The Museum of Television and Radio recently presented the 18th Annual William S. Paley Television Festival. One of the highlights was the tribute to and screening of The Rutles - All You Need Is Cash, which is coming out on DVD. Originally premiered in 1978, the television special was a wicked spoof on the celebrity documentary genre - a mockumentary. It featured Monty Python's send-up of the The Beatles. All You Need Is Cash detailed the rise and fall of the Fab Four's comic counterparts, the Rutles from their first hit movie A Hard Day's Rut to such misconceived projects as Tragical History Tour. The Rutles started as a short sketch by Eric Idle and his musical partner Neil Innes for their series Rutland Weekend Television. When Idle hosted Saturday Night Live on Oct 2, ‘76, Lorne Michaels presented the 3-minute film as a joke, as an apology for not getting the Beatles. The public response was so enthusiastic that Michaels asked Idle to create a primetime special for American Television about the history of the Rutles. The rest, as they say, is history! Innes and Idle starred as the Lennon and McCartney-inspired characters Ron Nasty and Dirk McQuickly.
Rounding out the quartet were Rikki Fataar playing guitarist Stig O'Hara and John Halsey as drummer Barry Wom. Welcome, Rutlemania! In ‘96 the Rutles reunited to create another album, Archaeology
, which was released the same day as the Beatles' Anthology 3. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn declared All You Need Is Cash to be "a triumph from the first frame to the last." The reunion screening was held at the Directors Guild of America.
Stay tuned for the next issue when I follow up with the Q & A with Eric Idle following the movie.
A Touch of Heston
What a larger-than-life night! Charlton Heston made a special appearance at the Egyptian Theatre to kick off a tribute to his movies. He participated, along with co-star Janet Leigh, in a Q & A for the screening of A Touch of Evil. American Cinematheque presented the special festival of Heston films as part of their "Legends" series. Some of the films featured in the Heston tribute included Soylent Green, 55 Days at Peking, The Omega Man, Major Dundee, and, of course, The Ten Commandments. On opening night, the theatre was jammed, and it proved once again that Charlton Heston is truly a star beloved by all generations. His movies have made an impact. Not surprisingly, Janet Leigh is also highly regarded. One member of the audience told her, "You should be honored by the American Film Institute for your body of work.
You can contact Kat at nohonews@earthlink.net.