Million Dollar Mystery
Encyclopedia
Million Dollar Mystery (also known as Money Mania) is a 1987 American film released with a promotional
tie-in for Glad-Lock
brand bags. While performing a routine stunt for this film, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson
lost his life on November 21, 1986. This was also the final feature-length film directed by Richard Fleischer
.
has the starring role as Sidney Preston, a disgruntled White House
aide who took off with $4 million that belonged to the government. While on the run, he stops at a roadside diner
and has their world famous chili
. He suffers a fatal heart attack
and before dying, reveals to onlookers the location of the first million dollars.
The occupants of the diner head out on a mad dash to find the loot. When they find the loot, they lose it in a mishap. They follow clues to the next million and lose it as well. After finding and losing the third million the movie ends. During the closing credits, one of the characters informs the audience that there is a million dollars somewhere in the USA and if they follow the clues in specially marked Glad-Lock bags, they have the chance to win $1,000,000.
The plot was not unlike a similar movie made in 1963 entitled: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
.
where the President should be. In the end, it was a big disaster for the studio. The film was one of the major flops of the 1980s, barely grossing a million dollars at the box office, which the studio wound up forking over to the contest winner, a woman in Bakersfield, California
. (Incidentally, the money was hidden in the bridge of the Statue of Liberty
's nose).
Promotion (marketing)
Promotion is one of the four elements of marketing mix . It is the communication link between sellers and buyers for the purpose of influencing, informing, or persuading a potential buyer's purchasing decision....
tie-in for Glad-Lock
Glad (company)
Glad is an American company specializing in trash bags and plastic food storage containers.-History:The Glad brand originated in the United States in 1963 when the owner and CEO of the company, David Darroch, launched "Glad Wrap", a polyethylene film used as a food wrap. Douglas G. Taylor was...
brand bags. While performing a routine stunt for this film, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson
Dar Robinson
Dar Allen Robinson was an American stunt performer and actor. Robinson broke 19 world records and set 21 "world's firsts." He invented the decelerator which allowed a cameraman to film a top-down view of the stuntman as he fell without accidentally...
lost his life on November 21, 1986. This was also the final feature-length film directed by Richard Fleischer
Richard Fleischer
-Early life:Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie and animator/producer Max Fleischer. He started in motion pictures as director of animated shorts produced by his father including entries in the Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman series.His live-action film career began in 1942 at the RKO...
.
Plot summary
Tom BosleyTom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
has the starring role as Sidney Preston, a disgruntled White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
aide who took off with $4 million that belonged to the government. While on the run, he stops at a roadside diner
Diner
A diner, also spelled dinor in western Pennsylvania is a prefabricated restaurant building characteristic of North America, especially in the Midwest, in New York City, in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey, and in other areas of the Northeastern United States, although examples can be found throughout...
and has their world famous chili
Chili con carne
Chili con carne is a spicy stew. The name of the dish derives from the Spanish chile con carne, "chili pepper with meat". Traditional versions are made, minimally, from chili peppers, garlic, onions, and cumin, along with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are frequently included...
. He suffers a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
and before dying, reveals to onlookers the location of the first million dollars.
The occupants of the diner head out on a mad dash to find the loot. When they find the loot, they lose it in a mishap. They follow clues to the next million and lose it as well. After finding and losing the third million the movie ends. During the closing credits, one of the characters informs the audience that there is a million dollars somewhere in the USA and if they follow the clues in specially marked Glad-Lock bags, they have the chance to win $1,000,000.
The plot was not unlike a similar movie made in 1963 entitled: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers...
.
