The Sunshine Boys (1975) on Netflix
Willy Clark and Al Lewis were the vaudeville team Lewis and Clark until they stopped speaking. A television special wants the duo back, and Willy's nephew Ben must arrange it.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb7.1/107,391 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes71%
Trailer
Plot summary
Al Lewis and Willy Clark formed a vaudeville comedy act called Lewis and Clark, also known as The Sunshine Boys. They worked as partners for decades, then parted on unfriendly terms because Willy wanted to keep performing and Al preferred to retire; the two have not spoken since. Ben Clark is Willy's nephew and a talent agent who has had little success finding his uncle work as Willy grows older. A network plans a program about comedy's history and asks for the old partners to appear as a team again. Ben must get both men to agree to one performance and show the network that they are willing.
Cast
- James Crannaas Mr. Schaeffer, TV Director
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Sunshine Boys (1975)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- George Burns won an Academy Award for The Sunshine Boys at age 79; the win revived his career and redefined his image as an active, older comedy star.
- Jack Benny had to withdraw after being diagnosed with the pancreatic cancer that killed him in December 1974, and he recommended his friend, the veteran vaudevillian George Burns, who had not appeared in a feature film since 1939.
- Red Skelton backed out of the lead after realizing his income as a stand-up comic was higher than what the film offered for the part; he was replaced by the younger Walter Matthau.
- Woody Allen was asked to direct but turned it down because he was more interested in playing Lewis; twenty years later he was cast as Lewis in the 1996 television adaptation.
- Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were proposed for the leads, but Neil Simon opposed the idea, feeling the roles required Jewish comedians.
