Hanky Panky (1982 film)
Hanky Panky is a 1982 American comedy thriller film directed by Sidney Poitier, starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner. Wilder and Radner met during filming and later married.[1]
| Hanky Panky | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sidney Poitier |
| Produced by | Martin Ransohoff |
| Written by | Henry Rosenbaum David Taylor |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tom Scott |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Edited by | Harry Keller |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $9 million (domestic) |
Plot
An architect named Michael Jordon accidentally gets caught up in a web of intrigue and murder when he ends up on the run on false murder charges. Kate is a woman out to find her brother's killer. The two team up, but not before first thinking the other is the killer. The duo end up on a wild cross-country ride from New York City to the Grand Canyon.
Cast
- Gene Wilder as Michael Jordon
- Gilda Radner as Kate Hellman
- Richard Widmark as Ransom
- Kathleen Quinlan as Janet Dunn
- Robert Prosky as Hiram Calder
- Josef Sommer as Adrian Pruitt
- Johnny Sekka as Lacey
- Johnny Brown as Bus Driver
- Jay O. Sanders as Katz
- Sam Gray as Dr. John Wolff
- Larry Bryggman as Stacy
- Jonathan Winters as pilot (uncredited)
Production
The film was developed as a follow-up to the successful Gene Wilder-Richard Pryor film Stir Crazy. However, Pryor chose not to participate and Gilda Radner as brought in as a replacement, with her part rewritten.[2]
Reception
Vincent Canby, writing in The New York Times, gave the film a mixed review, saying it "is apt to leave you far less exhilarated than exhausted."[3]
Novelization
A $2.50 paperback novelization of the screenplay was published by Pinnacle Books, somewhat in advance of the film's release (as was the custom of the era). The byline is Leslie Jarreau, which—as there are no other works in existence with that authorship—is possibly a pseudonym (novelization assignments, then as now, rarely went to previously unpublished writers, unless they were somehow connected to the film in question). An accurate record, one way or the other, would seem to be lost.
References
- Wilder, Gene. Kiss Me Like A Stranger. HarperCollins, 2005
- Leonard Maltin (2003), Movie & Video Guide, p, 575.
- Canby, Vincent (1982-06-04). "Movie Review - Hanky Panky - POITIER'S 'HANKY PANKY' - NYTimes.com". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-07-09.