When Mel Brooks created this typically uneven parody of Star Wars(1977) and other space adventures, he went to extreme lengths to deliver a bad pun or a cheap visual gag.
He also made significant creative and budgetary investments in payoffs that are funny almost by virtue of their eye-rolling cheesiness, like naming a character Colonel Sanderz for a single one-liner (“What’s the matter, Colonel Sanderz? Chicken?”) or taking the phrase “combing the desert” to its literal extreme. Anything for a laugh.
The Spaceballs of the title are running out of air on their home planet, so their evil leader Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis, pictured below) schemes to syphon fresh air from the peace-loving planet of Druidia.
In order to get the code to break through Druidia’s protective shield, Dark Helmet and his minions attempt to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga, who doesn’t look Druish) and bribe her father into giving them the information.
The king, in turn, calls on rogue Han Solo-type Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man/half-dog Barf (John Candy) to rescue the princess and restore order to the universe.
This was Brooks’ last semi-decent spoof before he permanently hit the skids with films like Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993).Brooks was operating without a quality-control button on Spaceballs but still came out OK on the hit-to-miss ratio.
President Skroob Yogurt
Mel Brooks Dark Helmet
Rick Moranis Princess Vespa
Daphne Zuniga Lone Starr
Bill Pullman Barf
John Candy King Roland
Dick Van Patten Prince Valium
JMJ Bullock Pizza the Hutt
Dom Deluise Dot Matrix
Lorene Yarnell Dot Matrix (voice)
Joan Rivers John Hurt
Himself Colonel Sanderz
George Wyner Radar Technician
Michael Winslow Radio Operator
Sal Viscuso Minister
Ronny Graham Commanderette Zircon
Leslie Bevis Major Asshole
Jim Jackman Laser Gunner
Michael Pniewski Dr Schlotkin
Sandy Helberg Captain of the Guard
Stephen Tobolowsky Snotty
Jeff Macgregor Magnetic Beam Operator
Henry Kaiser Charlene
Denise Gallup Marlene
Dian Gallup Vinnie
Rudy Deluca
Director
Mel Brooks
Video
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