Spaceballs [1987]

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1987
Running Times: 96 mins
Format: Metrocolor 35mm 70mm Super 35
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: 70mm 6-Track Dolby

[Full Credits]

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Brooksfilms for MGM
Producer: Mel Brooks
Co-Producer: Ezra Swerdlow

SCRIPT
Script: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, Ronny Graham

DIRECTION
Director: Mel Brooks

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Nick McLean

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Conrad Buff IV
Additional Editor: Nicholas C. Smith

MUSIC
Music: John Morris
Orchestrator: Jack Hayes
Songs: Jeff Pescetto, Clyde Lieberman, Mel Brooks [Spaceballs]; Dick Bauerle [Wanna Be Loved by You]; Gloria Sklerov, Lenny Macaluso [My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own]; Berlin [Heartstrings]; Van Halen [Good Enough]; Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora [Raise Your Hands]; Mark Coen [Shit Weasel]; Al Yankovic [(Six Words Long) This Song's Just]; Queen [Another One Bites The Dust]; Mark Coen, Mike Rodmin, John Rotch [Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way]; Mike Rodmin, Mitch Reed [Hunger]; Mountain of Pain [Fall Down]
Songs Performed By: The Spinners [Spaceballs]; Kim Carnes, Jeffrey Osborne [My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own]; Berlin [Heartstrings]; Van Halen [Good Enough]; Bon Jovi [Raise Your Hands]; The Pointer Sisters [Hot Together]; Ladyfire [Wanna Be Loved By You]; Spectre General [Shit Weasel; Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way; Hunger]; Weird Al Yankovic [(Six Words Long) This Song's Just]; Queen [Another One Bites The Dust]; Leftfield [Sticks]; Mountain of Pain [Fall Down]; Squeeze [The Sake Of Nothing]

SOUND
Sound Designers: Randy Thom, Gary Rydstrom
Sound Recordists: Jeff Wexler, Don Coufal, Jim Stuebe

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Designer / Creator: Ben Nye Jr
Make Up: Ken Diaz, Melanie Elaine Levitt
Hair: Dione Taylor
Costume Designer: Donfeld

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Peter Albiez
Special Effects: Richard Ratliff
Barf Ear Animatronics: Rick Lazzarini

VISUAL EFFECTS
Special Visual Effects: Apogee Productions Inc
Alien Creature Designers: Industrial Light and Magic
Visual Effects Supervisor: Peter Donen
Visual Effects Coordinator: Craig Boyajian

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Terence Marsh
Art Director: Harold Michelson
Special Designer: Ron Thornton

LOCATIONS
Locations: Imperial County, California, USA; Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, Germany
Location Manager: Michael J. Meehan

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Richard Warlock
Stunts: Mike Washlake, Jesse Wayne [uncredited]

CASTING
Casting: Lynn Stalmaster and Associates, David Rubin, Bill Shepard

CAST
Mel Brooks [President Skroob / Yogurt]
John Candy [Barfolemew 'Barf' the Mog]
Rick Moranis [Lord Dark Helmet]
Bill Pullman [Lone Starr]
Daphne Zuniga [Princess Vespa of Druidia]
Dick Van Patten [King Roland]
George Wyner [Colonel Sandurz of Spaceball 1]
Michael Winslow [radar technician of Spaceball 1]
Joan Rivers [voice of Dot Matrix]
Lorene Yarnell [Dot Matrix]
John Hurt [himself]
Sal Viscuso [radio operator]
Ronny Graham [minister]
JM J. Bullock [Prince Valium]
Leslie Bevis [Commanderette Zircon of Spaceball 1]
Jim Jackman [Major Asshole of Spaceball 1]
Michael Pniewski [laser gunner]
Sandy Helberg [Dr Schlotkin]
Stephen Tobolowsky [Captain of the Guard]
Jeff MacGregor [Snotty]
Henry Kaiser [magnetic beam operator]
Denise Gallup [Charlene]
Dian Gallup [Marlene]
Gail Barle, Dey Young [waitresses]
Rhonda Shear [woman in diner]
Robert Prescott [sand cruiser driver]
Jack Riley [TV newsman]
Tom Dreesen [Megamaid guard]
Rudy De Luca [Vinnie]
Tony Griffin, Rick Ducommun [prison guards]
Ken Olfson [head usher]
Bryan O'Byrne [organist]
Wayne Wilson [trucker in cap]
Ira Miller [short order cook]
Earl Finn [guard with captain]
Mitchell Bock [video operator]
Tommy Swerdlow [troop leader]
Tim Russ [trooper]
Ed Gale, Antonio Hoyos, Felix Silla, Arturo Gil, Tony Cox, John Kennedy Hayden [Dinks]
Dee Booher [bearded lady]
Johnny Silver [caddy]
Brenda Strong [Gretchen]
Dom DeLuise [voice of Pizza the Hutt]

When his daughter, the Princess Vespa, is kidnapped by the evil aliens the Spaceballs, King Roland of the planet Druidia calls in space mercenary Lone Star to help. The Spaceballs, lead by the villainous Dark Helmet, want Druidia's atmosphere to replace their own over-polluted air and it's up to Lone Star to rescue Vespa and save the day.

