The Groove Tube (1972)
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13% of critics liked it
(8 reviews) -
57% of users liked it
(921 ratings)
Channel One was a New York-based comedy group which presented short satirical sketches concerning television. What set this group apart was that they performed in front of genuine TV cameras, while the audience watched on TV monitors strategically placed throughout the theater. Many of the best, and… More Channel One was a New York-based comedy group which presented short satirical sketches concerning television. What set this group apart was that they performed in front of genuine TV cameras, while the audience watched on TV monitors strategically placed throughout the theater. Many of the best, and most censurable, Channel One sketches were assembled by the group's mentor Ken Shapiro and released to theaters as the feature-length The Groove Tube. Shapiro himself stars in several of the sketches, most notably as "Koko the Clown," a kiddie-show host whose idea of "Make Believe Land" consists of smoking a joint and reading passages from Fanny Hill. Most of the Channel One players will be unfamiliar to audiences of the 1990s, save for Richard Belzer and Chevy Chase, the latter offering a most unusual rendition of "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover." The Groove Tube was originally rated X, thanks to such bits as "Safety Sam," wherein the audience is offered cheerful anti-VD advice by a talking penis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ken Shapiro
- Genres
- Television, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1974 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
The jokes seem flat and desperate.
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A skit comedy affair in which perhaps 1/4th of the bits actually fly.
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Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Welcome to the cutting edge, circa 1974.
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Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Uneven comedy pastiche
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Witless collection of 'daring' skits. It was very trendy in 1972.
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Cast
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Richard Belzer
as President, The Dealer
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Chevy Chase
as Geritan/Four Leaf Clover
- Berkeley Harris
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Bill Kemmill
as Butz Beer
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Buzzy Linhart
as The Hitchhiker
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Victoria Medlin
as Mouth Appeal
- Mary Mendham
- Bill Paxton
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Jennifer Welles
as Geritan
- Lane Sarasohn
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Ken Shapiro
as Koko the Clown, Kramp TV Kitchen, Newsca...
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Richmond Baier
as The Hitchhiker
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Paul Norman (II)
as Mouth Appeal
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Alex Stephens
as Butz Beer
- Christine Nazareth
- Roy Wallace
