The Busy Body (1967) User Reviews

Borscht Belt Hoods and Mr. Ryan

[theowinthrop · 6/10 · 9 July 2006]

This is definitely not the greatest film comedy, but it has it's moments.

The plot has to do with mob boss Ryan's discovery of a large scale theft of cash that seemed about to be uncovered by his mob's bookkeeper, Bill Dana. Dana is killed in front of Ryan and his right hand gopher Sid Caesar while barbecuing (somebody tampered with the oil used on the barbecue grill). When the discovery is made, Ryan zeroes in on Caesar as the thief, and probable murderer of Dana. Caesar spends the film trying to 1) keep out of the hands of Ryan and his goons (Godfrey Cambridge and Marty Ingalls), 2) keep out of the hands of the police (Richard Pryor), 3) keep his meddlesome mother out of his hair (Kay Medford), 4) solve the mystery of the death of Dana and his disappearing corpse, 5) find out who, exactly, is trying to frame him, and 6) looking after Dana's newly made widow (Arlene Golonka) who is looking very appealing to Caesar.

Actually the plot fits pretty well, but it is a so-so plot for all that. I think by the time the film is half-way through you will realize who the framer is. But it is the little shticks by borscht belt comics, Caesar, Jan Murray, Cambridge (with Ingalls), Dana (briefly), and with long time comedian Ben Blue and recent arrivals Richard Pryor and Dom DeLuis, that should hold one's attention. Blue is the perennial nervous nelly, a witness against Caesar who is confronted by him (not threatened by him, mind you, but confronted) and keeps collapsing in fear of being tortured. As mentioned in another comment on this thread, a woman tries to vamp a dummy that Caesar has left at a bus stop. You have to understand that Caesar introduced her to the dummy as his friend , Matthias Kreplach, who was rich. The woman leaves in a huff when Matthias just won't respond to her chatter - he just sits there like a dummy.

I may add that while that scene is good, my favorite moment is the last scene involving Jan Murray and Anne Baxter as a larcenous husband and wife. He gets a final rise out of her that George Sanders did not achieve in ALL ABOUT EVE.

Enjoy with Low Expectations

[vox-sane · 6/10 · 9 June 2009]

"The Busy Body" has much working in its favor.

First of all, it has a source book by comedy/crime writer Donald E. Westlake. I haven't read the original novel but the script has several amusing elements that perfectly fit Westlake's style.

It also has that "Vic Mizzy sound." Mizzy did music for "Green Acres" and "The Addams Family" as well as Don Knotts vehicles. His work is more typically associated with rural or small-town atmospheres, and it's good to hear that it works just as well in an urban setting. He provides a memorable theme (though not in the way you think).

"The Busy Body" has first-rate comedy line-up. Among those who get laughs are Godfrey Cambridge and Mary Ingles as a couple of inept hit-men; a young Dom DeLuis trying to make a name for himself in a thankless role; and comedy veteran Ben Blue. And Arlene Golonka is always worth watching.

Bill Dana is unable to make much of his blink-and-you'll miss him part (the writers should have given him more business). Now comedic legend Richard Pryor, in his first major film role, does a creditable job playing it straight as a police officer.

The script has many amusing plot twists (probably derived straight from Westlake).

If you are bothered by graves, caskets, the funeral industry, and dead bodies in general, you won't enjoy this movie. If, however, desecrating graves, digging up corpses, and seeing live people trapped with dead people all suits your sense of humor, you'll be more inclined to enjoy this little comedy.

The problems with the feature include its star, Sid Caesar. This is a part that might have been written for Don Knotts (or, in an earlier era, Danny Kaye). Caesar could be a funny man, though one is probably more prone to laugh at his shtick if one grew up with "Your Show of Shows" (I did not, coming along in the next decade). Caesar starred in few movies, and it was questionable whether he ever should have ever tried to carry a feature, since he can give such good support. Dick van Dyke would have been a happier choice for the lead -- or Knotts, who would at least give us his googly eyes.

Robert Ryan's crime boss is played to the hilt -- and that's a bad thing. Don't expect Ryan to turn in the sort of part that would be offered to serious actors in movies like "Airplane" a decade later, where they were able to be serious yet spoofing. Ryan has one note and he seems far too serious and professional a crime boss to hire this gang.

