. Is it funny? No, not really? Is it interesting? YES! It’s interesting in that it perfectly captures the voice of a distinctively different time in the history of America. It’s the voice of a youth culture disheartened by dishonest politicians (especially a certain “tricky” President), systematic racism, puritanical attitudes and a war that made no sense. It’s hard to believe I got all that out of a cheap, experimental movie that’s largely gone forgotten in its 50 years of existence. It’s best to think of Dynamite Chicken as a curiosity, a piece of cinematic art that will appeal to some and appall others. You know what they say about trash and treasure, right?
