Prior to Porky's opening the floodgates to an insane amount of raunchy T&A sex comedies upon becoming a surprise success in 1981 there were other flicks doing the same thing but not getting nearly as much recognition. The Hollywood Knights is such an effort that, all these years later, is more remembered for the "before they were stars" cast members rather than the fact it's an enjoyable romp filled with plentiful 60's sentimentality, a great oldies soundtrack that's constantly playing in the background, a little bit of skin, and a good amount of tomfoolery.

Taking place on Halloween Night, 1965 in Beverly Hills the basic premise here is that the prank-loving troublemakers of the title are about to lose their drive-in restaurant hangout Tubby's thanks to some local residents who don't care for the young clientele it attracts. This doesn't sit well with Knights ringmaster Newbomb Turk (Robert Wuhl) who decides to use his gift for fast-talking and goofy charm to get into all sorts of wacky situations.

Writer/director Floyd Mutrux also tries to throw in a little bit of coming of age drama when focusing on the relationship between Duke (Tony Danza) and Suzie Q (Michelle Pfeiffer) as they're both unsure what path they want their lives to follow having recently graduated from High School. But these serious moments are second fiddle to various hijinks to the tune of mooning, a burning bag of dog poo, the spiking of a punch drink, and a pep rally filled with bodily function jokes and exposed butts. They're all pretty harmless when you look at the kind of stuff the kids of American Pie would get up to almost twenty years later but that just helps add to the light-hearted tone Mutrux is going for even if I'm not really sure why it's set during Halloween since there's nary a costumed trick or treater in sight.

Making his film debut here, Wuhl (Bull Durham, "Arli$$") does a good job making Newbomb a sharp tongued smart-ass and is charismatic enough to carry the film. He's given good support by the rest of the cast including Danza, Pfeiffer (also making her debut), and future "Nanny" Fran Drescher. But the movie truly belongs to Stuart Pankin who steals every scene he's in with his childish stammer and supplying the film's best laugh upon saying "Please don't hurt me, I think I'm a bleeder." when Newbomb and his cronies toss a bag over his head in order to steal his band outfit. It's not hard to see why a lot of the young cast would go onto lengthy careers in television and film.

With its agreeable mix of goofy and serious, The Hollywood Knights will never be confused with the classic coming of age tale American Graffiti even though Mutrux has copied that film's basic premise and injected it with more droll humour. Having, up to this point, made nostalgic trips to the past like American Hot Wax and Aloha Bobby and Rose, Mutrux shows a decent skill for capturing the decade and this would mark his last directorial gig until 1994 when he'd head back to 1965 Los Angeles for the teen drama There Goes My Baby. He'd also pen the prison-based dramas American Me and Blood In, Blood Out years later making this an interesting anomaly amongst his credits.

If you have a penchant for ogling classic cars, listen to the oldies radio station, or are just curious to see all these well-known actors before they hit it big you should check this out. It's a breezy 91 minutes that should give you a few chuckles along the way. (Chris Hartley, 7/27/11)

Directed By: Floyd Mutrux.
Written By: Floyd Mutrux.

Starring: Robert Wuhl, Tony Danza, Fran Drescher, Leigh French.