Professor Plum, in the study, with the cook.

So far, I’ve spent most of my time talking about things that are Pop Culture Blind Spots for me. But sometimes, it turns out that Pop Culture things that I love are blind spots for other people. One of those things, for one reason or another, is the movie “Clue”.

If “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” was the first movie that I ever loved, then “Clue” was the second. It’s fast, fun and immediately re-quotable. Plus, unlike most movies, it has three possible endings…and Howard Nessman…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

A Brief Synopsis of “Clue”: Based on the board game, “Clue” is the story of six strangers who are summoned to a mysterious house for a dinner party one dark and stormy night. As Wadsworth, the butler of the house, quickly explains, each of the guests is being blackmailed by Mr. Body (a shady guy played by the awesomely named Lee Ving). When Wadsworth begins to expose the indiscretions that each of the six are being blackmailed for, Mr. Body hands out weapons and suggests that the easiest way to avoid being exposed is for one of them to kill Wadsworth. And so begins a string of murders and mayhem that can only be explained in a third act that has Tim Curry running around the house trying to recreate the events of the night for the group of potential killers (and the audience). The movie is best described as “Noises Off” with six homicides. The cast is a who’s who of funny people from the 80’s (Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, and Micheal McKean) and they’re allowed to basically run buckshot over a story that’s ridiculous at best. Add in secret passages, “Murder She Wrote”-style death scenes and some of the best circular logic in modern comedy and you get one of my favorite movies of all time. If all that isn’t enough to convince you that “Clue” is an awesome movie…it’s got three endings. Three! Everyone gets the answer that they thought was true by the end of the movie. Who could ask for anything more?

Why is it a Pop Culture Defense? It would be easy to say that I defend this movie because it’s the first of many that my sister introduced me to that we would share quotes from for years to come. But that’s not it. “Clue” is a movie that deserves a Pop Culture Defense because it’s everything that a zany comedy should be. It’s got great actors running nuts through a script that barely stands up to scrutiny but that is pulled off because of fabulously insane acting. I first saw “Clue” when I was 8 years old and it wasn’t until years later when I would see “Rocky Horror Picture Show” that I could see Tim Curry as anyone but Wadsworth. “Clue” is also basically a cheat sheet of funny actors from the 1980’s. If it’s a great movie in the late 70’s or 80’s, its probably got one of these actors in it. “Young Frankenstein” has Madelin Khan. “Back to the Future” has Christopher Lloyd. “Head of the Class” has Howard Nessman. It’s a virtual who’s who of comedy actors from that time. But in the end, this movie turns on the re-enactment of the first two thirds that occurs in the last reel of the movie. No matter which ending you prefer, they all start with Tim Curry’s brilliant re-telling of the events of the evening in a frantic monologue that’s half Shakespearian finale and half, well, Don Knotts. It’s an insane recap of the evening’s events that makes for the movie’s best moments. Add in the fact that “Clue” is one of the most quotable movies of all time (“Let us in, let us in! Let us out Let us out!” or “I thought men like you were called a fruit.” or “Flames….flames….from the side of my face.” or “Gentlemen turn out your pockets, ladies empty your purses. Whoever’s got the gun shot the girl.” or “What do you mean…murder?” or…you get the point). “Clue” was the basis for many a Pop Culture joke throughout high school and college. It’s a brilliant movie that just can’t get enough praise.

How does it look in the rear view mirror? Well, for me it looks like brilliance on toast…but for others it may come across a bit dated. It’s easy to see how “Clue” could strike you as either antiquated story telling or a campy mess…both of which are understatements to say the least. It’s a movie that revels in it’s ridiculousness (for God’s sake, they serve monkey’s brains at dinner as a plot point) but still feels grounded in some sort of fabulously ridiculous reality. “Clue” finds it’s voice in the simple fact that given the right circumstances anyone would kill anyone else if they absolutely had to. The string of murders that pepper the first two acts of the movie serve as a reminder that, in the end, humans have a tendency to resort to their absolute basest urges when threatened. The movie poses the theory that (literally almost) everyone would kill in the right circumstances if it meant their own survival. Throw in the fact that it’s based on a board game and you begin to realize just how brilliant this movie is.

Final Thoughts: Finally, if you haven’t seen “Clue” stop reading this right now and go get copy of this movie right now. Most likely you’ll get a DVD copy and you’ll have the option to randomly have the player chose an ending for you just like the original theatrical audiences did. Don’t do it. The movie’s true brilliance is only evident when all three endings are played back to back to back (with the snarky title cards taunting you between endings until you get to the “But this is how it really happened…” card before the third ending). When you’re done with this, take a moment and realize how deep Tim Curry’s talent goes. Rent “The Hunt for Red October” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, watch them back to back and realize that it’s the same guy. That’s the beauty of “Clue”. As frivolously fluffy as it seems, it’s really an actor’s playground where a bunch of talented folks get the chance to go nuts for 90 minutes.

Sometimes we’re all the singing telegram.