When 80-year-old Max Sabatini dies, he leaves his three prized orangutans in the care of his only son, Foster. To inherit his father's $5-million fortune, Foster must take care of the apes for the next five years.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Awards:
- 3 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Tony Danza | ... |
Foster
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| Jessica Walter | ... |
Fiona
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| Stacey Nelkin | ... |
Cynthia
(as Stacey Nelkin)
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| Danny DeVito | ... |
Lazlo
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| Art Metrano | ... |
Joey
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| Frank Sivero | ... |
Bad Habit
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| Rick Hurst | ... |
Brandon
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Howard Mann | ... |
Jules Cohen
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| Joseph Maher | ... |
Gridley
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| Leon Askin | ... |
Zebrewski
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| Jacquelyn Hyde | ... |
Zaida
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| Ted White | ... |
Goon #1
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Bob Terhune | ... |
Goon #2
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Jaye Durkus | ... |
Goon #3
(as Jay Durkus)
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| Angus Duncan | ... |
Farley
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| Ellen Gerstein | ... |
Sister
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Poppy Lagos | ... |
Sister
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| Marji Martin | ... |
Sister
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| Donna Ponterotto | ... |
Sister
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D.J. Sullivan | ... |
Sister
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| Hamilton Mitchell | ... |
Marvin
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| Ruth Gillette | ... |
Marianne
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Henry Charles | ... |
Ringmaster
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| Gene LeBell | ... |
Faraday
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Merie Earle | ... |
Binocular Lady
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Luke Andreas | ... |
Carter
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| Gabriel Jarret | ... |
Boy at Funeral
(as Gabriel Kronsberg)
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| Roger Arroyo | ... |
Midget
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Andrea Bell | ... |
Clown
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Mark Yerkes | ... |
Clown
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Chris Bricker | ... |
Clown
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| John Daheim | ... |
Clown
(as John Day)
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Sosimo Hernandez | ... |
Flugist
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Beth Nufer | ... |
Elephant Girl
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Jay S. York | ... |
Strong Man
(as Jay York)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Bobby Berosini's Orangutan | ... |
Orang-Utans
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| Al Leong | ... |
Circus Performer at Funeral (uncredited)
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Stephanie Nellhaus | ... |
Corpse in Morgue (uncredited)
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| Manis the Orangutan | ... |
Main Monkey (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Jeremy Joe Kronsberg | ||
Written by
| Jeremy Joe Kronsberg | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| John Daly | ... | executive producer |
| Robert L. Rosen | ... | producer |
Music by
| Elmer Bernstein | ||
Cinematography by
| Frank V. Phillips | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| John W. Wheeler | ||
Editorial Department
| Steve Polivka | ... | assistant editor |
Casting By
| Wallis Nicita | ... | (as Wally Nicita) |
Production Design by
| Robert Kinoshita | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Robert Kinoshita | ||
Set Decoration by
| Richard C. Goddard | ... | (as Richard Goddard) |
Costume Design by
| Robert Harris Jr. | ||
Makeup Department
| Ken Chase | ... | makeup artist |
| Vivienne Walker | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
| Chuck Murray | ... | unit production manager |
| Jim Oberman | ... | unit production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Paul Chavez | ... | second assistant director |
| D. Scott Easton | ... | second assistant director (as Scott Easton) |
| Albert M. Shapiro | ... | assistant director (as Albert Shapiro) |
Art Department
| Barry Bedig | ... | property master |
| Gene Anderson | ... | assistant props (uncredited) |
| Nigel A. Boucher | ... | leadman (uncredited) |
| Frank L. Brown | ... | set dressing lead man (uncredited) |
| Bob Kargetta | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| Terry W. King | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| Nikita Knatz | ... | illustrator (uncredited) |
| Tom Lifsey | ... | propmaker foreman (uncredited) |
| Joseph P. Lucky | ... | set designer (uncredited) |
| Stacey S. McIntosh | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| William J. Newmon II | ... | set designer (uncredited) |
| Peter Olexiewicz | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| James F. Orendorff | ... | construction foreman (uncredited) |
| Ted Pariser | ... | set designer (uncredited) |
| Donald Puck | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| Daniel Sudick | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| Gino Tomasino | ... | swing gang (uncredited) |
| Michael Walsh | ... | swing gang (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Charles E. Moran | ... | sound effects editor |
| Richard Oswald | ... | sound effects editor |
| Charles M. Wilborn | ... | sound mixer (as Charles Wilborn) |
| John Wilkinson | ... | re-recording mixer (as John Keene Wilkinson) |
| John S. Coffey | ... | cableman (uncredited) |
| Christopher Ramsey | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Henry Millar | ... | special effects |
| Fred Cramer | ... | special effects supervisor (uncredited) |
| Garry Elmendorf | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
