Meet Wally Sparks


1h 45m 1997

Brief Synopsis

Is America ready for Wally Sparks? Television viewers often accuse today's talk show hosts of crossing the line when it comes to good taste and wise judgment. Ladies and gentleman... meet Wally Sparks. A fast-talking host of a tactless, uncouth TV tabloid show, Wally makes half of America laugh hyst

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
1997
Distribution Company
TRIMARK/TRIMARK PICTURES
Location
Louisiana, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 45m

Synopsis

Is America ready for Wally Sparks? Television viewers often accuse today's talk show hosts of crossing the line when it comes to good taste and wise judgment. Ladies and gentleman... meet Wally Sparks. A fast-talking host of a tactless, uncouth TV tabloid show, Wally makes half of America laugh hysterically and the other half cringe. Showcasing alien-lesbian-Elvis impersonators and men in love with their wives' dogs, Wally's show doesn't just push the envelope of decency--it obliterates.

Crew

Ralph Abalos

Hair

Joe Abramson

Production Assistant

John Alden

Stunts

Gary Alexander

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Molly Allen

Location Manager

Rebecca Alling

Makeup

Tina Ameduri

Craft Service

Robert Anderson

Grip

William Angorola

Foley

John Armstrong

Transportation Captain

Billy G Arter

Transportation Coordinator

Sherri Arter

Driver

Peter Austin

Supervising Sound Editor

Holly Ayn

Construction

Harry Basil

Coproducer

Harry Basil

Story By

Harry Basil

Screenplay

Mark Basler

Driver

Mindy Bazar

Casting Assistant

Benjamin Beardwood

Adr Editor

Dan Beers

Editorial Assistant

Jody Bergman

Swing Gang

Aaron S Berkowitz

Production Assistant

P. J. Bloom

Music Supervisor

Charmaine Boos

Tutor

Justin Bourret

Assistant Editor

Michael Boxer

Animal Trainer

Jesse Don Brackenbury

Stunts

Charles Brewer

Stunts

Paul Broucek

Music Supervisor

Steve Buck

Sound

Brad Bustin

Driver

Anthony Joseph Camaioni

Production Assistant

Craig Campbell

Electrician

Erik Carter

Electrician

Mike Carter

Electrician

Violet Cazanjian

Assistant Director

Fern Champion

Casting

Patrice Chanel

Choreographer

Michel Colombier

Music

Buck Compton

Driver

Kevin Crawford

Choreographer

Grover Dale

Choreographer

Rodney Dangerfield

Screenplay

Raúl Dávalos

Editor

Nancy C Degan

Animal Trainer

Edward Dilks

Assistant Director

Eddy Donno

Stunts

Steve Doolittle

Construction

Rodney P Dowell

Construction

Lisa A Doyle

Costumer

Patrick Duchesne

Caterer

Mark A Echevarria

Animal Trainer

Cris Edwards

Props Assistant

Albert Able Eisenmann

Property Master

Josh Elliot

On-Set Dresser

Paul Emmons

Medic

Eric Erickson

Adr Editor

Richard Favazzo

Crane Grip

Pablo Ferro

Titles

George Fisher

Stunts

Geoff Foster

Sound Recordist

Marie France

Costume Consultant

Penny Franks

Production Coordinator

Vic Fraser

Music Publisher

John Frayer

Choreographer

Beau J Genot

Post-Production Supervisor

Don Givens

Foley Recordist

Thor Gold

Production Assistant

Kenny Golde

Associate Producer

Barbara Gordon

Animal Trainer

Debbie De Gorter

Adr

Marian Green

Stunts

Leslie Greif

Producer

Leslie Greif

Unit Director

Robert Guastini

Foley Editor

Steve Hagerman

Best Boy

Stephen Halbert

Sound Mixer

David Halpert

Boom Operator

Tabby Hanson

Stunts

John Hartigan

Special Effects

James B Hebenstreit

Adr Editor

Vivian Hengsteler

Negative Cutter

Ellen Heuer

Foley Artist

Shawn Honea

Camera Assistant

Phyllis Housen

Associate Editor

Maurice Howard

Animal Trainer

Tony Jenkins

