Bugsy Malone

Plot synopsis:
A mobster named Roxy Robinson is "splurged" by members of a gang, using rapid-fire cream-shooting "splurge guns". Once splurged, a kid is "all washed up... finished". Speakeasy boss Fat Sam introduces himself and Bugsy Malone, a boxing promoter with no money ("Bugsy Malone").
At Fat Sam's speakeasy, there is much dancing and singing ("Fat Sam's Grand Slam"). Fat Sam is worried that his rival Dandy Dan will try to take control of the speakeasy. Blousey Brown, an aspiring singer, has come for an audition, but Sam is too distracted to see her. Bugsy meets Blousey when he trips over her luggage. He is smitten and flirts with her. Fat Sam's is raided by Dandy Dan's men, who shoot up the place. Dandy Dan's men continue to attack Fat Sam's empire, eventually taking away rackets and splurging members of Fat Sam's gang. Fat Sam sends all his available men to see if they can track down the guns. They are trapped at a laundry and all are splurged by Dandy Dan's gang.
Bugsy returns to Fat Sam's to arrange a new audition for Blousey. Fat Sam's girlfriend, the chanteuse Tallulah, makes a pass at him. Although Bugsy rejects her flirtation, Tallulah plants a big kiss on Bugsy's forehead when Blousey enters; Blousey is jealous. Fat Sam hires Blousey after her audition, but she refuses to speak to Bugsy ("I'm Feelin' Fine").
Fat Sam hires Bugsy to accompany him to a meeting with Dandy Dan. The meeting is a trap, but Bugsy helps Fat Sam escape. Gratefully, Fat Sam pays him $200. Bugsy and Blousey reconcile and have a romantic outing on a lake; Bugsy promises to take her to Hollywood. When he returns Sam's car to the garage, he is attacked and his money is stolen. Bugsy is saved by Leroy Smith, who assaults the attackers and drives them away. Bugsy realizes that Leroy has the potential to be a great boxer. Bugsy introduces Leroy to Cagey Joe and helps him train ("So You Wanna Be a Boxer?"). Fat Sam again seeks Bugsy's aid after his assistant Knuckles is unintentionally killed. Bugsy resists, but Fat Sam offers $400, enough money to keep his promise to Blousey. Blousey is disappointed when she learns that Bugsy hasn't bought the tickets to California yet ("Ordinary Fool"). Bugsy and Leroy follow Dandy Dan's men to a warehouse, where the guns are being stashed. The two of them can't take the place alone, so Bugsy recruits a large group of down-and-out workers at a soup kitchen ("Down and Out").
They steal the crates of guns and take them to Fat Sam's, arriving just as Dandy Dan's gang arrives. Chaos ensues as a massive splurge gun fight erupts, covering everyone (except Bugsy and Blousey) with cream. Unarmed patrons throw cream pies. The piano player is hit from behind and falls onto the keys, striking a single bass note. The tone silences the room, and the cream-covered crowd performs in a final number ("You Give a Little Love"). They realize they can all be friends, and Bugsy and Blousey leave for Hollywood.

Tags: depressing, comic, flashback

Review:
The film is unique musical parody of gangster movies, where all the roles are played by children.
Bugsy Malone, a childhood favorite of mine, is perhaps the only musical spoof of gangster films and film noir where all the roles of the gangsters, flappers, bartenders and hitmen are played by children (collective age: 12).
The story tells of the rise of the womanizing, ex-boxer Bugsy Malone (Scott Baio) who finds himself enlisted in the mob of speakeasy-owner Fat Sam (John Cassisi), who's in the middle of a fierce territorial battle with the suave Dandy Dan (Martin Lev).
Jodi Foster excels as vampy nite-club singer Tallulah, and Florrie Dugger (as Blousey Brown -- in her only role to date) is wonderful as Bugsy's piquant love interest.
The cast is notable principally by the presence of Jodie Foster (as a side note, this was released the same year as was Taxi Driver!) and Scott Baio, the musical score was done by Paul Wiliams (who was nominated for an Oscar for his efforts here) and the costumes are quite nice.
When the children are singing it's not actually them singing, which make the songs sound nicer but is also quite a comedic effect to see this big strong voices, coming out of such little kids .I also think it is interesting that some of the actors become very famous actors when they got older such a Scott Baio and Jodie Foster.
