Bananas **** (1971, Woody Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalbán) – Classic Movie Review 10,295

Woody Allen’s 1971 political satire comedy film Bananas is rough but ready for raising lots of laughs. It stars Allen as a bumbling New Yorker who becomes involved in a Latin American revolution and Louise Lasser as his activist girlfriend.

Director/ co-writer Woody Allen’s 1971 political satire comedy Bananas is rough but ready for raising lots of laughs.

Allen also stars as New York milksop consumer products tester Fielding Mellish, who runs off to San Marcos and is accidentally involved in a South American revolution and becomes a rebel leader.

Bananas is an archetypal early Woody scattergun of gags and ideas varying from the clever to the weird, from the hysterical to the dud, from the affectionate to the sexist. The youthful amateurness, rawness and energy are extremely attractive and in fascinating contrast to the work of the mature Allen. Louise Lasser co-stars as political activist Nancy, along with Carlos Montalbán, who plays General Emilio M Vargas.

There is witty music from Marvin Hamlisch in a fine score.

Sylvester Stallone appears very briefly as a gangster, subway thug #1. Also in the cast are Jacobo Morales, Miguel Suarez [Miguel Ángel Suárez], Natividad Abascal [Nati Abascal], David Ortiz Angleró and René Enríquez.

It is written by Woody Allen and Mickey Rose. Allen wrote What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (1966), Take the Money and Run (1969) and Bananas with his childhood friend and first writing partner, Mickey Rose. Rose also co-wrote all Allen’s earlier comedy albums.

Allen recalled: ‘They say it’s a political film but I don’t really believe much in politics. Groucho Marx told me that the Marx Brothers’ films were never consciously anti-establishment or political. It’s always got to be a funny movie first.’

The film was classified C (condemned) by the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures thanks to a parody TV advertisement for New Testament cigarettes with a Catholic priest (Dan Frazer) promoting the fake brand while performing the Eucharist.

Release date: April 28, 1971 (US).

Running time: 82 minutes.

It took $11.8 million at the box office against a budget of $2 million.

The riot scene with 2,000 students was shot at Queens Community College in New York.

Louise Lasser (April 11, 1939 – July 6, 2026) 

Louise Lasser was married to Woody Allen from 1966 to 1970 and appeared in several of his early films, also Take the Money and Run (1969) and Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972), as well as voicing Suki Yaki in What’s Up Tiger Lily? (1966), his spoof dubbing of a Japanese spy movie, Key of Keys (1965). They were already divorced when the film was made.

Lasser said Allen was ‘a tremendous influence, but it’s the influence to make me be me. I remember the day he said “I do jokes, your comedy is attitude.”‘

Carlos Montalbán (June 5, 1904 – March 28, 1991)

Mexican character actor Carlos Montalbán (June 5, 1904 – March 28, 1991) was the older brother of actor Ricardo Montalbán. He was a renowned voice-over actor and announcer. He played two different characters named Vargas, in the The Out of Towners (1970) and then in Bananas, his final film role. His best role was in The Harder They Fall (1956) as the sympathetic manager of a heavyweight contender. He started in Flying Down to Rio (1933).

The cast

The cast are Woody Allen as Fielding Mellish, Louise Lasser as Nancy, Carlos Montalban as General Emilio Molina Vargas, Natividad Abascal as Yolanda, Howard Cosell as himself, Jacobo Morales as Esposito, Miguel Ángel Suárez as Luis, David Ortiz as Sanchez, René Enríquez as Diaz, Jack Axelrod as Arroyo, Roger Grimsby as himself, Don Dunphy as himself, Martha Greenhouse as Dr Feigen, Dan Frazer as Priest, Stanley Ackerman as Dr Mellish, Charlotte Rae as Mrs Mellish, Axel Anderson as Tortured Man, Eddie Barth as Paul, and Nicholas Saunders as Douglas, Conrad Bain as Semple, Allen Garfield as Man on Cross, Sylvester Stallone as subway thug #1, Mary Jo Catlett as woman a hotel lobby, and Tino García.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,295

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