The Nasty Rabbit

As stated earlier, there are only so many times one can watch a Japanese guy fall out of a tree. The slapstick in this is of such a desperate and unpleasant quality, it'll give you a headache. BUT...

If you are looking for reasons to watch, they are as follows:

Opening credits. They are painted on giant plywood rabbits that were placed outside and then filmed. It makes for a colorful and crazy opening.

Arch Jr. The guy actually shows some star power here. Casual and cool-looking, unfortunately he isn't in it very much. He sings only one song.

Last and not least: The girl, "Jackie". She is totally cute. Just gorgeous and photographed very well. Sort of Natalie Portman-esque in her charms. Why never in another film??

Oh man, this film is a riot! Although not as well-known as other films in the Arch Hall Jr. canon, it's on a par with EEGAH and WILD GUITAR in terms of pure delirium. This wild fiasco concerns all these cartoonish-types who convene at a ranch for some espionage... all over a bunny rabbit which carries a plague that could wipe out the planet!

Director James Landis wisely doesn't take the material seriously. With candy colours, over-acting which would do Phil Tucker proud, undercranked chase scenes, and other gonzo touches, this is a wonderfully absurd delight. And because Arch Hall Jr. is in the cast, how can you not have a lot of great bad rock and roll too? The debonair Arch (cough) is not only a spy (in his trademark white dinner jacket), but he also is the frontman of a rock band that is just the living end for teenage girls everywhere. In fact, once the ranch owner's daughter learns that dreamboat Archie's band is going to show up, she flips... literally! And because it's an Arch Hall Jr. picture, his old man, Hall Sr., cannot help but give himself a showy role- a cameo mind you, but a pivotal one (thanks to Arch Hall Sr. the co-screenwriter).

Perhaps under Landis' direction, Arch Hall Jr. maybe made an effort to be an actor after all (which may explain why his final films, all directed by Landis, are obscure; they aren't BAD enough!). While he's no Olivier certainly, this and DEADWOOD 76 at least show the kid is trying, which is more than you can say about his snarly performances in THE CHOPPERS or EEGAH. Landis is truly an unsung B movie hero; he always made something out of nothing. (Check out his interesting little crime picture, STAKEOUT) But anyhow, if you're an Arch Hall fan (and how can you not be?), THE NASTY RABBIT is a must. It is a wonderful hallucination of bad cinema.

Rhino even released it on video... letterboxed! Now is that class or what?

As an Arch Hall, Jr., aficianado, I couldn't wait to play this film when I found it on DVD. Simply amazing--over-the-top performances, the usual strangely-themed Hall Jr. songs, characters who seemingly have no reason to be where they are (did Richard Kiel just want to get out of town for the day?), a talking white rabbit...the list goes on and on. Note the lack of continuity in the cabin-trashing and following scenes (the place must have excellent maid service)! See John Waters' star Liz Renay use power tools! Wonder how not one but TWO world-class cinematographers have lived down this disaster! And for being top-billed, Hall Jr. doesn't seem to actually appear all that much--even his band performs a song without him (which actually shows how good they are without their frontman, even while forced to sing ridiculous lyrics). And is it just me, or does the German character have an uncomfortable resemblance at times to Kenneth Mars in THE PRODUCERS?

Ouch, this was one of the most trying Fairway International experiences that I've had to endure. The movie never seemed to flow and I found a lot of reasons to hit the pause button to get a sandwich, read a book, vacuum, go for a quick run...

Why didn't it work? It was as if the weak storyline (thanks a lot William Waters!), a full color production, dude ranch, espionage, and a furry hare were put together in a blender and out came Nasty Rabbit. Much of the humor is forced and there's not even any unintentional humor to be found. There were too many scenes with the secondary characters who carry the film the way a 16 ton weight floats in the ocean (it doesn't). Add stereotypical caricatures including a Mexican bandito garbed in south of the border attire plus sombrero, a Japanese spy in WWII uniform, a German with the worst imitation of Colonel Clink...EVER. Throw in a Russian commander with the worst Russian accent ever attempted (thanks a heap Nicholas Merriwether) and you'll find yourself doing crossword puzzles or making crocheted doilies.

Perhaps if Nasty Rabbit focused more on Britt (Arch Hall Jr) and Jackie (Sharon Ryker), it would have been an improvement. I know I know, I'm asking for more Arch Hall Jr. Trust me, I've seen Eegah and I still think Cabbage Patch Elvis should've gotten more screen time here. More Arch Hall Jr songs (only one is played in the film) would've livened things up. I can't believe I said that, but this is the truth...and I've seen Wild Guitar and the Choppers. And bring back more Richard Kiel! He berates a pint sized calf rustler and then vanishes into film obscurity. Oh, and the Benny Hill chase scenes towards the end caused me spasmic terror to no end.

Still, the bunny credits signs were unique.

The films produced by Arch Hall Sr. and starring Arch Hall Jr. are overall an entertaining lot, considering the low budgets. They made a juvenile delinquent film (the Choppers), a horror comedy (Eegah), a rock and roll film in the Jailhouse Rock vein (Wild Guitar), a gritty crime film (the Sadist), and eventually a western (Deadwood '76), so it's not a surprise that they would make a slapstick comedy, and since this was made right after IT'S A MAD MAD MAD WORLD, I'm assuming the filmmakers saw this as in that vein, with a little rock and roll thrown in. Arch Jr. plays Britt Hunter, a rock and roll singing spy who is assigned to defeat a Russian agent who is carrying a rabbit that is carrying a vial of lethal bacteria...or something like that. A bunch of Keystone Cops-style international spies--played as broad ethnic stereotypes reminiscent of Jerry Lewis's "japanese" characters--are also after the rabbit and the Russian. If I saw this at a rural drive-in with a few kids in the car and maybe a beer or two in my system, I think it would work quite well as a film. I remember seeing this on TV as a kid and thinking it was as funny as, say, a typical Beverly Hillbillies episode. Arch Hall, a bit nervous on-screen in The Choppers, his first film, was relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera by this time, and he does a good job, looking good and acting cool. I don't know why this film is bashed so much-- I'd put it on the same shelf with the 1966 rock and roll spy parody OUT OF SIGHT, except that that film had a much bigger budget and was made by a big studio, Universal. The Nasty Rabbit is MEANT to be a ridiculous, exaggerated slapstick comedy played on such a broad level that children would enjoy it. The color photography is nice (and the Rhino VHS video is letter-boxed!), and considering the small budget that the Halls surely had to work with, they made an entertaining product. Where else can you see Arch Hall Sr. in a dual role--in fact, near the end of the film, he is playing in the same scene with himself!