I believe the song was called"You give a little Love" I used to want to be Bugsy Malone and would play gangster wars with my brothers as a kid..
But I think they did a little play on that when Fat Sam said the word "personally" & Tallulah was making fun of his pronunciation!It's a shame more of these kids didn't go on to become stars.
It's genius to have only children acting since it makes it more fun instead of serious - but grown people can still watch it since it is a good story.
I'm not good at judging actors skills, but the way I see it, the important roles in this film are very well acted, them being only kids.
It's great music (but why do grown-ups sing?) and the sets are fun to watch (I'm wondering whether they have made smaller side-scenes to fit the children's size?).
When i was a kid I loved this film, the music was good, it wasn't violent and was light hearted.
My only quibble is the filmmakers' decision to have adults sing all the songs--it's a bit bizarre to hear grownup voices coming out of children, and after a while you start to notice that the voices sound the same, since they didn't cast different singers for each character (Paul Williams himself does most of the vocal work).
Mickey Dolenz directed a stage version of the film in London years later, which I was hoping had all-singing kids, but apparently the songs were pre-recorded.
LOL The actors were outstanding for their age and for the time and the whole thing was written well for them.I don't know what else I can say about this film, only you can be the judge of what you think is good but I would be very surprised if you didn't enjoy this film...or watched it 3 times back to back LOL.
Writer-director Alan Parker's feature debut Bugsy Malone is a pastiche of American movies, a musical gangster comedy set in 1929, featuring prohibition, showgirls, and gang warfare, with references to everything from Some Like It Hot to The Godfather.
Uniquely, though, all the parts are played by children, including an excellent if underused Jodie Foster as platinum-blonde singer Tallulah, Scott Baio in the title role and a nine-year-old Dexter Fletcher wielding a baseball bat.
A rare British love letter to classic American cinema, Bugsy Malone remains a true original; in Parker's words "the work of a madman" and one of the strangest yet most stylish children's films ever made..
This movie is a definite Classic and one of the films that I enjoyed watching as a Kid. It's an enjoyable film to look back on, and remember the good old days.
It's a must for people who like classic 1930s Gangster films, as although it is not violent, it still shows what it was like in the prohibition era.It's all good, but my favourite parts in the movie are probably where Bugsy meets Leeroy for the first time and where they are hiding in the bushes from the Splurge Guns Inc. factory.
i think this movie is a really good idea and is funny we are doing this film as a play at our school i play 1 of the dancers its so cool we're doing this play we have a lot of fun doing it!!!
i think its really different that there played by kids its really a lot of fun to watch and i so love the songs in it!!!!
Dandy Dan is beginning to take control of the city thanks to their secret weapon the "Splurge gun." Fat Sam begins to panic and calls on his old Friend Bugsy Malone who is already busy trying to get the attention of Blousey Brown, a talented singer who Bugsy Fancies.
Alan Parker and Paul Williams collaborated on this fun kid's musical, with a cast including Scott Baio and Jodie Foster.
Most of the songs are mimed by the kids to adult voices (with the exception of Foster's My Name is Tallulah') but the story  a group of gangsters who wipe out rival gangs with splurge guns  is fast-paced and inventive.This is certainly one of the best films aimed at children to come out during the 1970s, and has a lot to offer for a general audience, too.
And it worked really well.As i said, 'Bugsy Malone' is a gangster movie starred by children, and there isn't much more to say about the story.
Two days after I've watched the movie, 'Tomorrow', 'My Name is Tallulah' and 'Bugsy Malone' kept playing on my head.
Scott Baio is nice as the lead, but when you watch the movie, your eyes can't help it and are going to focus on Jodie Foster.
Haven't seen it for at least 18-20 years now BUT am looking forward to finding it again so I can show me youngsters!Hope they make a remake of it cause I reckon the box office will go off, love how they shot ice cream BUT when I was younger it looked like mashed potatos?Didn't even know Jodie Foster stared in this movie too!
Well, it isn't quite as much fun as it was then (it's a kid's movie in every sense of the term), but still enjoyable to watch.
Jodie Foster demonstrated a 'star quality' presence even then, and although the songs were poorly dubbed, they were good songs.Recommended for kids of any age (sorry for the bad cliche) if you like watching something fun and different -- especially if you want to see a truly original take on the gangster theme.
