Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)

Really nice surprise;a film which blends both humor and drama with equal measure, in this fast-paced ambulance dramedy about two rival small-time LA based paramedics companies(F&B and Unity) dueling as they seek code-patients, dealing with the unpredictable, day-to-day / night-to-night routines and all of the different challenges that come with the demanding job. Solid-as-a-rock cast including Bill Cosby, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Davison, Dick Butkis, and Larry Hagman(..who steals the film)as paramedics working for cantankerous, loud-mouth Allen Garfield. Dependable LQ Jones shows up in a small supporting role as the sheriff who allows Mother(Cosby)leverage in illegal activities(..often for a price, other times out of friendship). The gorgeous Raquel Welch, always able to make hearts(..among other organs)swoon, stars as a switchboard operator who earns a paramedic diploma and must go to severe lengths(..commandeering an ambulance out of rage towards Garfield's resistance towards women drivers)to get the boss to let her in on the street action.A young Davison's(..who's both full of energy, yet exhibiting a rather sad aura) fate when he and Mother answer the call regarding a disturbed junkie desperate for a fix, is really tragic. Hagman has a plum role as a perverted sex fiend who humps female patients while they are unconscious as his partner drives them to the nearest hospital, only to be caught red handed by Keitel(..nicknamed Speed, an accused police officer temporarily suspended for possibly selling cocaine)and "repremanded" for his actions. Highlight has Cosby beating Hagman to a pulp due to an incident involving betting on how many stiffs each team could pick up during the shift. Garfield's group actually sleep together in the building just in case calls come in.The film displays how the cast deals with death(..such as the loss of a patient who hemorrhages after giving birth, and when a paramedic is shot in cold blood while on the job), plus we see how Mother exploits the lack of policy under his employer due to his skills and experience(..even, getting a massage while on duty!). Cosby works his magic(..it's amazing how likable and charming he is despite his questionable ways on the job) and Keitel is remarkably mellow and restrained(..without being dull or lifeless). I thought the film just flew by because it's so much fun and has such verve, with interesting characters / situations..never a dull moment, really.

1976 was a year for fun movies. "Mother, Jugs, and Speed" has got it all: comedy, action, drama, and adventure. This movie deals with the life of being a paramedic. Bill Cosby plays Mother, a veteran ambulance driver with a history of uncouthness: Drinking on the job; carrying a firearm; and being slothful at the final moment. However, he gets the job done. Raquel Welch plays Jennifer aka "Jugs". I don't want to go there with that! Sorry! Harvey Kitel plays Tony aka "Speed" Mother's new partner after his junkie partner was killed by another addict(Toni Basil, way before she hit it big with her 1980's hit "Mickey"). This movie deals with a lot of issues in the business: racial, sexual, economical, etc. Most of it was pretty tame. Despite the "N" word, and the finger expression which "Jugs" gave to her superior. I liked the way the ambulance was made for the movie. This movie wasn't made for kids, if Richard Pryor was the star, this would be an R-rated movie. This is made for mature audiences. It's great though!3.5 out of 5 stars!

It isn't just Raquel Welch's chest that's loaded up with silicone. Peter Yates' putrid Mother, Juggs, and Speed makes you feel as if you've been loaded to the bursting point with those little cylinders of silicate that you'll find in packages of stereo equipment and beef jerky. You feel scratchy, dried-out, and polluted.Yech! Riding in an ambulance has never been anywhere near the top of my list of fun things to do, but after watching MJS, the story of rival ambulance companies battling each other in LA, I'd rather let the hospital come to me.Read the other reviews for the plot. I'm here to tell you this is a stupid and vulgar movie that wastes the talents of Bill Cosby, Harvey Keitel, and about two dozen easily recognizable character actors. Who'd accuse Welch of having talent to waste? Yates tries for topicality and rage-against-the-machine humor and all he gets is the high point of the movie, Raquel trying to settle down some poor shlub who's accidentally gotten his . . . well, you know . . . zipped up into his pants. Imagine the humor of trying to get a male appendage to deflate with 38Ds staring you in the face.Ha! The only thing worth watching or listening to is Cosby's music as he drives across and ruins a golf course to scoop up a heart attack victim.The song is called "Get the Funk Outta My Face." Good advice for this movie!

In a domestic, peacetime context, and it's partially successful. The same existential, near-nihilistic ethos (competency is pretty much the only acknowledged value) as that in "M*A*S*H" pervades here. Bill Cosby is basically a black Hawkeye Pierce. Despite several nods to 70's feminism, the "Jugs" character is basically another Lt. Dish. And Larry Hagman's character is a straight knock-off of Frank Burns, with male chauvinism substituted for religious fundamentalism. Nevertheless, many of the gags and much of the dialogue are (usually darkly) hilarious. The film does convey the tragi-comic atmosphere of the inner city, much like Scorcese's "Bringing Out the Dead." The acting is generally superb.