''The Telephone'' is a 1988
comedy-drama film
Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
written by
Terry Southern
Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...
and
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...
and directed by
Rip Torn, in what was to be the only film he directed.
The film stars
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
as an out-of-work actress who starts doing some prank phone calls which creates a chain of events. The entirety of the film is set in the main character's apartment, and features few actors other than Goldberg.
Elliott Gould and
John Heard appear in supporting roles.
The film was released on January 22, 1988, by
New World Pictures
New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 19 ...
to negative critical reception and poor box office.
Plot
Set mostly in a small San Francisco apartment and almost in real time, Vashti Blue is an out-of-work actress who returns to her home that she shares with her pet goldfish and an owl. On the answering machine, Vashti listens to her messages, and hears her agent remind her of an audition, as well as a notification about her overdue telephone bill. She also hears a voice she believes is her former lover, Larry. Throughout the night, Vashti entertains herself by dialing different telephone numbers, talking to the local food market, video store, police station, and her friend, Jennifer. The noise from Vashti's phone conversations causes Vashti's next-door neighbor to yell at her in frustration. Later, Vashti's former agent, Rodney, and his new client, "Honey Boxe," arrive, asking to use her telephone. However, Vashti refuses Rodney's request. Rodney tells Vashti that her bad attitude always made it difficult to find her acting jobs. Annoyed, Vashti asks Rodney and Honey Boxe to leave, which they do.
At the climax, it is eventually revealed that Vashti is really medically unstable as a telephone contractor arrives at her apartment to confiscate the phone handset due to her dispute with her phone bill. It is revealed that her telephone line was disconnected some time ago, much to her denial. As he struggles to take the handset, she strikes him in the head and stabs him with a knife, killing him. The final shot shows Vashti trying to phone the police to report the incident... in which we hear for the first time that the telephone that she has been talking into throughout the film has no dial tone.
Cast
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Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
as Vashti Blue
*
Severn Darden
Severn Teakle Darden Jr. (November 9, 1929 – May 27, 1995) was an American comedian and actor, and a founding member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players. He is known from his film app ...
as Max
*
Elliott Gould as Rodney
*
John Heard as Telephone Man
*
Herve Villechaize as Voice on the Freeway (voice)
Production
Background
''The Telephone'' was produced by Hawkeye, a company formed by screenwriter
Terry Southern
Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...
and singer-songwriter
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...
.
[Publishing.cdlib.org]
/ref> According to Southern, "We had this idea about an out-of-work actor who gets so into hallucinatory-type improvisations that he even makes up phone calls to himself."[ Nilsson and Southern wrote the screenplay with ]Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
in mind for the main character, and attempted to get the comedian a copy of the script, but Williams' manager did not want him to make the film.[ After viewing Whoopi Goldberg's standup performances, Nilsson and Southern thought that she would be right for the part.][ After seeing Rip Torn's direction of stage plays, the writers felt that Torn would be ideal to direct the film.][
]
Filming
The film's producers persuaded Goldberg to ignore the film's script and improvise, leading to arguments with Torn, who preferred to direct the film as scripted.[
]
Post-production
Whoopi Goldberg states that she was given approval over the film's final cut.[ The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in a version edited by Rip Torn.][ Unhappy with Torn's editing of the film, Goldberg filed a $5 million lawsuit against New World Pictures and Torn to prevent its release.][Google Books]
/ref>[Mrpopculture.com]
/ref> Following arbitration, the jury found in favor of New World.[
]
Reception
When the film was screened in New York, audiences allegedly cried out "I want my money back!" and "I hope the film breaks!" Grossing $54,811 during its opening weekend, the film went on to become a box office flop with a total domestic gross of $99,978.
The movie was poorly received by critics, with ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' stating that the quotes mentioned in this section were "the truest, most sanely existential lines spoken during the film hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
night," as the ''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' wrote "Sorry, but he film
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is a wrong number." Leonard Maltin
Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...
wrote that "Goldberg may have hit rock bottom with this clinker". For her role in the film, Goldberg was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
for Worst Actress. According to Southern, "I was ambivalent about it. I was too close to the film to be objective, but a number of people ended up liking the released film. he New World versionis still selling well as a cassette at my local drug store."[ Obsessed With Film named ''The Telephone'' as the 10th best "One Man Band" film, in a list of films with only one or very few characters.Whatculture.com]
/ref>
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Telephone
1988 films
1988 comedy-drama films
1980s English-language films
1988 directorial debut films
1988 independent films
American comedy-drama films
Films scored by Christopher Young
Films about actors
Films directed by Rip Torn
Films with screenplays by Terry Southern
Harry Nilsson
New World Pictures films
Films about telephony
1980s American films