The under 16 year old cast is what truly makes this film fun to watch.
(Notable exceptions being a pre-Happy Days Scott Baio and, an already accomplished film and TV star, Jodie Foster...) The film has it's flaws, the most striking to me being the decision (possibly budget related) to have adults sing the musical numbers.
All in all, "Bugsy Malone" is a great movie to enjoy with the kids.
Only kids starring in a gangster-movie with 20's style, shooting with 'splurge guns' and driving some kind of bicycle-cars.Only Alan Parker (THE COMMITMENTS, THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE) can think of something strange like that.Wonderful actors (Foster, Baio) and wonderful music makes this movie an evergreen..
It is always funny to note that Alan Parker, who would go on to be best known as a director of full-blooded, archly styled dramas, began his career with this sprightly gangster-themed musical cast entirely with kids albeit representing adult counterparts.
Easy as that, except when most others try such a hazardous concept they come skidding off the road.Good thinking goes on from the top down  replacing lethal Tommy guns with the splurge equivalent (firing globules of what looks like gloppy wallpaper paste), having pedal powered sedans, and keeping the script thrumming with cod-period dialogue all work a treat.
The day my dad told me he was going to do Bugsy Malone I was so excited.And because I was known as Mr Plowrights daughter all of the older kids knew me and were all very nice.I got to go to see them preforming there parts.I can remember watch the girls doing the dancing parts.I remember think that I wanted to be just like how they danced when I grew up.I even got to sing the last song in the whole show called You Give A Little Love and I song on the stage with all the big kids.When the show was on mum,our friend,and I all got dressed up and I had a little head band and a dress.I remember my mum's friend taking all of this photos of me and both of them saying how cute I was.
Your tendency to regard things made before you were born as "stupid" will prevent you from enjoying this little gem.The songs are what separate Bugsy Malone from other kids' movies.
It's funny to see a skinny black kid singing with the voice of a short, stocky white man.The substitution of "splurge guns" for tommy guns is a clever device that was lost on me at the age of 8, but which still works as a way to render the "violence" in this movie more innocuous.
"Suddenly everybody wants to be in show business."Bugsy Malone the prohibition era gangster/musical, cast entirely with kids.
Providing great fun and whimsy to a serious genre.The story is about a gang war in 20's/30's New York, and the well liked and smart Bugsy Malone who is roped in to help his pal Fat Sam. The main thing to remember about this film is the word FUN.
The ending is also good as it reminds us that is a children's film and keeps it light and sweet.Thinking critically some of the characters seemed unnecessary, and are only there to set up a new song.
Also you would not expect great acting, but some of the interaction between actors came across as clunky, and could of done with a couple more takes being shot.On the whole a fun original film, that hopefully kids will enjoy for years to come..
At 14 Jodie Foster (Tallulah) who "mothered" the film looked sensational and could carry a fair tune (though I'd have chosen a better song for her) and other cast members wouldn't have had to sing like professionals to fill the role.Bugsy (Scott Baio) was overly cute and sassy - two things that don't go together, in anyone but mostly in Baio.
I first saw this film in the late 70s when it was shown at my school as a Christmas treat (on a real projector and screen, no less); now, over thirty years later, I'm watching it again in the company of my son and daughter (aged 10 and 8), and I'm finding it no less entertaining than when I was a kid myself.Starring Scott Baio in his greatest ever role (yes, he's even better here than he is in Zapped!), Jodie Foster looking unnervingly sexy for her age as vampish songstress Tallulah, and a very young Dexter Fletcher as Babyface (UK TV viewers my age will know who he is), and with superb direction by Alan Parker and brilliant music and songs by Paul Williams (the man behind the tunes for one of my other favourite musicals, Phantom of the Paradise), this is one of the most enjoyable films of the 70s, particularly when viewed as a youngster.I mean, is there a kid alive who wouldn't want their own splurge gun, an over-sized pedal car, or to take part in a massive pie fight?.
"Bugsy Malone" is comedy with some musical numbers that recreates the gangster films of the 1930's with a ensemble casting of kids and teens.
The title of the movie is a reference to Scott Baio's character, a young guy romantically involved with Blousey Brown (Florrie Dugger) a young singer trying to get a chance to work in the club of Fat Sam (John Cassisi) a powerful gangster.