Caesar plays a young man who has just been made a Board Member of his Organization. Unfortunately, the organization is criminal; and when he loses one million dollars (that was a lot of money in those days -- think "Austin Powers") that may be buried with a friend, the crime boss tells him to recover it -- or else. But Caesar has various problems in locating the right body. At one time he has too few bodies; at another time, too many. The movie is helped by DVD -- on television it was always pan-and-scan, and that kills comedy. Director William Castle (a strange choice) doesn't really use the entire frame to full comedic effect, but it's nice to see the movie as it was intended.

It's not one of the all-time great comedies and it's not a hitherto undiscovered classic. It's just a sweet little comedy about dead bodies and grave robbing and I like it.

Sid Caesar, RIP

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 14 February 2014]

Since Sid Caesar died a few days ago, I decided to watch one of his movies. "The Busy Body" makes no pretense about being silly. The characters are pretty much what we expect: Caesar is the nervous everyman mixed up in a murder case, Robert Ryan is the slimy exec, Arlene Golonka is the cleavage-flaunting blonde bombshell, and Kay Medford is the overprotective mother. The movie features the first appearance of Richard Pryor but he doesn't have much to do. I figure that an old-school director like William Castle wasn't about to let Pryor play the kind of character for which he eventually became renowned. In the end it's not any kind of comedy classic but funny enough for the brief period that it runs.

Hey, If Jerry Lewis can, why not Sid?

[rudy-30 · 18 December 2002]

This comedy has all the elements of the type of comedies Don Knotts and Jerry Lewis were performing in during the 1960's. An ordinary man gets involved with murder (I forgot to mention Dick Van Dyke). The comedy was tailored around the talents of Ben Blue and Caesar, with the other comics filling time. It's a pleasant comedy, but don't go out of your way.

Sid for Jerry

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 4 June 2020]

I was surprised to see that 'William Castle was the director for The Busy Body that Paramount used. Castle is best known for ow budget horror films with special effects and sometimes cheesy ones at that. This cast of name players was something wasn't used to.

I also note that sSd Caesar was the star. As this is a Paramount this film had the look and feel of a Jerry Lewis film. If Lewis had starred and maybe a Frank Tashlin directed The Busy Body might have been a classic.

Top crime boss Robert Ryan puts his gofer Sid Caesar on the syndicate board and tells him to retrieve a blue suit from a recently deceased board member. Instead Caesar has him buried in it. With a million dollar sewn in the lining of said suit.

One of the big problems is that Robert Ryan just doesn't do comedy. His part would have worked better with a Lionel Stander or a Sheldon Leonard in it.

In a large supporting cast of familiar faces standing out is Kay Medford as Sid's gangster widow mom.

Nice film, funny in spots, but could have been better.

Hail Caesar

[jameselliot-1 · 7/10 · 19 February 2011]

Looks like I'm the only one here who really enjoys The Busy Body, a movie I've watched many times and love. Sid Caesar is really funny, prissy and nitpicky as an obsessive-compulsive, overly fastidious clothes horse (a parody of a GQ/Esquire reader) who is a deliveryman for the mob (like the boss's lunch). Sid's decision to play it straight, as opposed to a scaredy-cat type like Don Knotts, works. Robert Ryan's great, a tough as nails, quick igniting organized crime boss, a combination of Marine drill sergeant and hood. The interaction between these two makes BB the fun pic it is. I wish there had been more of it. The supporting cast is a true who's who of comedic geniuses, from Bill Dana and Dom DeLuise to Godfrey Cambridge and Marty Engels. An added bonus is a young Arlene Golonka in the prime of her stacked sexiness and sweet, ditzy personality. The Vic Mizzy soundtrack is a plus.

Very minor comedy

[jjnxn-1 · 4/10 · 10 May 2013]

When the best thing you can say about a movie is that you didn't hate it that seems to be damning it with faint praise but really this film is so contrived it's hard to say anything else. First the good, Robert Ryan provides his usual touch of class to the proceedings and Anne Baxter, looking stunning with skyscraper hair, is wonderfully droll. Kay Medford is amusing as the overbearing mother even if her part is silly and Arlene Golonka is sweet and kooky. The main story is lame, and the use of obvious dummies for the bodies is just stupid. The real weak link is the star. Sid Caesar proves he was not leading man material with a performance so arch as to be painful to watch. Okay to pass the time with once or if you are a completist for either Ryan or Baxter films but do not go out of your way.

