Michelle Pfeiffer: <i>The Hollywood Knights</i>

Michelle Pfeiffer: The Hollywood Knights

Revisiting and celebrating the work of Michelle Pfeiffer, the best actress of my lifetime.

What was the elevator pitch for The Hollywood Knights (1980)? “It’s American Graffiti meets Animal House, only twice as stupid and half as fun!” Sold!

Set during one mildly wild Halloween night in 1965, at and around a Beverly Hills burger joint named Tubby's—home of "The Big One!"—the film clumsily stumbles along at a decent clip, without anything of much consequence really happening. Unless you consider mooning, premature ejaculation, urine-spiked punch, and accidental penis zippering (ouch) essential ingredients for an exciting film.

Still, I have a soft spot for this one for two reasons, and one of those reasons is named Fran Drescher. In only her fourth film, Drescher is a riot, and the most entertaining of the cast. Sorry, Robert Wuhl. At one point she berates her hapless date with the immortal line, “This is a party! We’re supposed to have fun, music, pastrami! What’s wrong with you??”

The other reason goes by the name of Michelle Pfeiffer. You may have heard of her before. This is her first film, and you know what that means: Baby Pfeiffer! Her role is small, but as Suzie Q. she still manages to imbue the stereotypical blonde bombshell with the sort of introspective ennui she would bring to so many better roles. She’s a teenager working at a burger joint but dammit she has dreams.

When not working as a fast food waitress, Suzie is an actress trying to make it big. Her boyfriend Duke (Tony Danza, then know best as Tony Banta on Taxi) isn't exactly supportive, and instead mopes and frets over what will happen to him if she is successful. Pfeiffer's scenes consist of her mostly looking worried, both about that big audition in the morning and at the prospect of losing Duke, while still looking flawless, even in her 1970s-style, Taco Bell-inspired, garish Tubby's outfit.

It's a fairly thankless part, but even at that young age, Pfeiffer makes it at least watchable. Suzie is always lost in her own thoughts, and because Pfeiffer makes it all look so existential and fraught, we believe that she's truly a mature, sensitive soul lost in a sea of immature goofballs. It doesn't hurt that Baby Pfeiffer is all sun-kissed glory here, with her golden-hued locks and oceanic blue eyes that you could get lost in for days and which reveal a maturity far beyond her years.

Is this Essential Pfeiffer? I would argue yes, but low on the list, and mostly for academic purposes. It's fascinating to watch the young actress in her first film, in a performance that's a bit tentative but always endearing. It's also exciting to realize that within just a few short years she would be considered one of the best actresses in the world. Her film career began right here, at Tubby's. No matter how forgettable the film is, that alone makes it essential viewing.

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Paul SAugust 12, 2018 at 5:13 AM
Young Michelle, mooning and muscle cars? Color me interested.
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