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Peter Jensen

Steadicam Operator

David Jobe

Foley Mixer

Jeff Johnson

Camera Assistant

John P Johnson

Photography

Bryan Jones

Production Designer

Zachary Jones

Driver

Eddie Kalpa

Set Production Assistant

Steve Karman

Art Director

Donna Keegan

Stunts

Spencer Keimon

Production Assistant

Evyen Klean

Music Supervisor

Paul Kline

Loader

Richard Kline

Director Of Photography

Richard Kline

Co-Executive Producer

Dave Knudson

Best Boy Grip

Suzanna Kontonickas

Hair Stylist

Tom Kramer

Music Editor

Kimberly Lambert

Foley

George Lane

Animal Trainer

Jane Lanzner

Costume Supervisor

Robert Leveen

Assistant Director

Margie Levers

Assistant Production Accountant

Michael Levine

Camera Operator

Gary Lewis

Dialogue Editor

Timberlake Lewis

Camera Assistant

Diane Linn

Adr

Susan Lonergan

Choreographer

Chris Loring

Electrician

Gary Marullo

Foley Artist

Antoine Mascaro

Caterer

Jacqueline R Masson

Set Decorator

Chris Mcgeary

Music Editor

Brian Mcmillan

Animal Services

Vicki Mcmillan

Animal Services

Marc Meisenheimer

Gaffer

Paul Mercier

Looping Coordinator

Phillip Mershon

Costumer

France Metz

Location Assistant

Anna Miller

Extras Agent/Coordinator

Mary Lou Miller

Driver

Alyson Moore

Foley Artist

Robert Morgenroth

Video

Dan Muscarella

Color Timer

Patricia Nedd

Foley Artist

Delores Nemiro

Choreographer

Myron Nettinga

Sound Effects Editor

Robert New

Camera Operator

Kyle "snappy" Oliver

Location Scout

Ralph Osborn

Dialogue Editor

Mark Paladini

Casting

Cinnabar-dave Park

Construction

Victor Paul

Stunt Coordinator

Michael Perman

Assistant Production Coordinator

Ashlee Petersen

Makeup

Charles Picerni

Unit Director

Charles Picerni

Stunt Coordinator

Sandra Plazinic

Choreographer

Dave Powledge

Stunts

Gary Price

Stunts

Philip Romano

Stunts

Ronnie Rondell

Stunt People

Elena Rosenblatt

Production Assistant

Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt

Coproducer

Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt

Unit Production Manager

Sandy Roveta

Choreographer

Clive Sacke

Camera Operator

Robbie Saeks

Production Assistant

Louis Saint Calbre

Swing Gang

Jim Sanfilippo

Key Grip

Ben Schneider

Set Production Assistant

Julie Schultz

Animal Trainer

Domenic Sfreddo

Grip

Robert Sharman

Video

Matthew Siess

Grip

Bill Sillcock

Music Publisher

Lisa Smith

Animal Trainer

David Snell

Original Music

Andrew M Somers

Dialogue Editor

Ted Sprague

Choreographer

Cecilie Stuart

Choreographer

Allen Sweeney

Driver

George Sweney

Production Accountant

Jayne-ann Tenggren

Script Supervisor

David Terry

Dolly Grip

Suelan Thwaites

Post-Production Assistant

Stephen J Ullman

Steadicam Operator

Jerald Vincent

Choreographer

John Vohlers

Assistant Director

David Waine

Special Effects Technician

Alllan Walls

Choreographer

R Ruddell Weatherwax

Animal Trainer

Tom Weber

Set Production Assistant

Alexandra Welker

Costume Designer

Brian Welker

Editorial Assistant

Beth Wernick

Looping Coordinator

Craig Wescott

Driver

David J White

Camera Assistant

G Scott Wilder

Stunts

Glenn Wilder

Stunt Coordinator

Kathleen A Wildman

Set Costumer

Woody Woodrow Wood

Driver

Robert Yesk

Camera Assistant

Lorie Zerweck

Production Supervisor

Gabriella Zielinski

Post-Production Coordinator

Gabriella Zielinski

Assistant

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
1997
Distribution Company
TRIMARK/TRIMARK PICTURES
Location
Louisiana, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 45m

