A true cinematic anomaly, there’s never been anything quite like Bugsy Malone, before or after it was released in 1976. Maybe it’s not the first Prohibition-era gangster musical comedy, but it’s the first one to feature an entire cast of under-14-year-olds playing the wiseguys and their molls. The violence inherent in the gangster genre is tempered somewhat by the fact that the characters aren’t dispatched with bullets, but rather “splurge guns” that spew whipped cream all over their targets. Is there any wonder why this highly entertaining gem has a cult following among adults who saw it as children?

Bugsy (a pre-Chachi Scott Baio) is an ambitious hood caught in the middle of a war between gangleaders Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Meanwhile, Bugsy’s love life finds him shuttling between the virtuous Blousey (Florrie Dugger) and hard-bitten nightclub singer Tallulah (Jodie Foster, who appeared in Taxi Driver the same year). But while the movie’s story isn’t so surprising, the spectacle of dozens of tough-talking and tap-dancing pre-teens on the lushly designed art-deco sets of Geoffrey Kirkland (who recently brought the visionary future world of Children of Men to life) is delightfully surreal, to say the least. Adding to the oddness: the catchy, Oscar®-nominated song score by ’70s musical legend Paul Williams (The Muppet Movie) is frequently voiced by adult performers while the young cast lip-synchs the lyrics, a stylistic touch that pre-dates the work of Dennis Potter (Pennies from Heaven, The Singing Detective).

The film was the brainchild of English writer-director Alan Parker, who got his start coming up with similar high-concept ideas in the world of British television commercials. Parker was one of a number of UK filmmakers who rose to the ranks of feature directing after working in advertising. His compatriots included some of the most influential cinematic forces of the last three decades: Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction), Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire), and the Scott brothers, Ridley (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) and Tony (The Hunger, True Romance). Bugsy Malone was Parker’s big screen debut, and while he’s flirted with the musical in later efforts like Fame and The Commitments and even engaged in further dairy product hijinks in The Road to Wellville, he’s never made anything as idiosyncratic as his first film, preferring more prestigious projects like Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning, and Angela’s Ashes.

Part satire, part fantasy, part affectionate homage, this ain’t no Little Rascals short, but Bugsy Malone is not just a cultural curiosity either. It’s the perfect entertainment for viewers of all ages. In Great Britain, where the movie was filmed, Bugsy Malone recently inspired a London stage musical, renewing interest in the original movie. New 35mm prints were struck and one will be imported for three screenings in the Dryden Theatre.

~Jim Healy, Assistant Curator, Exhibitions, Motion Picture Department

Interview with Alan Parker at Film Street