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- "Prepare ship for ludicrous speed! Fasten all seatbelts, seal all entrances and exits, close all shops in the mall, cancel the three ring circus, secure all animals in the zoo!"
- ―Colonel Sandurz
| Spaceballs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Spaceballs |
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
| Writers: | Mel Brooks; Thomas Meehan; Ronny Graham |
| Producers: | Mel Brooks; Ezra Swerdlow |
| Composer: | John Morris |
| Cinematography: | Nick McLean |
| Editors: | Conrad Buff, IV |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | MGM/UA; Brooksfilms |
| Released: | June 24th, 1987 |
| Rating: | PG |
| Running time: | 96 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $22,700,000 |
| Gross: | $38,119,483 (US) |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money (fictional sequel) |
Plot[]
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mel Brooks | President Skroob/Yogurt |
| John Candy | Barf |
| Rick Moranis | Dark Helmet |
| Bill Pullman | Lone Starr |
| Daphne Zuniga | Princess Vespa |
| Dick Van Patten | King Roland |
| George Wyner | Colonel Sandurz |
| Michael Winslow | Radar technician |
| Joan Rivers | Dot Matrix (voice) |
| Lorene Yarnell | Dot Matrix |
| John Hurt | Kane |
| Sal Viscuso | Radio operator |
| Ronny Graham | Minister |
| Jim J. Bullock | Prince Valium |
| Leslie Bevis | Commanderette Zircon |
| Jim Jackman | Major Asshole |
| Michael Pniewski | Laser gunner |
| Sandy Helberg | Doctor Schlotkin |
| Stephen Tobolowsky | Captain of the guard |
| Jeff MacGregor | Snotty |
| Henry Kaiser | Magnetic beam operator |
| Denise Gallup | Charlene |
| Dian Gallup | Marlene |
| Gail Barle | Waitress |
| Dey Young | Waitress |
| Rhonda Shear | Woman in diner |
| Robert Prescott | Sand cruiser driver |
| Jack Riley | TV newsman |
| Tom Dreesan | Megamaid guard |
| Rudy DeLuca | Vinnie |
| Tony Griffin | Prison guard |
| Rick Ducommun | Prison guard |
| Ken Olfson | Head usher |
| Bryan O'Byrne | Organist |
| Wayne Wilson | Trucker in cap |
| Ira Miller | Short order cook |
| Earl Finn | Guard with captain |
| Mitchell Bock | Video operator |
| Tommy Swerdlow | Troop leader |
| Tim Russ | Trooper |
| Ed Gale | Dink |
| Antonio Hoyos | Dink |
| Felix Silla | Dink |
| Arturo Gil | Dink |
| Tony Cox | Dink |
| John Kennedy Hayden | Dink |
| Dee Booher | Bearded lady |
| Johnny Silver | Caddy |
| Brenda Strong | Nurse |
| Dom DeLuise | Pizza the Hutt |
| Camille Hagen | Woman in diner |
| Terence Marsh | Spaceball drummer |
| Thomas Meehan | King Roland's aide. |
| Rob Paulsen | Spaceball with comb |
| Julie Pitkanen | Self-destruct voice |
| Dick Warlock | Vulcan nerve pinch guard |
| Michael York | Ape #1 |
Opening crawl[]
As with the film it is lampooning, Spaceballs opens with a scrolling narrative, giving a brief insight into the setting of the film as well as setting the stage for the events to follow. The design of the crawl is patterned after that used in the original Star Wars film as well as its sequels. The text slowly recedes into the background of the frame as it scrolls. The following is the text from the opening crawl seen in the film.
In a galaxy very, very, very,
very far away there lived
a ruthless race of beings
known as... Spaceballs.
Chapter Eleven
The evil leaders of Planet
Spaceball, having foolishly
squandered their precious
atmosphere, have devised a
secret plan to take every
breath of air away from
their peace-loving neighbor,
Planet Druidia.
Today is Princess Vespa's
wedding day. Unbeknownst
to the princess but knownst
to us, danger lurks in the
stars above...
Here is the text from the opening crawl presented in the original Star Wars. The 1977 release of the film did not include the chapter heading. Once director George Lucas realized that he had the capacity to create a sequel, the "Episode IV: A New Hope" heading was added and appeared in the 1978 re-release of the film.
It is a period of civil war.
Rebel spaceships, striking
from a hidden base, have won
their first victory against
the evil Galactic Empire.
During the battle, Rebel
spies managed to steal secret
plans to the Empire's
ultimate weapon, the DEATH
STAR, an armored space
station with enough power
to destroy an entire planet.
Pursued by the Empire's
sinister agents, Princess
Leia races home aboard her
starship, custodian of the
stolen plans that can save her
people and restore
freedom to the galaxy....
Parodies[]
Characters[]
- Lone Starr: Lone Starr is an amalgamation of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, though he largely favors the Han Solo characterization. Like Solo, Lone Starr is the captain of a space vessel and associates with a hirsute sidekick/co-pilot. He also develops a romantic interest in the female lead of the film, in much the same way that Solo developed a romantic relationship with Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Lone Starr's connection to the Schwartz is similar to Luke Skywalker's ability to manipulate the Force.
- Colonel Sandurz: Colonel Sanderz' name is derived from Harland David "Colonel" Sanders, the founder and spokesman for the Kentucky Frid Chicken restaurant chain. In the scene where Dark Helmet question's Sandurz' bravery he says, "What's the matter, Colonel? Chicken?"
- Pizza the Hutt: Pizza the Hutt is patterned after Jabba the Hutt, one of the central antagonists featured in the first act of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The name is also taken from Pizza Hut, an international chain of restaurants.
Site gags[]
- The film opens with a scrolling narrative, the design of which is the same as that seen in all six Star Wars feature films as well as the 2008 animated film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The concept behind the opening crawl was inspired by the old Republic serials of the 1940s such as Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, which used similar techniques to provide a recap of events from one installment to the next. See above for the opening crawl featured in this film.
- The introductory shot of Spaceball One is an excedingly extended tracking shot, exagerrating the overall length of the ship. This is mocking the opening scene from Star Wars when the Imperial Star Destroyer first looms into view. This memorable technique has been mocked or paid homage to in several sci-fi films.
Notes & Trivia[]
- Production on Spaceballs began on October 28th, 1986. Principal photography concluded on February 2nd, 1987.
- This is the second feature film for actor Bill Pullman. He previously appeared in the 1986 comedy Ruthless People with Danny DeVito and former Supergirl star Helen Slater. He will later go on to play President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day.
- Bon Jovi's "Raise Your Hands" is played when the Eagle 5 is first seen on-screen.
- Spaceballs: The Animated Series reveals that there is a third sibling to Charlene and Marlene named Darlene, thus making them triplets.
- In one of the early scenes, Dot Matrix opens a dialogue with Princess Vespa with the quote, "Can we talk?" This is a trademark line of comedienne Joan Rivers who provides the voice for Dot Matrix.
- The Spaceball drummer seen during the clip where Spaceball One transforms into Megamaid is played by production designer Terence Marsh. He is uncredited in the film.
See also[]
- Spaceballs
- Spaceballs episodes
- Spaceballs characters
- Spaceballs image gallery
- Spaceballs image category
- Spaceballs cast & crew
- Spaceballs miscellaneous
External Links[]
References[]
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