Watch The First Nudie Musical
- R
- 1975
- 1 hr 37 min
-
5.3 (947)
The First Nudie Musical is a comedy movie from 1976 that aimed to celebrate and parody the golden era of Hollywood musicals through nudity and satire. Directed by Bruce Kimmel, who also played one of the lead roles, the film boasted a cast that included Stephen Nathan, Cindy Williams, Leslie Ackerman, and Diana Canova. The plot revolves around a desperate film producer, Harry Schechter (Stephen Nathan), who wants to make a movie that can compete with the big studios but lacks the necessary funds to do so. As a result, he decides to make the first nudie musical, a film genre that combines nudity with musical numbers, in order to attract an audience.
The first half of the movie focuses on the casting process, as Schechter holds auditions for the lead female role. The actresses who show up for the auditions provide most of the humor, including a hopeful who claims she can't dance but has a great singing voice, and a shy girl who gives an awkward reading of her lines.
Eventually, he settles on a young starlet named Purity (Cindy Williams), who is a naive and virginal singer with dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Schechter is convinced that he has found the perfect leading lady, but as they begin filming, he realizes that he might have underestimated the challenges of making a nudie musical.
As the movie progresses, the audience is treated to an array of musical numbers that range from straight-up parodies of classic Hollywood musicals to bawdy and irreverent songs that showcase the nudity. Some of these musical numbers include "It's a Wop Around," "Perversion", "Give Your Body to the Night," and "Lesbian Butch Dyke."
Despite the inclusion of nudity and sexual humor, the movie is relatively tame by today's standards. In fact, the nudity is often covered by strategic camera angles or props, and the musical numbers are more suggestive than explicit. The tone of the movie is more akin to a 1950s musical with a sprinkling of adult humor thrown in for good measure.
The First Nudie Musical was a commercial failure upon its release, but it has since gained a cult following among fans of musicals, comedies, and B-movies. While the film is not a classic by any means, it does provide a unique glimpse into a relatively unknown sub-genre of the film industry and serves as a time capsule of late '70s Hollywood.
The cast of the movie does a commendable job, with Stephen Nathan standing out as the desperate producer who tries to make the best of a bad situation. Cindy Williams is charming as the innocent heroine, with a voice that is impressive in its own right.
Overall, The First Nudie Musical is a fun and lighthearted movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. While it might not be everyone's cup of tea, it is worth checking out for fans of musicals or those looking for a glimpse into a bygone era of Hollywood filmmaking.
The First Nudie Musical is a 1975 music movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 37 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.3.