A far cry from Brooks' genuinely funny films, Spaceballs bears all of the puerile traits that were to to so badly taint his later spoofs. Earlier spoofs, like Blazing Saddles [1974], Young Frankenstein [1974] and High Anxiety [1977] had been witty and accurate parodies of their source materials - Spaceballs is frequently just crude, obvious and juvenile, relying less on wit than on slapstick and swearing to raise a few meager laughs.

Germany
DVD Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment

UK
Theatrical Distributor: UIP

USA
Video Distributor: MGM Home Video
Laserdisc Distributor: MGM Home Video [ML 101179]; MGM Home Video [ML 105213; includes - commentary by Mel Brooks; featurette on the making of the movie; original theatrical trailer]
DVD Distributor: MGM Home Entertainment [908100; includes - commentary by director Mel Brooks; behind-the-scenes footage]

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Finland
Rating: K-12

Ireland
Rating: PG

Sweden
Rating: 11

UK
Rating: 12
With cuts to remove certain obscenities.

USA
Rating: PG
TV versions are usually heavily cut to remove swear words and sexual innuendoes.

West Germany
Rating: 12

1987
June
24: USA - theatrical release

October
14: France - theatrical release
29: West Germany - theatrical release
11: UK - theatrical release

December
18: Finland - theatrical release
25: Sweden - theatrical release

1990
December
30: UK - television broadcast

1996
April
23: USA - laserdisc release [MGM Home Video [ML 105213]]

2000
April
25: USA - DVD release [MGM Home Entertainment [908100]]

2001
July
26: Germany - DVD release [MGM Home Entertainment]

Rumnødderne - Danish title
Spaceballs - Mel Brooks' verrückte Raumfahrt - German title
La loca historia de las galaxias - Spanish title
Avaruusboltsit - Finnish title
La folle histoire de l'espace - French title
Ürgolyhók - Hungarian title
Balle spaziali - Italian title
Kosmiczne jaja - Polish title
A Mais Louca Odisseia no Espaço - Portugese title
Det våras för rymden - Swedish title

SEE ALSO
2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]
Alien [1979]
Aliens [1986]
Fantastic Voyage [1966]
Fantasy Island [1978]
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The [1981] [mini]
Jaws [1975]
Max Headroom [1987]
Planet of the Apes [1968]
Rambo: First Blood Part II [1985]
Star Trek [1966 - 1969]
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [1977]
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [1980]
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi [1983]
Transformers [1984]
Transformers: The Movie [1986]
The Wizard of Oz [1939]

MAGAZINES

American Cinematographer vol.68 no.12 [December 1987] pp.58-62 [USA]
article

Cinefex no.31 [August 1987] pp.4-25 [USA]
illustrated article

City Limits no.323 [10 December 1987] pp.25-26 [UK]
review

Film Review December 1987 p.12 [UK]
review

Films and Filming no.399 [December 1987] pp.31-32 [UK]
review

Hollywood Reporter vol.294 no.26 [27 October 1986] pp.3, 18 [USA]
note

Hollywood Reporter vol.294 no.37 [11 November 1986] p.96 [USA]
credits

Hollywood Reporter vol.297 no.38 [22 June 1987] [USA]
credits, review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.54 no.647 [December 1987] pp.377-378 [UK]
credits, synopsis, review [by Tom Milne]

Première October 1987 p.17 [France]
review [by Jean-Claude Loiseau]

Screen International no.563 [30 August 1986] p.6 [UK]
note

Screen International no.608 [11 July 1987] [UK]
review

Starburst no.112 [December 1987] pp.21, 21 [UK]
illustrated credits, review

Starburst no.277 [September 2001 p.66 [UK]
illustrated DVD review

Stills no.29 [February 1987] p.61 [UK]
credits

Time Out no.903 [9 December 1987] p.35 [UK]
review

Variety 24 June 1987 [USA]
credits, review

Variety Production Chart 26 November 1986 [USA]
note

KEYWORDS

spoof; parody; space travel; space wars; spaceships; aliens; other planets; royalty; kings; pribcesses; teleportation; deserts; robots; auto-cannibalism