Seeing the recently departed Sid Caesar in The Busy Body was pretty amusing, if not hilarious

[tavm · 6/10 · 20 March 2014]

With Sid Caesar recently departed and this movie finally available to order from Netflix, I finally got this a few days ago. I watched it with Mom just now and she wasn't too crazy for it. I wasn't either though I was highly amused by Caesar much of the time I was watching whenever he had scenes with Dom DeLuise, Ben Blue, or Richard Pryor whose movie debut this was. His highlights, however, was when he took a dummy (don't ask) to a bus bench where he spoke Russian gibberish to a woman from there and when he encountered Arlene Golonka when she was in her stripper costume and he reacts to her moves. Director William Castle, who usually made gimmicky horror movies, doesn't seem to have much of a comedy flair but the players do the best with what's given them. So on that note, The Busy Body is worth a look. P.S. It was a nice surprise to see the Chicago landmarks since it was made at the time my parents were living there and when I was the first-born of the family. And to find out Ms. Golonka was also born there.

Flat and not all that funny...and with a bizarre mostly B-list (or C-list) cast.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 11 October 2011]

I had REALLY low expectations for this film. After all, considering that is starred Sid Caesar, Robert Ryan, Richard Pryor and Anne Baxter and I'd never even heard of it was a very bad sign. In addition, while these are noted celebrities, they don't exactly seem to go together--along with the likes of Marty Engels, Godfrey Cambridge, Dom DeLuise, Charles McGraw and Georgie Jessel! This casting just seemed bizarre....very, very bizarre--like the casting was done through a random drawing. Plus, the producer (William Castle) had Richard Pryor playing a cop--yes, a cop!

The film begins with Caesar being asked to join the board of directors...of the mob. However, soon he gets himself in trouble because he arranges a funeral for one the the gangsters and accidentally buries him in a suit--a suit with $1,000,000 sewn into the lining. He's ordered to dig the guy up--and finds the body and the suit are missing. So, it's up to Caesar to QUICKLY find it or face the wrath of the boss (Ryan).

This film looks about the quality of an episode of a 60s sit-com. I almost expected a laugh track! Broad writing, very broad characters and a lot of flat jokes--this would explain why I'd never heard of the film. While it's not terrible, this isn't exactly a glowing endorsement. Probably not worth your time.

By the way, how could Caesar's character dig up a grave in a suit and have not a single speck of dirt on him---twice!?

Not at all director William Castle's usual fare

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 1 October 2020]

This crime comedy is played strictly for laughs. Sid Caesar stars as the impeccably dressed right-hand man of mob leader Robert Ryan. When one of the 'boys' (Bill Dana) is blown up while barbecuing, Caesar helps his grieving widow (Arlene Golonka) select a suit to bury him in; unfortunately it was his 'traveling suit'.-the one that had a secret lining that held a million dollars from his last 'job' for Ryan.

Ryan plays the stone faced, controlling boss without blinking despite the chaos around him. Caesar is ordered to find the suit by whatever means, including digging up Dana, but when Dana isn't in the grave he's supposed to be in, it becomes a frantic search for Caesar to avoid Ryan and mob members Godfrey Cambridge and Marty Ingels, as well as outsiders pulled into the story like Dom DeLuise, Ben Blue, Jan Murray and his wife Anne Baxter.

Caesar also has to deal with his meddling mother, Kay Medford, and the cop that always seems to be tailing him, Richard Pryor. If that seems like a great cast, you are correct. Although there are some lags that keep it from being really good, it's entertaining and a nice little double twist at the end ties everything up nicely (one is easily predicte, the second, not so much). I wasn't wild about the Vic Mizzy score as it seems too Green Acres, but overall an overlooked 60s film.

Disappointing!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 17 February 2018]

Mario Gauci has submitted an excellent review of this movie. I have little to add except to say that Sid Caesar reveals himself as a somewhat charmless "comedian" in this obviously hastily assembled and filmed with celerity movie that offers little in exchange for the coat of an audience's admission tickets (or the purchase or hiring price of a DVD).

The script is more than a trifle tedious, the direction of course is plain dull and the whole affair has virtually nothing to offer in the way of entertainment.

I am speaking of course from the vantage point of a paid critic. A casual moviegoer who has not been exposed to a great deal of William Castle's offerings will probably not agree with me when I say that in my opinion the photography was somewhat less than capable, the script more than trifle tedious and the direction, as previously stated, just plain dull.

You guys are gonna learn class, or I'll kick your teeth in!

[Sylviastel · 9/10 · 18 June 2018]

This film should be considered a comedy classic with a top notch cast such as Sid Caesar, Richard Pryor in an early role, Kay Medford, Dom Deluise, Arlene Golonka and even Anne Baxter in the cast. The film has Sid Caesar who must deal with the mob and murder all in a day's work. There is a mystery going on here with comedy as well.

