Greaser's Palace

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Greaser's Palace Photos

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Movie Info

Set in a mystical frontier town where Seaweedhead Greaser runs his eponymous saloon, this freewheeling social satire features, among other things, a vaudeville Jesus, a topless Indian scout and a homosexual cowboy.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Classics, Comedy, Drama, Western
Directed By:

Robert Downey Sr.
In Theaters:

Jan 1, 1972 limited
On Disc/Streaming:

Nov 22, 2010
Runtime:

91 minutes
Studio:

Greaser's Palace

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Cast

Albert Henderson
as Seaweedhead Greaser

Michael Sullivan
as Lamy Greaser

Robert Downey Jr.

Luana Anders
as Cholera Greaser

Allan Arbus
as Jesse

Jim Antonio
as Vernon

George Morgan
as Coo Coo

James Antonio
as Vernon

Ron Nealy
as Card Man/Ghost

Larry Moyer
as Captain Good

John Paul Hudson
as Smiley

Jackson Haynes
as Rope Man

Lawrence Wolf
as French Padre

Alex Hitchcock
as Nun

Pablo Ferro
as Indian

Toni Basil
as Indian Girl

Stan Gottlieb
as Spitunia

Stanley Gottlieb
as Spitunia

Herve Villechaize
as Mr. Spitunia

Don Smolen
as Gip

Joe Madden
as Man With Painting

Don Calfa
as Morris

Woodrow Chambliss
as Father

Elsie Downey
as The Woman

Rex King
as Turquoise Skies

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Critic Reviews for Greaser's Palace

All Critics (6) | Top Critics (2) | DVD (1)

The film, I'm told, cost close to $1-million, and it looks it, which depresses me even more than its witlessness.

May 9, 2005 | Rating: 1/5

Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic
As a product of an unusually adventurous time in cinema history, Greaser's Palace has perverse appeal. As a comedy, it's virtually unwatchable.

May 30, 2001 | Full Review…

Nathan Rabin
AV Club
Top Critic
Robert Downey Sr. eventually reveals that he's made a comedic satire that's hilarious, ugly and beguiling.

Nov 2, 2018 | Full Review…

David Bax
Battleship Pretension
An embarrassment.

May 19, 2010 | Rating: C- | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (6)

Audience Reviews for Greaser's Palace

Jun 07, 2010

I first saw "Greaser's Palace" in the late '70s, when I was far too young to understand its allegorical aspects. The one detail I always remembered was some lunatic inexplicably repeating a phrase which sounded something like "Ee-wop-see-dep." Well, I recently saw the film for the second time, and that scene was *still* puzzling. I still couldn't understand what the character was saying -- I guessed something close to "Who is he, Jep?" but the Web says it's actually "Who is he gip." Um, OK. Even listening to this film minus visuals would be quite bizarre. People wordlessly howl and cry like animals, for a variety of reasons. Mariachi music intrudes at random intervals. Other scenes have long silences, while characters simply trudge around the terrain. There's an anachronistic boogie-woogie song (with a mediocre vocal, besides), and even the closing seconds add a strange din of electronic noises. It's a lot for baffled ears to process. But I was so pleased that Greaser finally beat his constipation problem. "Greaser's Palace" is totally insane, but also quite brilliant. Don't miss the young Toni Basil running around as a topless Injun, and little Robert Downey Jr. making a cameo as a child whose throat gets slit!

Eric B Super Reviewer
Jan 08, 2010

A zoot-suited messiah parachutes into a Western town, performs miracles and boogie-woogie songs, and gets crucified. A string of subtle, absurd sketches hanging off a loose New Testament storyline; fitfully funny, always surprising, and one of the more bizarre movies you're ever likely to see.

Greg S Super Reviewer