Where's Poppa?
| Where's Poppa? | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Carl Reiner |
| Produced by | Jerry Tokofsky Marvin Worth |
| Written by | Robert Klane (novel & screenplay) |
| Starring |
George Segal Ruth Gordon Ron Leibman |
| Music by | Jack Elliott |
| Cinematography | Jack Priestley |
| Edited by | Chic Ciccolini Bud Molin |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Where's Poppa? is a 1970 black comedy film; it is based on the novel by Robert Klane and stars George Segal, Ron Leibman and Ruth Gordon. The movie has sometimes been referred to as Going Ape. The plot revolves around the troubled relationship between a lawyer (Segal) and his senile mother (Gordon). The film was directed by Carl Reiner, whose son Rob Reiner had a role in an early performance. Others in the cast are Paul Sorvino, Ron Leibman, Trish Van Devere, Vincent Gardenia and future Saturday Night Live star Garrett Morris. The film was released on July 9, 1970, by United Artists.
His mother, an 87-year-old widow, is ruining Gordon Hocheiser's love life. He resents her so much, Gordon tries to scare her to death by donning a gorilla suit and attacking her in bed, only to end up on the receiving end of her cane. An attempt is made to persuade Sidney, his brother, to take their mother off Gordon's hands. Sidney has troubles of his own, though, repeatedly getting mugged in Central Park.
Gordon, a lawyer, made a deathbed promise to his father not to place his mother in a rest home. She continues to keep asking where Poppa is. Gordon locates a nurse, Louise, whose patients have a peculiar habit of dying in her care. He hires Louise to be his mother's companion, hoping for the worst, and falls in love with Louise in the process.
Sidney borrows the gorilla costume and wears it home. Rather than scaring off muggers, they force him to attack a woman in the park, who turns out to be an undercover police officer. At the end of his rope, with Louise unable to stand the mother one minute more and threatening to leave Gordon, he drives to a rest home and drops off his mother at the entrance, telling her Poppa is there. Then he drives away.
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Wikipedia