Steve GannBad Movies That I Love: Doctor Detroit
June 24th 2009 02:53
What actor could turn down the opportunity to showcase their range by playing both a timid college professor and a tough talking pimp in the same film?
That is what Dan Ackroyd's chore was in this 1983 not so classic flick. It was not received well by critics and a sequel entitled "The Wrath Of Mom" was never made. Ackroyd would also shoot the very well received Trading Places, with Eddie Murphy earlier that year.
It would be Ackroyd's duel role that makes this a favorite of mine. Too many times it seemed, Dan would get stuck playing straight man to Belushi first and Bill Murray later. The one exception other than this film was the role reversal between he and Belushi in 1981's Neighbors.
Ackroyd's character is Cliff Skridrow, a college professor teaching literature at his father's community college. He meets Smooth Walker, a local pimp, played by Howard Hesseman of WKOP and Head Of The Class fame. Walker, who is indebted to the local crime boss, sets Cliff up as a bad pimp from Chicago to divert attention and aid in his escape. The local crime boss is known as "Mom", played wonderfully by Kate Murtagh, who incidentally graced the cover of Supertramp's "Breakfast In America" record.
When Walker's "girls" come to Cliff for assistance, he reluctantly agrees, drawing on his years of teaching chivalry.
This is when Doctor Detroit is born and his legend quickly builds on the street until he is known as "The bad man from Chicago" who will end Mom's evil rule over the prostitution trade.
Eventually the duel life proves too much for Cliff and the stress builds to the climax when he must attend the Player's Ball and the faculty banquet on the same night.
It's a fun film that also showcases early roles for Ackroyd's wife Donna Dixon, The Nanny's Fran Drescher, and Lynn Whitfield as Doctor Detroit's girls.
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