''Good-bye, Cruel World'' is a 1983

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

directed by

David Irving David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author and Holocaust denier who has written on the military and political history of World War II, especially Nazi Germany. He was found to be a Holocaust denier in a British court ...

and starring

Dick Shawn Dick Shawn (born Richard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comedies, usual ...

and

Cynthia Sikes Cynthia Sikes Yorkin is an American actress known for her work on ''St. Elsewhere'' and ''Blade Runner 2049.'' Life and career In 1972, Yorkin won the crowning title of Miss Kansas and started attending Wichita State University. She then enter ...

. It was co-written by Shawn and

Nicholas Niciphor Nicholas Niciphor (b 1946) is an American screenwriter and film director. His best known credit is the film ''Deathsport'' (1978) which he wrote and directed, although he left the production during filming. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War. Nic ...

. It features ''

The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...

'' correspondent

Larry Wilmore Elister Larry Wilmore III (born October 30, 1961) is an American comedian, writer, producer, and actor. He served as the "Senior Black Correspondent" on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2014, and hosted ''The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore'' in 2 ...

as a sergeant.

Plot

The film parodies the various gimmicks that were used to get audiences into theatres by claiming to be based on audience choice, although all of the selections are pre-selected, and the actual audience response is not measured within the theatre or by choices of the home viewer. The film was sold with images of a man flushing himself down the toilet. The story involves newscaster Rodney Pointsetter (Shawn) who is so depressed between his job and his family that he tries to make a film about his life, which he intends to culminate with his own suicide. It is often interrupted with irrelevant comic sketches that an emcee (Allan Stephan) claims that the audience prefers to see. One sketch features

Angelique Pettyjohn Angelique Pettyjohn (born Dorothy Lee Perrins; March 11, 1943 – February 14, 1992) was an American actress and burlesque queen. She appeared as the drill thrall Shahna in the '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "The Gamesters of Trisk ...

as a stripping

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

, and another Dan Frischman hosting "Things Your Parents Used to Say," while Rodney's

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

brother, Ainsley, also played by Shawn, stages an opera in his house. The opera sequence was staged by John Hall of the

Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been held annually since 1934, e ...

, and featured Vincent Cole,

Johnny Guarnieri John Albert Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City. Career Guarnieri joined the George Hall orchestra in 1937. He is possibly best known for his big band stints with Be ...

, Dennis Parnell, Tanino Provitera, David Romano, Gene Shaw, James Sterret Bryant, Starleigh Godfrey, Pam Scanlon, and Susan Grossman.

External links

* 1983 films 1983 comedy films American comedy films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films English-language comedy films {{1980s-US-film-stub