Cast
- Tom BosleyTom BosleyThomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
as Sidney Preston - Royce D. ApplegateRoyce D. ApplegateRoyce D. Applegate was an American actor and screenwriter. Born in Oklahoma, his most visible role was that of Chief Petty Officer Manilow Crocker on the first season of the Steven Spielberg-produced television series seaQuest DSV.In 1985, Applegate played tragic family man-turned-kidnapper Donald...
as Tugger - Penny BakerPenny BakerPenny Baker is an American model and actress. After being interviewed in Chicago, she was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the Month for January 1984, the 30th Anniversary Playmate. Her photos were shot by Arny Freytag in New York City, Buffalo, and Los Angeles when she was 17, with written...
as Charity - Eddie DeezenEddie DeezenEddie Deezen is an American character actor, voice actor and comedian, best known for his bit parts as nerd characters in 1970s and 1980s films such as Grease, Grease 2, Midnight Madness, 1941 and WarGames, as well as for larger roles in a number of independent cult films, including Surf II: The...
as Rollie - Douglas EmersonDouglas EmersonDouglas Emerson is an American former child actor who played Scott Scanlon on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the show's first and second seasons and played Eddie Beckner in The Blob....
as Howie Briggs - Rich HallRich HallRichard "Rich" Hall is an American comedian, writer and musician.-Early life and career:Hall was born in Alexandria, Virginia and grew up in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He is part Cherokee Indian...
as Slaughter Buzzárd - Daniel McDonald as Crush
- Rick OvertonRick OvertonRichard "Rick" Overton is an American screenwriter, actor and comedian. His writing credits include Dennis Miller Live, and his acting credits include Willow and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.-Life and career:...
as Stuart Briggs - Kevin PollakKevin PollakKevin Elliot Pollak is an American actor, impressionist, game show host, and comedian. He started performing stand-up comedy at the age of 10 and touring professionally at the age of 20...
as Officer Quinn - Jamie AlcroftJamie AlcroftJamie Alcroft is an American comedian and voice actor. He is half of the comedy duo Mack & Jamie.-Early life and education:Alcroft earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Ohio University in 1971.-Career:...
as Bob - Mack DrydenMack DrydenMack Leon Dryden is an American comedian, motivational speaker, actor, illustrator, and writer.-Early life:Dryden was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi at Jackson County Hospital, which is also where famous singer Jimmy Buffett was born. His parents are Neva and Herbert Dryden...
as Fred - Tawny Fere as Faith
- H.B. Haggerty as Awful Abdul
- LaGena Hart as Hope
- Mona Lyden as Barbara Briggs
- Pam Matteson as Dottie
- Gail Neely as Officer Gretchen
- Bob Schott as Bad Boris
- Wendy ShermanWendy ShermanWendy Ruth Sherman is a United States diplomat, government official, non-profit manager, and adviser to politicians and business. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Counselor of the United States Department of State and Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State and...
as Lollie
The Glad-Lock contest failure
Glad Bags and DeLaurentiis Entertainment co-sponsored a real-life million-dollar "treasure hunt" to coincide with this film's release. At the end of the movie, the cash is still missing, and moviegoers were invited to find the location of the hidden stash, using clues provided in the film (the sponsors also emphasized that the money wasn't PHYSICALLY hidden anywhere, lest anyone injure themselves or damage property while searching for the loot; the audience just had to GUESS where the money was hidden). Ticket buyers were even given game cards shaped like American currency—with a big photo of Dino De LaurentiisDino De Laurentiis
Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis was an Italian film producer.-Early life:He was born at Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, and grew up selling spaghetti produced by his father...
where the President should be. In the end, it was a big disaster for the studio. The film was one of the major flops of the 1980s, barely grossing a million dollars at the box office, which the studio wound up forking over to the contest winner, a woman in Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
. (Incidentally, the money was hidden in the bridge of the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
's nose).
Award nominations
Golden Raspberry AwardsGolden Raspberry Awards
A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in movies. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day...
- Nominated: Worst Original Song, Barry MannBarry MannBarry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
& John Lewis Parker (1988) - Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Tom BosleyTom BosleyThomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
(1988) - Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Jamie Alcroft (1988)
- Nominated: Worst Supporting Actor, Mack Dryden (1988)
See also
- Stunts that have gone wrong