THE BUSY BODY (William Castle, 1967) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 28 April 2014]

Having spent the best part of the first 15 years of his directorial career at Columbia – mostly under the aegis of prolific but cheapjack producer Sam Katzman – William Castle defected to a smaller studio, Allied Artists, in order to make his mark on film history with the horror comic MACABRE (1958). When he improved his gimmicky formula with HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL at the same studio but with a bigger star (Vincent Price), his old employers Columbia invited him back into their stable where he spent another five years making some of his most popular and enduring work like THE TINGLER (1959; which reunited him with Price), HOMICIDAL (1961) and STRAIT-JACKET (1964; with Hollywood legend Joan Crawford). At this point, he made a three-movie detour to Universal (where he had work intermittently before in the late 1940s/early 1950s) which culminated in the black comedy LET'S KILL UNCLE (1966; with Nigel Green), by which time his tried-and-tested fusion of horror, comedy and showmanship had begun to wear thin. This signaled yet another (and, in retrospect, final) move on Castle's part resulting in a somewhat unproductive but eventually rewarding 10-year tenure at Paramount…

Although he had previously dwelt in outright comedy, even during his golden period, with his two resistible Tom Poston vehicles – ZOTZ! (1962) and his fairly disastrous colour remake of THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963) – what came next was almost as significant a departure as MACABRE had been from his earlier work. Indeed, in THE BUSY BODY, Castle had at his disposal the best cast of his entire career – a sure sign for an iconoclastic producer-director that he had hit the mainstream. Ironically, the film's rare screening one Sunday evening many years ago on local TV proved to be my introduction to the director's work and it would be much later that I caught up with the aforementioned movies which had made his reputation as, to put it bluntly, the poor man's Alfred Hitchcock! Indeed, the film under review had the potential of becoming Castle's own THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955; the "Master of Suspense"'s second favourite among his films) given the funereal aspects of the plot…but this being the "anything goes" Swinging Sixties, rather than the delightfully subtle black humour of the latter, it went for the broad and overdone farcical style of Stanley Kramer's IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD (1963; with which it shared leading man Sid Casear, no less!) in its depiction of yet another multi-character chase after buried loot…

This is not to say that the resultant movie is unenjoyable – and my middlebrow rating attests to that – but perhaps one expected something more durable from the likes of tough guys Robert Ryan and Charles McGraw, Anne Baxter and Kay Medford, emerging comedians Richard Pryor (in his film debut), Godfrey Cambridge and Dom DeLuise, veteran comics Ben Blue (also returning from the Kramer opus) and George Jessel, etc. Caesar is the latest addition to the "board" of racketeer Ryan (having a great time lampooning his established image), chosen for his sartorial sense which the boss believes will lend a much-needed touch of class to the organization (including McGraw, whom Ryan berates for looking just like a hoodlum!). However, the protagonist is continuously checked on by mother Medford (perhaps the film's single funniest line has her tell Police Lieutenant Pryor: "What'd you think…that I'm one of those possessive mothers?!") and also becomes involved with two women – shady Baxter and ex-showgirl Arlene Golonka, actually the wife of a Caesar associate whose death during a barbecue and subsequent burial wearing the suit he normally carries a million dollars in for Ryan sets the whole plot in motion. Also on hand are a mortician and his sacked assistant (DeLuise), a beloved cop's funeral (at which Caesar ends up being among the pallbearers), an insurance fraud gone awry that leads to murder (again, Caesar becomes the unwitting patsy for these), Caesar's proverbial "taken for a ride" by Cambridge and partner which features a couple of dummies (one of which creates much consternation when propped on a park bench) and, of course, the multiple unearthing of the grave which invariably contains no body. No prizes for guessing the true villain's identity but, for the most part, the film makes for a pleasant if hefty 102 minutes – especially in the good-looking widescreen print I watched.

The kind of humor that dates very quickly.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 4 October 2023]

With a bouncy, uplifting and perky musical score by "Addams Family" composer Vic Mizzy (who wrote similar scores for several Don Knotts and other Sid Caesar movies), this has the 60's written all over it. The music sets the stage for a comic gangster spoof that outside of a few genuine laughs only garners amused smirks. Caesar's the errand boy for mobster Robert Ryan who makes him a member of the board seemingly because he always gets Ryan's sandwich order right.