Articles

Rodney Dangerfield, (1921-2004)


Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comedian and actor, who gained fame for his self-deprecating one-liners (i.e. "When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother!", "I called the suicide hotline and they put me on hold!") and signature catch phrase "I don't get no respect!" died on October 4 at the UCLA Medical Center. He had lapsed into a coma after undergoing heart surgery this past August. He was 82.

He was born Jacob Cohen in Babylon, Long Island, New York on November 22, 1921. His father was a vaudevillian performer who played professionally as Phil Roy. Known as something of a cut-up in high school, he started performing comedy when he was 20, and spent the next 10 years working alongthe Atlantic coast under the name Jack Roy.

His career was temporarily sidelined with family responsiblities - he married Joyce Indig in 1949 and she soon gave birth to two children: Brian and Melanie. With a family to support, he sold aluminum siding and lived in New Jersey, yet still held onto his dream of being a stand-up comic. In 1961, he divorced his wife (by all accounts his marriage had been an unhappy one), and he hit the road again as Rodney Dangerfield. By the mid-60s, Rondey was hitting his stride, following a some successful nightclub appearances in Manhattan and Atlantic City. At this point, he had developed his stage persona as a harassed schmo, always tugging at his tie and padding down his sweated brow. His persistancy paid off when he made his first television appearances in 1967: The Ed Sullivan Show and The Merv Griffin Show both raised his profile, but what really made Rodney was his July 29, 1969 debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. With his flurry of one-liners, goggle eyes and, of course, "I don't get no respect!" plea, audiences loved him and Rodney would make over 70 appearances over the next 30 years on The Tonight Show for both Johnny and eventual host, Jay Leno.

Around this time, Rodney garnered his first film role, as an irritable theater manager in The Projectionist (1971), but he would have to wait almost 10 years later before he struck box-office gold. The film was Caddyshack (1980), and as Al Czervik, the loudly dressed, obnoxious but lovable millionaire who crashes a snotty Golf Club, Rodney may not have displayed great acting skills, but his comic personality was vibrant and engaging, and with the comedy being one of the biggest hits of the year, he was now a star.

His follow-up to Caddyshack, Easy Money (1983), followed the same formula (he played a baby photgrapher who inherits money), but the tone was much nastier, and the crirtics panned it. He rebounded though with the biggest hit of his career, Back to School (1986). The plot was simple, a self-made millionaire goes back to college to prove his son his worth only to fall in love in the process, grossed over $100 million. Indeed, it looked like Rodney Dangerfield had all the respect in the world.

His career kept taking surprise turns in the '90s: he was an in-demand "guest voice" on such animated projects like Rover Dangerfield, The Simpsons, and Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Yet, the biggest surprise by far was his dramatic turn as an abusive, alcoholic father in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). For his performance, he received glowing reviews, but ill-health was becoming an issue for him, and Rodney had to curtail his schedule considerably after this.

He returned to the screen as the Devil in the Adam Sandler comedy Little Nicky (2000), but on his 80th birthday (November 22, 2001), he suffered a mild heart attack, and in the Spring of 2003, he underwent brain surgery to improve his blood flow in preparation for an upcoming heart-valve replacement surgery. This year started off brightly for him: he made another film appearance, Angles with Angles; released his autobiography in May entitled It Ain't Easy Being Me and in just the past two months appeared on television for Jimmy Kimmel Live, and in an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing playing a wisecracking, next-door neighbor. Sadly, this flurry of reactivity was not to last. On August 24, he entered UCLA Medical Center for heart valve-replacement surgery, but complications from an infection after the operation led to a coma, and he reamined in vegetative state for the last six weeks of his life. He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Joan Child; his son, Brian; and daughter, Melanie.

by Michael T. Toole
Rodney Dangerfield, (1921-2004)

