Spaceballs (1987)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers:

Mel Brooks (written by) and
Thomas Meehan (written by) ...

Release Date:

24 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

May The Farce Be With You

Plot:

Planet Spaceball's President Skroob sends Lord Dark Helmet to steal Planet Druidia's abundant supply of air to replenish their own, and only Lone Starr can stop them.

Plot Keywords:

Shooting | Chase | Profanity | UFO | Warp Speed

US TV Schedule:

Mon. May 26	10:00 AM	COMEDY
Mon. May 26	5:00 PM	COMEDY

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Mel Brooks	...	President Skroob / Yoghurt
Rick Moranis	...	Dark Helmet
Bill Pullman	...	Lone Starr
Daphne Zuniga	...	Princess Vespa
John Candy	...	Barfolemew 'Barf'
George Wyner	...	Colonel Sandurz
Joan Rivers	...	Dot Matrix (voice)
Dick Van Patten	...	King Roland
Michael Winslow	...	Radar Technician
Lorene Yarnell	...	Dot Matrix
John Hurt	...	Kane
Sal Viscuso	...	Radio Operator
Ronny Graham	...	Minister
JM J. Bullock	...	Prince Valium
Leslie Bevis	...	Commanderette Zircon

Also Known As:

Planet Moron (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:12 (2000) (re-rating) (uncut) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-12 | Portugal:M/6 | Australia:PG | Canada:14A | Iceland:L | Ireland:PG | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2000) (uncut) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (cut) | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Imperial County, California, USA

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

John Candy ad-libbed the line, "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark," after standing up without undoing his seat belt.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the scene where Lone Star and company first meet Yogurt, a closeup of the statue is shown, with smoke moving in a very slow and choppy manner relative to the other shots in this scene. The film is playing at a slower rate than usual.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Radio Operator: Colonel Sandurz!
Colonel Sandurz: What is it, Sergeant Ricco?
Radio Operator: You told me to let you know the moment Planet Druidia was in sight, sir.
Colonel Sandurz: So?
Radio Operator: Planet Druidia's in sight, sir.
Colonel Sandurz: You're really a Spaceball. You know that, don't you?
Radio Operator: Thanks, sir.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Robot Chicken: Star Wars (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Winnebago Crashes

So Lone Star, I see your Schartz is as big as mine........

Spaceballs is one of the funniest movies ever. In the tradition of Airplane it spoofs nearly all modern SciFi including: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi, Alien, Star Trek, and Planet Of The Apes. Mel Brook's has had some funny movies but this takes the cake. Rick Moranis is inarguably his second best role after Strange Brew. John Candy has one of his better performances. Bill Pullman (a long way from Independence Day) is the central character Lone Star, a combination Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Sight gags and classic memorable lines are present here from beginning to end. Just looking at Dark Helmet is enough to induce laughter. Spaceballs is a truly great film. Let's see how well you handle it!