In the (future) year of 1994, Alphie (George Gilmour) and Bibi (Catherine Mary Stewart) – two sweet, naive youths from Moose Jaw, Canada – travel to America to compete in the Worldvision Song Festival.
Although the pair have talent, they are beaten by the underhanded tactics of the festival favourites, another duo with the backing of Boogalow International Music (BIM) run by a satanic tycoon named Boogalow (Vladek Sheybal).
But Bibi and Alphie are soon delighted to hear that Boogalow (representing the devil) has taken an interest in their nauseatingly sweet love songs and wants to sign them to his label.
Bibi (representing Eve) goes along with the temptation (the apple) while Alphie (representing Adam) does not. But all is well in the end thanks to Mr Topps (representing God), a pipe-smoking Mercedes owner from the sky (played by Joss Ackland).
The wounded plot limps along – accompanied by astonishingly clumsy dialogue, relentlessly bland music, graceless choreography and ludicrous production numbers – moving numbly, like a sleepwalker, to an apocalyptic showdown in which the chosen ones turn out to be old hippies who live in caves underneath a bridge.
One of the worst musical films of all time, The Apple features the only screen appearance of leading man George Gilmour. Hardly surprising, really.
Catherine May Stewart lip-synched all her songs to the singing voice of Mary Hylan.
The film was predominantly shot in Berlin, West Germany, and a large number of extras and background artists were cast from the American High School in the city.
Incomprehensibly, Israeli director Menahem Golan (who also wrote the screenplay and co-produced) was actually convinced his film was going to be a huge hit. When it was booed during its premiere at the 1980 Montreal Film Festival – some members of the audience even threw things at the screen – he apparently left the cinema and returned to his hotel with the intention of committing suicide until his business partner intervened.
The film was a box office flop and received unanimously terrible reviews.
Oh, keep an eye out for Miriam Margolyes as Alphie’s Landlady(!)
Bibi
Catherine Mary Stewart
Mary Hylan (singing voice) Alphie
George Gilmour Pandi
Grace Kennedy Dandi
Allan Love Mr Topps/Hippie Leader
Joss Ackland Boogalow
Vladek Sheybal Shake
Ray Shell Landlady
Miriam Margolyes Bulldog
Derek Deadman James Clark
Michael Logan Joe Pittman
George S. Clinton Vampire/Star Rock/Boogalow’s Receptionist/Keyboard Player in ‘BIM’ Band
Francesca Poston Ashley
Leslie Meadows Fatdog
Günther Notthoff Clark James
Clem Davies Jean Louis
Kobi Recht
Although the pair have talent, they are beaten by the underhanded tactics of the festival favourites, another duo with the backing of Boogalow International Music (BIM) run by a satanic tycoon named Boogalow (Vladek Sheybal).
One of the worst musical films of all time, The Apple features the only screen appearance of leading man George Gilmour. Hardly surprising, really.
Bibi
Boogalow
Vampire/Star Rock/Boogalow’s Receptionist/Keyboard Player in ‘BIM’ Band
