What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966)

Director: Woody Allen, Senkichi Taniguchi

Cast: Woody Allen, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Frank Buxton

Synopsis: A private detective is hired to retrieve a secret recipe for egg salad.

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time: hire a hot young comic writer to comically re-dub a dud Japanese flick which the studio considered too confusing for Western audiences.   And, in fact, history tells us it actually was a good idea, providing both the studio and the writer with a surprise hit.   Nearly fifty years later, though, things don’t appear as funny as they obviously used to be.   It’s a silly idea, and like all silly ideas, it amuses for only a very short time – five minutes, maybe.   After that, it grows increasingly dull until, after the hour mark, you can feel the will to live slowly draining away.   In fact, the original film looks more entertaining than Woody Allen’s version.   The Loving Spoonful were added simply to pad out the running time, and it shows.

(Reviewed 3rd February 2012)