Midnight Madness (1980 film)
Midnight Madness is a 1980 American comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and starring David Naughton, Stephen Furst and Maggie Roswell.
The city of Los Angeles is the game board as five teams of college students attempt to win "The Great All-Nighter," a dusk-to-dawn competition dreamed up by an eccentric graduate student. David Naughton and Stephen Furst are paired with a grab-bag group of fellow students including Michael J. Fox in his first film appearance. The film was directed by Michael Nankin.
Plot
Graduate student Leon summons five college students to his apartment and challenges them to participate in his latest game creation: The Great All-Nighter. He tells them about his game and instructs them to form teams. At first, the leaders refuse to play. However, rivalries between them lead all five to change their minds by the game's start time – a scenario Leon has already predicted based on his extensive planning.Leon, as "game master," keeps track of the teams locations with a giant map, and various radio equipment. The teams are supposed to call and check in at each clue.
The adventures of the other three teams are subplots, as well as the situation at Leon's apartment. Here, along with his female assistants Candy and Sunshine, Leon monitors the progress of the game. Already unpopular with his landlady, Mrs. Grimhaus, for the amount of noise he makes, Leon faces eviction if any of the other tenants complain. Several of them do show up to complain, but as Leon explains the mechanics of the game to them, they become fascinated with it and help run it, much to the annoyance of Grimhaus.
The game culminates in a race-to-the-finish at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel where the yellow team ultimately prevails and wins the game. A huge party consisting of all contestants and game control follows.
Cast
Main
- Yellow Team
- Blue Team
- Red Team
- White Team
- Green Team
Supporting
- Irene Tedrow as Mrs. Grimhaus
- Alan Solomon as Leon
- Deborah Richter as Candy
- Kirsten Baker as Sunshine
- John Fiedler as Wally Thorpe
- Ceil Gabot as Mrs. Thorpe
- Charlie Brill as Jerry – Tenant #1
- Loretta Tupper as Mr. Thorpe's Mother
- Eddie Bloom as Game Control Bookie
- Dave Shelley as Harold's Father
- Marvin Kaplan as Bonaventure Desk Clerk
- Bert Williams as Security Captain
- Arthur Adams as Police Sergeant
- Thomas Wright as Cop #1
- Elven Havard as Cop #2
- Ernie Fuentes as Miniature Golf Dad
- Pilar Del Rey as Miniature Golf Mom
- Georgia Schmidt as Old Lady in Car
- J. Brennan Smith as Bratty Kid
- Don Maxwell as Bratty Kid's Dad
- Paul Reubens as Pinball City Proprietor
- John Voldstad as Bellboy
- Jack Griffin as Tow Truck Driver
- Dick Winslow as Tourist
- Emily Greer as Teenage Girl #1
- Paula Victor as Cashier
- Tony Salome as Irving
- Donna Garrett as Busty Waitress
Production notes
Johnie's Fat Boy was Johnie's Coffee Shop located at the corner of Wilshire Blvd and Fairfax on the western edge of the Miracle Mile. Though it closed in 2000, the building is still used for filming.
Pinball City was Castle Park Miniature Golf in North Hollywood. Located at 12400 Vanowen St., it closed in 1998.
The Star Fire game in the video arcade that provides the clue to the final destination was an actual arcade game of the period. The game play was real; however a special open cabinet for a standing player had been created for the movie, since the real game cabinet was an enclosed cockpit in which the player was seated.
The movie was novelized in a 1980 paperback, Midnight Madness, by Tom Wright
This was Michael J. Fox's first motion picture and is credited as Michael Fox.
Release and reception
Midnight Madness was rated PG—only the second film from the Disney company to receive anything other than a "G". Although produced by Disney, the company's name did not appear on the credits. Early in the film, the white team thought the first clue referred to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As they counted the numbers, they ended up on Mickey Mouse's star. When Wesley asked what it meant, one of his team mates said, "Perhaps it's in code."The film only experienced a limited release, and garnered bad reviews. Roger Ebert, in his review, expressed disappointment at the film, as he was a fan of the early work of Nankin and Wechter. It ultimately grossed $2.9 million in the North American box office.
The film lost Disney a reported $4.5 million.
The film achieved a small cult following after it began airing on the HBO cable network. After a 2001 DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment, Midnight Madness was re-released in 2004 by Disney DVD with the "Walt Disney Pictures Presents" logo—the first time that Disney has officially associated itself with the film.
Legacy
Midnight Madness has inspired many spin-offs and other Alternate Reality Games. Among some of the more popular recreations are:- Midnight Madness – Played every December
- Midnight Madness – The Austin game is played biannually and was created by several Austin transplants including two veterans from the Hot Springs game.
- Midnight Madness Brevard – Played on a regular basis, with multiple games being held each year.
- Midnight Madness VT – Runs multiple games per year. midnightmadnessvt on Facebook.
- The Game – a non-stop 24- to 48-hour puzzle solving race that is currently active in the San Francisco Bay area and the Seattle area
- Mike's Hunt, a 24-hour game played by the members of the Rutgers University Glee Club, has a heavy clue-solving component, with the clues leading to the development of a storyline in which the players become involved.
- Get-a-Clue – Played annually by members of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Marching Band and friends. Interactive and "nerdy" clues centering on a theme/storyline lead participants around the city and nearby counties.
- Minnie’s Moonlit Madness – Each year hundreds of Disney cast members raise money for charity by participating in a trivia Q&A and scavenger hunt in Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure after park operating hours.
In popular culture
- Rap duo Heltah Skeltah sampled the film's theme for their song of the same name.
- The stop motion animation program Robot Chicken has featured brief homages to Midnight Madness, two in "Episode 1–10: Badunkadunk", and one in "Episode 2–6: 1987". In the first episode, two scenes from the film are reenacted, one where Leon reveals himself to the team leaders, another where Blue Team member Barf assembles the letters of a clue into the nonsense word "Fagabeefe". In the second, the chant of "Meat Machine" is reenacted.