{"id":88723,"date":"2022-12-01T16:29:27","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T23:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88723"},"modified":"2022-12-01T16:29:27","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T23:29:27","slug":"ritz-the-1976","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88723","title":{"rendered":"Ritz, The (1976)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;For someone who&#8217;s never been in a place like this, you&#8217;re certainly getting around!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster-204x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-88726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster-87x128.png 87w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster-183x270.png 183w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Poster.png 639w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA man (Jack Weston) hides away in a gay bath house when his mafia-involved brother-in-law (Jerry Stiller) puts a hit out on him.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Homosexuality<\/li>\n<li>Mafia<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Richard Lester Films<\/li>\n<li>Rita Moreno Films<\/li>\n<li>Treat Williams Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that while &#8220;this adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Ritz_(play)\">Terrence McNally&#8217;s broad bath-house farce<\/a> runs out of steam near the end, the frenetic performances and direction by Richard Lester make it a delight,&#8221; and he refers to it as a &#8220;much underrated comedy.&#8221; The storyline focuses on Weston meeting &#8220;a wild assortment of gays on the sexual prowl&#8221; at a New York bath house &#8212; including a diminutive &#8220;chubby chaser&#8221; (Paul B. Price) determined to pounce on Weston: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-1024x571.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"357\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-1024x571.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price-484x270.png 484w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Price.png 1285w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and F. Murray Abraham (giving the film&#8217;s most memorable performance) as a man mostly hoping to get lucky but also happy to lend Weston a hand once he learns what&#8217;s going on. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-1024x583.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"364\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88730\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-1024x583.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-128x73.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-768x438.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2-474x270.png 474w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham2.png 1269w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary points out that &#8220;in a rare lead, Weston is splendid, especially in his scenes with marvelous Rita Moreno, whose talentless Googie Gomez performs in the bath&#8217;s nightclub.&#8221; (Moreno won a Tony for her performance of the role on Broadway, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/88362\/the-ritz#articles-reviews?articleId=1191887\">she says was written for her after she played the character at a party thrown by James Coco<\/a>.) <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed-479x270.png 479w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Under-Bed.png 1273w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary asserts that while &#8220;Moreno steals the film,&#8221; he finds &#8220;it impossible not to laugh every time detective Treat Williams uses a ridiculous, high-pitched voice. (I disagree, and find this unfunny character trait simply distracting.) Overall, this is a rare film where I caught myself wondering exactly how much I &#8220;could&#8221; or should laugh; knowing it was written by a gay man helps, though Weston&#8217;s transphobia (he&#8217;s been misinformed that Moreno&#8217;s character is a man) is uncomfortable. Ultimately, as with all comedies, viewers will have to decide for themselves whether this is their cup of tea or not.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jack Weston as Gaetano Proclo<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-1024x575.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"359\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88735\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston-481x270.png 481w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Weston.png 1295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>F. Murray Abraham as Chris<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-1024x565.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-88724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-1024x565.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-128x71.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-768x423.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham-490x270.png 490w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Ritz-Abraham.png 1293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s worth a look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0075144\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/88362\/the-ritz#articles-reviews?articleId=1191887\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/the-ritz\/review\/2000112517\/\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;For someone who&#8217;s never been in a place like this, you&#8217;re certainly getting around!&#8221; Synopsis: A man (Jack Weston) hides away in a gay bath house when his mafia-involved brother-in-law (Jerry Stiller) puts a hit out on him. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Comedy Homosexuality Mafia Mistaken or Hidden Identities Play Adaptation Richard Lester Films Rita Moreno Films Treat Williams Films Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: Peary writes that while &#8220;this adaptation of Terrence McNally&#8217;s broad bath-house farce runs out of&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=88723\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=88723"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88740,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88723\/revisions\/88740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=88723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=88723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=88723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}