Slapstick of Another Kind

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Slapstick of Another Kind
Original film poster
Directed by	Steven Paul
Produced by	Steven Paul
Written by	Kurt Vonnegut (novelSlapstick) Steven Paul (screenplay)
Starring	Jerry Lewis Madeline Kahn Marty Feldman Jim Backus Merv Griffin Pat Morita
Music by	Michel Legrand (1982 cut) Morton Stevens (1984 cut)
Cinematography	Anthony B. Richmond
Editing by	Doug Jackson
Distributed by	International Film Marketing
Release date(s)	1982 (France) March 1984 (US)
Running time	82/84 minutes
Language	English

Slapstick of Another Kind is an American comedy film. It was filmed in 1982, and released in March 1984 by both The S. Paul Company/Serendipity Entertainment Releasing Company and International Film Marketing. The film was written and directed by Steven Paul and is based on the novel Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut: the stars are Jerry Lewis, Madeline Kahn and Marty Feldman.

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[edit]Plot

The People's Republic of China is severing relations with all other nations. They have mastered the art of miniaturization, and have shrunk all their people to the height of 2 inches. The ambassador of China, Ah Fong (Pat Morita), announces during a press conference that the key to all knowledge can be found from twins.

Caleb Swain (Jerry Lewis) and his wife Letitia (Madeline Kahn) are called "the most beautiful of all the beautiful people" by the press. However, when Letitia gives birth to twins who are called "monsters", the family doctor, Dr. Frankenstein (John Abbott) informs the parents that the twins won't live more than a few months. The Swains decide to allow the twins to live their short life in a mansion staffed with servants, including Sylvester (Marty Feldman).

Fifteen years later, the twins (also played by Lewis and Kahn) are still alive. They have large heads and appear to be mentally retarded. Their parents, who have not seen them in all those years, receive a visit from the former Chinese ambassador who informs them that their children are geniuses who can solve the world's problems.

The parents, along with the US president (Jim Backus), pay the children a visit. They reveal themselves to be well-behaved and intelligent, explaining that they acted "stupid" around the servants because they were simply emulating them.

A series of tests reveal that there is a telepathic connection between the twins, and their intelligence is only functional when they are together. Furthermore, when their heads are touching they reach a level of intelligence that has never been surpassed.

Their parents, fearful that incest may be prevalent, separate the two. They become despondent without each other, and the Chinese ambassador appears again to tell them to seek each other out. Once united, a spaceship appears and reveals that they are really aliens who were sent to Earth to solve all of the planet's problems. However, their alien father (voice of Orson Welles) reveals that Earth cannot handle their intelligence and returns them to their home planet.

[edit]Production

This film, which is loosely based on the novel Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More! by Kurt Vonnegut, was released in Europe in 1982, but did not see a US release until March 1984. There are two different versions, the 1982 version running 84 minutes, and the 1984 version, which was released to cable television as Slapstick in the US, running 82 minutes.