Bugsy also gets involved with one of Fat Sam's girl Tallulah (played by Jodie Foster) also singer at the club but much more prettier and smarter than Blousey.
Seriously, I think all these kids really had a great time doing their parts here, acting like adults in a very cool movie.
The idea of the splurge gun and all that cream, and the strange cars also were a great idea, a movie starring kids specially made for a kid audience but it's very good for adults too, way better than to take kids to see some stupid little movies with boring punchlines that many adults are forced to watch.
I'm giving 9 starts only because of the songs that distracted me in some points but it was a training exercise for director Alan Parker (his first feature film released in theaters) with the musical genre something he would do better with "The Commitments" and "Evita".
I believe this was only his second movie, I wonder what it was like trying to direct all these kids!On the plus side Baio is very suave, (this was before he threw away a promising film career to do TV), and I just love Martin Lev as Dandy Dan, one of my more favorite film villains.
Jodie Foster usually rides right over the bumps in her early movies, but here she's not around a whole lot; her solo number, "My Name Is Tallulah" (which, like the rest, is lip-synched to adult vocalists), is a cute little show-stopper, but even here the uninspired choreography is disappointing.
There's not much of a story--with a subplot about Bugsy getting robbed before scouting a boxer that goes absolutely nowhere--and Paul Williams' songs aren't always utilized well (the title cut played at the opening is set to scenes from the movie that haven't happened yet!).
BUGSY MALONEA gangster movie like no other.This is a musical, gangster film...
The bad acting worked really well with the comedy side of the film.The movie starred Scott Baio, Florrie Dugger, Jodie Foster & John Cassisi.
Bugsy Malone is a cutesy, fun and nostalgic film fit for family viewing,It will undoubtedly encourage kids to engage in imaginative roleplay (cop v.
I call my brother Tallulah as a result.The film is timeless and suitable for adults and children to watch, yet still enjoy.
Great cast - I would recommend watching YouTube after to see the actors' and director's views on the movie and what they look like now.A must watch!
Rating-7/10Bugsy Malone is a film full of big songs and dancing, slick lines and splurge guns, this movie is perfect for kids to actually live in.
The acting as I said is not something you can expect to be great although Scott Baio, Jodie Foster(who now is listed usually ahead of other cast members) and John Cassisi make this a fun little bit of acting and one you can't criticise easily.
There are some parts where the film goes a little too much overboard with the acting and although not the kids fault, still doesn't portray minor characters well.Alan Parker writes and directs it just about pretty well and the job he does here is one of not just great lyrical skill but also the way he handles the frantic pace of the movie.
Give it a go and you should enjoy given you like musicals and dancing and gangsters, a strange mix which actually by the end works rather well and leaves you feeling quite strange watching kids play out the roles that people like Pacino play, complexing..
The most memorable part of this movie for me, however, was in the musical numbers that pop in and out seamlessly between the quick lines and quips of the characters -- yes, a perfect tribute to the Golden Age of film when song and dance was the norm.
Some of the children became famous when they got older, and Jodie Foster was already a big name when this film was released.The costumes were great, the music was decent, and some of the dancing was very good.
In a world of child gangsters, speakeasy clubs, molls and hoods Bugsy Malone hooks up with wannabe singer and dancer Blousey Brown at Fat Sam's.
The acting seems pretty darn good, a bit exaggerated here and there but then hey, it's a gangster musical played by a bunch of kids with songs are catchy and memorable.
especially Jodie foster and Scott Baio who seem years beyond their age which is part of the fun.this movie also seems years ahead in terms of the "gangster" genre and it's satirizing of it.
The acting is pretty good for youngsters, the songs are quite fun, the pie and cream fights are always a treat, and young Foster proves to be worthy to-be movie star.
Jodie Foster was number 23 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, the film was number 19 on The 100 Greatest Musicals, and it was number 39 on The 100 Greatest Family Films.
We meet speakeasy boss Fat Sam and Bugsy Malone (Baio) with a big musical number.
If I'm brutally honest, watching a bunch of kids overacting their way through a 1930s-era gangster movie is my last idea of fun.
With many song and dance numbers, historically accurate costumes, cars, guns and music, a lot of jokes, and pies-in-the-face, this is a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
This film is a feel-good comedy musical that spoofs gangster movies from an earlier period such like the 1940's.
It's supposed to be a gangster film but they are all played by kids.