The Ritz (1976)

A man (Jack Weston} discovers his brother-in-law (Jerry Stiller)is trying to kill him. He gets into a cab and tells the cabdriver to take him where he won't be discovered. He's taken to the Ritz-a gay bathhouse.This is an adaptation of a successful Broadway play. Most of the cast from the play recreate their parts in the movie including Rita Moreno who won a Tony for the play.It's well-done with the cast going full force. The play was a slamming door farce that almost never works in movies but here it does. Also the movie is refreshingly non-homophobic. And Moreno and Treat Williams (as a detective) are hysterical. Worth watching.

***SPOILERS*** It's was when on his deathbed Papa Vespucci's,George Couloris,last wish before he finally checked out was to "Get Proclo". That meaning to rub his son in law Gaeanto Proclo, Jack Weston, out which set the stage for him, after Papa's funeral, taking off to the one place on earth that no one will find him at "The Ritz" gay bathhouse in Greenwich Village where he thought he'll be safe. It turned out to be a night of horrors for Proclo but in the end it exposed his insane with hatred brother in law and co-owner of his garbage company Carmine Vespucci, Jerry Stiller,as the hypocrite, in claiming to be a God fearing family man, that he really was.As soon as Proclo checked into "The Ritz" he was accosted and chased by the sex starved Claude Perkins, Paul B. Price, a notorious "Chubby Chaser" who's got this things about fat men which Proclo, weighing in at some 220 pounds, is a perfect specimen. It's Carmine's plan not to rub out his brother in law but catch him in bed with another man to destroy his being in the family garbage business at take it over all for himself. There's also the high pitched but Alan Ladd looking PI Michael Brick, Treat Williams, who 's job it is to get Proclo into a compromising position and photograph him in it by his boss Carmine Vespucci. This backfires on Carmine in that Brick for most of the movie mistakes Carmine for Proclo in not knowing, he only communicated with Carmine by phone or behind closed doors, which is which.***SPOILERS**** Hysterically funny movie with the also failed Broadway actress Googie "Google" Gomez, Rita Merino, trying to impress Paoclo whom she mistakes for a big time Broadway producer to get the lead role in the play, both that he's to produce, "Oklahoma" or "The Sound of Music" in that she feels that she's be perfect in the lead role of each of them. It's in the end that not only is Carmine the super macho family man found out to be the owner of "The Ritz", and possibly a "fruitcake" himself, but the person who tricked Proclo to end up being there! And an even bigger shock Brick's uncle turns out to be a big Broadway producer who can get Googie a role in his next big Broadway play who just happens to be non other then Seymour Pippins! The very man whom Googie blames for destroying her very promising acting & singing career!

I recently saw The Ritz for the first time after hesitating for years. As a gay man who came out about 10 years after this film's release, I am well aware that the depiction of homosexuals in films from this period and before was never anything other than mocking or sinister or criminal. This movie tries hard to be funny. Jack Weston is, of course, a great comedian. Jerry Stiller as an Italian gangster tries but fails. Rita Moreno as a cabaret singer at the club is funny to some but foolish to me. While not "offensive" to gays, per se, it's very patronizing which is nearly as bad. This is because it's a product of it's time. The idea, for instance, that Moreno would work at this club and continually refer to the men as "maricon" and mean it isn't very funny to me. 2 of the 4 stars go directly to Treat Williams and his toweled body. He's stunning to look at and has his funny moments. Still, it's all "much ado about absolutely nothing" and it just goes on way too long. If it were a skit in a comedy revue lasting, say, 15 or 20 minutes then I might be on-board but at the end of the day this film lost me and it's jokes just don't stand the test of time.

I saw this film on it's release in the UK and thought it one of the funniest films I have ever seen. I don't understand why THE RITZ has not been released on DVD etc. Everyone in the whole movie was brilliantly funny especially Treat Williams , Rita Moreno and F Murray Abrahams.( It also seems to feature quite a few English actors and I wonder if it was actually made in the UK )? I finally found a DVD for offer on E BAY , goodness knows where it came from , it seems to be from a VHS tape for USA release. The movie has not lost any of its' hilarious charms and although the situations now seem dated it's still worthy for listing as one of the funniest films ever.