Wanted by the police for a murder he didn't commit, Caesar finds himself a target of the mob and desired by women. They include the purring Anne Baxter, the dizzy Arlene Golonka and wild Russian Marina Koshetz. His possessivd mother (the scene stealing Kay Medford) won't get off his case, and Ryan has sicked hit men on Caesar's trail. Police officers Richard Pryor (in his film debut) and Mickey Deems are after him, and other assorted weirdos (Dom DeLuise and Ben Blue) pop in and out for odd bits.

Not as funny (even in 1967) as it thinks it is, it's another gimmicky William Castle film, not an unpleasant watch, but certainly not as funny as it could have been. Medford's stereotypical overbearing mother works because Medford is such a natural and seems to be improvising every line, reminding me of older women I've met, absolutely alive and delightful. Baxter is the best of the women who desire Caesar, a possible black widow. Caesar isn't bad, but his personality is just too overwhelming for being the lead on the big screen. Ryan is obviously enjoying sending up his image, another highlight. Not a film that I'd watch over and over, but the sense of nostalgia in its mood is a great time capsule.

Mediocre Macabre

[laffinsal · 6/10 · 9 March 2005]

This late-period William Castle film is one of his pallid attempts at comedy. It's amiable, yet mediocre in its delivery. Sid Caesar (during one of the lesser parts of his career) plays the scapegoat for Robert Ryan's gang of hoods. Looking at the cast of this film, as well as the original publicity material, it's obvious that Castle was trying to make his own version of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". In addition to Caesar, there is also Dom Deluise, Kay Medford, Godfrey Cambridge, Marty Ingels, and Richard Pryor in his first film. Arlene Golonka is also present as the ditzy young dancer in the ridiculous feather get-ups.

The main problem with this film, is that the two main actors are totally unlikable. Ryan is unnecessarily mean to Caesar, and Caesar in turn, is too much of a wuss. The other actors all seem so oblivious to what's happening...like they are all doing their own stand-up routines instead of furthering the story. The script is OK, I think Castle just didn't know how to direct comedy.

On the plus side, though, this film has a very catchy theme song, composed by Vic Mizzy, and a funny sequence where a woman tries talking to a mannequin at a bus stop. It's a slight step up from Castle's "The Spirit is Willing", but that's not saying very much.

I'm Sorry But Castle Just Wasn't a Comedy Director

[Michael_Elliott · 14 November 2010]

Busy Body, The (1967)

** (out of 4)

Pretty weak comedy about George Norton (Sid Caesar), a pushover member of the mob who accidentally buries a man in a suit, which just happens to have a million dollars that belongs to the mob. When he's forced to dig the body up it turns out to be missing so this leads to many misadventures as he tries to track down the body and the money. This later day Castle production is pretty much a miss from the first scene to the last but there's a fairly interesting cast that at least keeps you somewhat entertained even if we're not given many laughs. Caesar actually does a pretty good job in his role as his timing was on the mark throughout and I thought he was very believable as someone who would get pushed around and even have their mother constantly picking at them. The supporting cast includes Robert Ryan, Kay Medford, Jan Murray and Anne Baxter playing a woman named Margo Foster Kane. All of them are fairly good in their roles even if the screenplay doesn't do much for them. Richard Pryor appears in his first film role but sadly the director and screenplay doesn't use him too well. The screenplay is a pretty active one as we've got quite a bit more plot that you'd expect from a film like this but unfortunately there's not too much done with it. I'm thinking there's all of this extra plot because we're suppose to be interested in the mystery unfolding but I personally found it to be rather lame. I just didn't think there was enough energy to make one really care about the end results and I'd add that director Castle just didn't seem too interested in bringing any of it to life. I think another problem is that the director struggles with comedy and that trend continues here.

It's a good movie

[finercreative · 7/10 · 12 November 2023]

"The busy body" is a good movie. The plot is interesting and fun, it is funny, and is Made even funnier by Sid Caeser's and Richard Pryor's performance. It is both a good crime film, and a good comedy film. The only problem with it is that it was a bit confusing for me. It seems as if the best way to fully understand the movie is if you watch it with full concentration and write down everything on a pen and paper, because if you don't, you probably won't fully understand what's going on, and only have sort of an idea of what's happening (although this may just be for me since I usually don't watch these types of movies, although this movie kinda makes me want to watch more of them). Other than that, it is a good, nice, and funny movie that can be enjoyed by both crime fans and comedy fans alike. Would watch again, and I recommend it. 7/10.