What's Up, Doc? (1972)
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A musicologist and a charming troublemaker become entangled in a chaotic series of events involving swapped luggage and a high-speed chase through San Francisco.
The story
Dr. Howard Bannister, a musicologist from Iowa, travels to San Francisco to compete for a research grant. He is accompanied by his overbearing fiancée, Eunice Burns. While checking into the Hotel Bristol, Howard encounters Judy Maxwell, a woman with a vast but unconventional education who begins to pursue him. The situation becomes complicated when four different parties staying on the same floor unwittingly swap their overnight bags, containing items ranging from top-secret government papers and valuable jewels to musical rocks and personal belongings. As Judy masquerades as Eunice at a banquet, the various parties begin to clash over their misplaced property.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dr. Howard Bannister travels to San Francisco with his fiancée Eunice to compete for a research grant. At the Hotel Bristol, he meets Judy Maxwell, who begins pursuing him. Four parties on the floor swap bags: Howard's musical rocks, Mr. Smith's secret government papers, Mrs. Van Hoskins' jewels, and Judy's clothes. Judy poses as Eunice at a banquet to charm the grant-giver, while Howard denies knowing the real Eunice. A struggle over the jewels leads to a fire in Howard's room. Ultimately, Howard ends up with the jewels, Judy with the documents, Mr. Smith with Judy's clothes, and the thieves with the rocks. The next day, a fight breaks out at a reception. Howard and Judy flee San Francisco in a stolen Volkswagen Beetle, pursued by the others who have taken Eunice and the grant-giver hostage. After a chaotic chase through Chinatown and down Lombard Street, they end up in a courtroom. Eventually, the bags are returned. Judy exposes the grant-winner as a plagiarist, securing the grant for Howard. Eunice leaves Howard for the grant-giver. Howard boards a plane alone, only to find Judy in the seat behind him; they reconcile and kiss as a Looney Tunes cartoon plays.
- First release year
- 1972
- Runtime (minutes)
- 94
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Peter Bogdanovich
- Writers
- Buck Henry · screenplay; David Newman · screenplay; Robert Benton · screenplay; Peter Bogdanovich · story
- Cast and characters
- Barbra Streisand · Judy Maxwell; Ryan O'Neal · Dr. Howard Bannister; Kenneth Mars; Austin Pendleton; Sorrell Booke; Michael Murphy; Madeline Kahn
- Genres
- screwball comedy; romantic comedy; slapstick comedy
- Themes
- Nostalgia; Love; Identity
- Tone and mood
- Energetic; Hilarious; Farce
- Premise and plot tags
- Screwball Comedy; Road Movie; Comedy of Remarriage
- Source material / true-story basis
- A Glimpse of Tiger by Herman Raucher (1971)
- Reception
- The film was a success, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1972. It received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Barbra Streisand's performance in the screwball farce.
- Awards and nominations
- Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen · Writers Guild of America (WGA) 1973 · 1973 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was intended to pay homage to 1920s-40s comedies and Bugs Bunny cartoons.; The San Francisco car chase sequence accounted for one-fourth of the film's $4 million budget.; The film features diegetic music only, with no underscoring.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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