FILMS… RTT80s Podcast, My Post on The Pirate Movie (1982)

#1980s #AllPosts

 

Ahoy me hearties, it’s a swashbuckling musical tale of first love…

 

My first collaboration with Return to the 80s is a trailer for this Australian cult movie with a treasure trove of 1980s tunes.

 

Kristy and Christopher

Ted Hamilton

The Pirate Movie (1982) Trailer, British Secret Agent 007

 

Welcome to my first post for RTT80s Podcasts, Realweegiemidget Posts. This is my sparkly new crossover collaboration with Paul Stroessner from Return to the 80s. And a wee guide to our new collab for 2022 can be summed up in just a wee paragraph…

I am writing a monthly trailer review to complement some of this podcast’s new content for 2022 about 1980s films, TV and books. We then promote each other’s content online and add our links to each other’s work. 

The first of our joint monthly collaborations is on the 1982 film musical, The Pirate Movie. This film is a cheesy feel-good 80s movie that stars everyone’s 80s dream girl Kristy McNichol and the poodle permed (?) then pin-up Christopher Atkins.

I wrote about this film as a Main Features post in February last year HERE. I had reviewed it after I remembered Paul raving on about his then crush on the leading lady and the film when we collaborated on the 80s League and Banzai Retro Club many moons ago. And being a bit of a Dallas fan, I knew had to review this film Chris Atkins starred in this soap as JR’s son’s camp counsellor and later his wife Sue Ellen’s lover in the Prime Time soap.

 

About the Movie Plot…

In the post, I wrote earlier…

I struck gold after finding this comedy musical parody of the Pirates from Penzance musical with 80s references, Dallas’ Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol.

The film tells of young frumpy Mabel Stanley (McNichol)  who attends pirate week with a shed load of lovely leggy type girls. She attends a sword-fighting demonstration and then she gets invited to join the hunky instructor on his yacht. After the boat leaves without her, she follows in another boat but is thrown overboard in a storm.

Washed up on a beach and unconscious, she dreams that the instructor is now Frederic, a young man who has just given up his pirating ways. This is much to the Pirate King’s (Ted Hamilton) upset. Frederic then takes off in a boat and spies land and after he gets to shore, he meets Mabel on a beach and it’s mutual love at first sight.

He wants to marry the now considerably less frumpy, Mabel. But it’s a wee bit complicated. Especially, as the pirates kidnap all the girls. Then Frederic also has to prove himself to her father and retrieve their family’s treasure. This treasure was originally stolen by the Pirate King and his buddies. And there’s a catch, as the Pirate King has the map with the location for the treasure tattooed on his back. So tune in to see if Mabel and Frederic get the Happy Ending they hope for…

 

About the Trailer and Behind the Scenes… 

This Australian film musical was a three time Razzie Award winner but don’t let that put you off. Wikipedia won three Razzies for the director, Ken Annakin, the original song Pumpin and Blowin and the whole of the musical score. All three leads – McNichol, Atkins and Hamilton – were also nominated for Razzies but all lost. They got the last laugh though as this is now a cult movie.

It’s partly a homage to those pirate films but feels very 80s in those songs and tunes. It reminded me of Mamma Mia (2008) in terms of enthusiasm and infectious songs. And it is definitely one for young girls of a certain age.

In 1982, I was unaware of this film and I believe that some of the jokes of a more adult nature would have definitely gone over my head. I had been – like most other pre-teen girls I knew at school – seriously into another film musical, Annie (1982).

The trailer tells the plot with a montage of the best bits and catchiest songs from the film. It even hints at the ending. So if you didn’t know the plot of this movie, and you were an 80s kid who wasn’t able to see it at the cinema you could easily bluff your way into making your friends believe you’d seen it in full. And it is nice that it’s one of those films which neatly ends the film, rather than hints at a sequel…

Both McNichol and Atkins were approached by record companies after this film. However, IMDB reveals that Chris Atkins’ voice was dubbed and that he said…

“I don’t sing well in the shower! Thank God for machines. They can make a dog sing!”

It is a visual treat, and I’m not just talking about the leading pair casting but the enthusiastic dancing, singing and pop culture references. These pop culture references also include another film where Atkins had a poodle perm and a romance with a lovely leading lady in The Blue Lagoon (1980). And the tagline for this – his debut film – could also apply to The Pirate Movie as…

“When their love happens, it is as natural as the sea and as powerful”

So now go see the movie and listen to Paul’s podcast and then get swept away in this musical romance…

 

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CLICK HERE to listen to Return to the 80s podcast with their thoughts about this film… 

And you can follow Return to the 80s at rtt80s.com.

Find Return to the ’80s on Facebook and on Twitter @returntothe80s.

CLICK HERE for my full-length review with more on this film. Tune in HERE for our next collaboration on Buster (1988)…

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