''Purple People Eater'' is a 1988 American

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

based on Sheb Wooley's 1958

novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...

of the same name, written and directed by

Linda Shayne Linda Shayne is an American-Canadian dual citizen, film and television writer and director, and former film and television actress. Early life Linda Shayne was born in the United States. Shayne graduated from the University of California at Ber ...

, and stars

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

, Ned Beatty,

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

Dustin Diamond Dustin Neil Diamond (January 7, 1977 – February 1, 2021) was an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role as Samuel "Screech" Powers throughout the ''Saved by the Bell'' franchise. Early life and family Diamond was born in ...

Peggy Lipton Margaret Ann Lipton (August 30, 1946 – May 11, 2019) was an American actress, model, and singer. She made appearances in many of the most popular television shows of the 1960s before she landed her defining role as flower child Julie Barnes i ...

, and

Thora Birch Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in ''Purple People Eater'', for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years ...

in her film debut.

Chubby Checker Chubby Checker (born Ernest Evans; October 3, 1941) is an American rock and roll singer and dancer. He is widely known for popularizing many dance styles, including The Twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard & The Midnight ...

and Little Richard made musical guest appearances. The film was released on December 16, 1988.

Plot

When young Billy Johnson (

) plays the

, a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

from outer space appears. The creature helps Billy prevent his elderly grandpa Sam ( Ned Beatty) and Sam's neighbor Rita (

) from being evicted by their greedy landlord Ken Noodle (John Brumfield), all while playing in a

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

band.

Cast

as William "Billy" Johnson * Ned Beatty as Sam Johnson *

as Rita *

as Molly Johnson *

as Big Z *

as Mrs. Johnson * James Houghton as Mr. Johnson * John Brumfield as Ken Noodle *

Molly Cheek Molly Cheek (born March 2, 1950) is an American actress. A Connecticut College graduate she worked in ‘dinner-theater productions and summer stock’ before finding television and film work. Cheek is best known for her roles in the televisio ...

as Mrs. Orfus *

Kimberly McCullough Kimberly Anne McCullough (born March 5, 1978) is an American actress and television director. She is best known for her role as Robin Scorpio on the soap opera ''General Hospital'', a role which she originated at age seven, playing the characte ...

as Donna Orfus *

Lindsay Price Lindsay Jaylyn Price Stone (born December 6, 1976) is an American television actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Janet Sosna on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' and as Victory Ford on '' Lipstick Jungle''. She is also known for her wor ...

as Kory Kamimoto * Little Richard as Mayor *

as Himself * Sheb Wooley as Harry Skinner *

as Nurse

References

External links

* *
MSN Movies
1988 films 1980s science fiction comedy films American children's comedy films American science fiction comedy films American independent films Films based on songs 1980s children's comedy films Films about landlords 1988 directorial debut films 1988 comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films {{child-film-stub