In this dark comedy, Sonny Lawson (Reynolds) is diagnosed with a terminal blood desease and after consulting with an adolescent priest (Robby Benson), speaking with his lawyer (David Steinberg) and spending some time with the people in his life - his mistress (Sally Field), ex wife (Joanne Woodward) and daughter (Kristy McNichol) - decides to commit suicide. He wakes up in an asylum after an unsuccessful attempt, only to be confronted by Myron Borunki (DeLuise), a paranoid schizophrenic who, upon hearing Sonny's sad story, cheerfully, repeatedly and homicidally offers him help to achieve his goal.
This is, arguably, the film I've written up so far that least deserves its status as obscure. It's full of pithy insight into human nature, outrageous comedy and even a few honestly sincere moments of sentiment. DeLuise gives a really hilarious, laugh-out-loud performance and Reynolds, who also directs is as charming as ever. It's wonderful to see the cameos by star after star, including Myrna Loy, Pat O'Brien, Norman Fell and Carl Reiner. Top that off with a Paul Williams theme sung by Glen Campbell that I'm rapidly becoming obsessed with and you have a terrific package.
This film is available on DVD and can be watched instantly on Netflix. The trailer above was uploaded to YouTube by MovieTrailerMonkey.
Obscurity factor: 5 (has small legion of fans, though largely unknown to general public, on DVD, available on Netflix Instant)
Long before Gary Shandling did it, David Steinberg exploited the "show within a show" format for his eponymously named The David Steinberg Show. Set in and around the studios of the show in Toronto, Canada, you would see David and his guests on stage with an audience, back stage and across the street at the Hello Deli. Each week would bring a new guest and a new circumstance to exploit for comedic purposes. Guests included such wide ranging personalities as Ethel Merman, Mason Reece, Scatman Crothers, Marcia Wallace, Ruth Buzzi and almost the entire cast of Maud - Adrienne Barbeau, Bill Macy and Conrad Bain.
Series regulars included Bill - "ya doesn't have to call me Johnson" - Saluga and soon to be SCTV luminaries Martin Short, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Joe Flaherty who is the patient in the above psychiatrist skit - one of Steinberg's signature bits (uploaded to YouTube by steinbergshow). While not earth shattering, this summer replacement show from '72 turned regular series in '76 is fun to watch and a great 70's time capsule sampling of pop culture. It's available on DVD and there is a "best of" compilation to be watched on demand at Netflix, however from the reviews, it seems like they left out most of the good stuff.
Obscurity factor: 9 (available on DVD, not generally remembered)