Rodney Dangerfield, (1921-2004)

Rodney Dangerfield, the bug-eyed comedian and actor, who gained fame for his self-deprecating one-liners (i.e. "When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother!", "I called the suicide hotline and they put me on hold!") and signature catch phrase "I don't get no respect!" died on October 4 at the UCLA Medical Center. He had lapsed into a coma after undergoing heart surgery this past August. He was 82. He was born Jacob Cohen in Babylon, Long Island, New York on November 22, 1921. His father was a vaudevillian performer who played professionally as Phil Roy. Known as something of a cut-up in high school, he started performing comedy when he was 20, and spent the next 10 years working alongthe Atlantic coast under the name Jack Roy. His career was temporarily sidelined with family responsiblities - he married Joyce Indig in 1949 and she soon gave birth to two children: Brian and Melanie. With a family to support, he sold aluminum siding and lived in New Jersey, yet still held onto his dream of being a stand-up comic. In 1961, he divorced his wife (by all accounts his marriage had been an unhappy one), and he hit the road again as Rodney Dangerfield. By the mid-60s, Rondey was hitting his stride, following a some successful nightclub appearances in Manhattan and Atlantic City. At this point, he had developed his stage persona as a harassed schmo, always tugging at his tie and padding down his sweated brow. His persistancy paid off when he made his first television appearances in 1967: The Ed Sullivan Show and The Merv Griffin Show both raised his profile, but what really made Rodney was his July 29, 1969 debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. With his flurry of one-liners, goggle eyes and, of course, "I don't get no respect!" plea, audiences loved him and Rodney would make over 70 appearances over the next 30 years on The Tonight Show for both Johnny and eventual host, Jay Leno. Around this time, Rodney garnered his first film role, as an irritable theater manager in The Projectionist (1971), but he would have to wait almost 10 years later before he struck box-office gold. The film was Caddyshack (1980), and as Al Czervik, the loudly dressed, obnoxious but lovable millionaire who crashes a snotty Golf Club, Rodney may not have displayed great acting skills, but his comic personality was vibrant and engaging, and with the comedy being one of the biggest hits of the year, he was now a star. His follow-up to Caddyshack, Easy Money (1983), followed the same formula (he played a baby photgrapher who inherits money), but the tone was much nastier, and the crirtics panned it. He rebounded though with the biggest hit of his career, Back to School (1986). The plot was simple, a self-made millionaire goes back to college to prove his son his worth only to fall in love in the process, grossed over $100 million. Indeed, it looked like Rodney Dangerfield had all the respect in the world. His career kept taking surprise turns in the '90s: he was an in-demand "guest voice" on such animated projects like Rover Dangerfield, The Simpsons, and Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Yet, the biggest surprise by far was his dramatic turn as an abusive, alcoholic father in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). For his performance, he received glowing reviews, but ill-health was becoming an issue for him, and Rodney had to curtail his schedule considerably after this. He returned to the screen as the Devil in the Adam Sandler comedy Little Nicky (2000), but on his 80th birthday (November 22, 2001), he suffered a mild heart attack, and in the Spring of 2003, he underwent brain surgery to improve his blood flow in preparation for an upcoming heart-valve replacement surgery. This year started off brightly for him: he made another film appearance, Angles with Angles; released his autobiography in May entitled It Ain't Easy Being Me and in just the past two months appeared on television for Jimmy Kimmel Live, and in an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing playing a wisecracking, next-door neighbor. Sadly, this flurry of reactivity was not to last. On August 24, he entered UCLA Medical Center for heart valve-replacement surgery, but complications from an infection after the operation led to a coma, and he reamined in vegetative state for the last six weeks of his life. He is survived by his wife of 11 years, Joan Child; his son, Brian; and daughter, Melanie. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Winter January 31, 1997

Released in United States on Video May 13, 1997

Project was once in development at the Edward R Pressman Film Corporation.

Completed shooting September 20, 1995.

Began shooting July 10, 1995.

Released in United States Winter January 31, 1997

Released in United States on Video May 13, 1997