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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1980s
    Movies - 1980s Movies - B 2 Mins Read

    Back To School (1986)

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    Middle-aged Thornton Melon (Rodney Dangerfield) is the poster boy for self-made millionaires. He’s taken his immigrant father’s humble tailor shop and turned it into a national chain of Tall & Fat Shops.

    He went on from there to diversify until now he owns Melon Enterprises, a worldwide corporation.

    Thornton Melon is far from being a stupid man and in fact is quite intelligent and street smart, despite his boorish, rude and crude manner.

    backtoschool_042

    His one great regret is that he never got a proper education, so he is determined that his beloved son Jason (Keith Gordon) will get one at the prestigious Grand Lakes University.

    When Melon unexpectedly visits Jason at university, both their lives take a new course. Enrolling as a “freshman”, Melon Sr proves a most immature student but makes a big splash with lecturer Diane Turner (Sally Kellerman).

    Co-written by Harold Ramis of Ghost Busters (1984) and Groundhog Day (1993) fame, this ham-fisted comedy has echoes of the 1960 Bing Crosby picture High Time, in which a wealthy middle-aged man returns to college to prove there’s life in the old dog yet.

    Keith Gordon and Robert Downey Jr try hard as Dangerfield’s weedy son and his radical pal, but the standouts are English teacher Sally Kellerman and coach M Emmett Walsh.

    Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen) died at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, in October 2004 as a result of complications from heart surgery on 24 August. He was 82.

    Thornton Melon
    Rodney Dangerfield
    Jason Melon
    Keith Gordon
    Diane Turner
    Sally Kellerman
    Lou
    Burt Young
    Derek
    Robert Downey Jr
    Philip Barbay
    Paxton Whitehead
    Valerie Desmond
    Terry Farrell
    Vanessa
    Adrienne Barbeau
    Dean Martin
    Ned Beatty
    Coach Turnbull
    M Emmet Walsh
    Chas
    William Zabka
    Dr Barazini
    Severn Darden
    Professor Terguson
    Sam Kinison
    Marge
    Edie McClurg
    Giorgio
    Robert Picardo
    Kurt Vonnegut Jr
    Kurt Vonnegut Jr

    Director
    Alan Metter

    Video

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