| Pat Elmendorf | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
| Gary L. King | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
| Terry W. King | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
| Mark Noel | ... | special effects (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Bruce Paul Barbour | ... | stunts (as Bruce Barbour) |
| Fred Brookfield | ... | stunts |
| David S. Cass Sr. | ... | stunts (as Dave Cass) |
| Roydon Clark | ... | stunts |
| Bill Couch | ... | stunts |
| Bennie E. Dobbins | ... | stunts (as Bennie Dobbins) |
| Richard Drown | ... | stunts (as Rick Drown) |
| George Fisher | ... | stunts |
| John Hudkins | ... | stunts |
| Vic Hunsberger | ... | stunts (as Victor Hunsberger Jr.) |
| Bill Madden | ... | stunts (as William Madden) |
| Denver Mattson | ... | stunts |
| Bill McIntosh | ... | stunts |
| Gary Morgan | ... | stunts |
| Stephanie Nellhaus | ... | stunts |
| Mary Peters | ... | stunts |
| John Romano | ... | stunts |
| Philip Romano | ... | stunts (as Phil Romano) |
| George Marshall Ruge | ... | stunts (as George Ruge) |
| Walter Scott | ... | stunts |
| Neil Summers | ... | stunts |
| Tommy Trama | ... | stunts (as Tom Trama) |
| Rock A. Walker | ... | stunts (as Rock Walker) |
| Henry Wills | ... | stunts |
| Jerry Wills | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Bob Yerkes | ... | stunts |
| Jesse Wayne | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Lloyd Ahern II | ... | camera operator (as Lloyd Ahern Jr.) |
| Carl Boles | ... | gaffer |
| Don Capel | ... | key grip |
| Gemma La Mana | ... | still photographer |
| Bernie Bayless | ... | best boy (uncredited) |
| James F. Cornick | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| Marvin Dobkovsky | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
| Norman Hess | ... | grip (uncredited) |
| Robert LaBonge | ... | first assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Don Navarrette | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| Dan Smith | ... | dolly grip (uncredited) |
| David Teasley | ... | generator operator (uncredited) |
| Ken Tosic | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
| Joe Valdez | ... | second assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Murphy Wiltz | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Susie Johnson | ... | extras casting (uncredited) |
| Deborah Lucchesi | ... | assistant casting (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Carolina Ewart | ... | costumer: women (uncredited) |
| Dan Moore | ... | set costumer (uncredited) |
Location Management
| Sheridan Dar Reid | ... | location manager |
Music Department
| Kathy Durning | ... | music editor |
Script and Continuity Department
| Margaret Varian | ... | script supervisor (as Margaret Tary) |
Transportation Department
| Judy A. Colvin | ... | driver: construction (uncredited) |
| Mike Gallier | ... | transportation co-captain (uncredited) |
| Ray Greene | ... | driver (uncredited) |
| Dennis Hollis | ... | transportation coordinator (uncredited) |
| Betty Konz | ... | driver (uncredited) |
| James Lance | ... | driver (uncredited) |
| Luigi Ruggieri | ... | driver (uncredited) |
| John Henry Sasse | ... | driver: props (uncredited) |
| David Teasley | ... | driver (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Bobby Berosini | ... | choreographer: orang-utan stunts |
| Eric Sherman | ... | production executive |
| Steve Cohen | ... | production assistant (uncredited) |
| James F. Cornick | ... | lot best boy (uncredited) |
| Phyllis Gardner | ... | unit publicist (uncredited) |
| Ralph Helfer | ... | animal supervisor: Gentle Jungle [us] (uncredited) |
| Don Immerman | ... | first aid (uncredited) |
| Alex Klinsky | ... | craft service (uncredited) |
| Debbie Moore | ... | assistant accountant (uncredited) |
| Bob Pedersen | ... | production accountant (uncredited) |
| Lata Ryan | ... | production coordinator (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Paramount Pictures
- Hemdale
- City Films
- Berclays Merchantile Industry Finance (copyright holder)
Distributors
- Paramount Pictures (1981) (United States) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1981) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (1981) (United States) (VHS)
- Home Box Office (HBO) (1982) (United States) (tv) (pay television)
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1986) (United States) (tv) (broadcast premiere)
- Comedy Central (1997) (United States) (tv) (cable television)
- Paramount (2022) (United States) (Blu-ray)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Gentle Jungle (animals supplied by)
- Intrada (soundtrack album) (limited edition)
- Modern Film Effects (titles)
- Private Island Audio (soundtrack)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
When his father, who owned a circus, dies Foster inherits $5-million--and three orangutans. But there's a condition: if he gives away the orangutans, or if just one gets sick or dies during the next three years, the zoological society will get all the money. So not only must he deal with three apes and an annoyed girlfriend, but he must also deal with kooky new roommate Laszlo who came from the circus to help with the apes, a greedy zoological society's president, three bumbling henchmen, and a cranky landlord.
Written by Tom Zoerner |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Move over Bo, here comes a real swinger! [theatrical USA] See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Stars Tony Danza and Danny DeVito were currently both appearing in the television series Taxi (1978) when this movie was made and first released. They appeared together in over one hundred episodes of the sitcom between 1978 and 1983. This movie is their only ever theatrical feature film collaboration. See more » |
| Goofs | The letter that Poppy is supposed to give Foster jumps from her right hand to her left. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Hardly Working/The Howling/'Breaker' Morant/Mon Oncle D'Amerique/Caveman (1981). See more » |
| Soundtracks | It Ain't Who's Right, It's What's Right See more » |
| Crazy Credits | At the end of the movie, the crazy car chase happens again. Only now a footrace and a few police cars having to stop the apes from driving a "borrowed" police car they continue to drive around in circles causing havoc while credits roll with crazy music playing out from previous chase with lyrics. See more » |