Right in my Madhouse

There's something about being human. We just refuse to follow 100% of the time. I know a police officer (you'll never get the name out of me) who likes to take their personal vehicle out for a late-night cruise on a deserted highway and drive along at, oh, say, 120 mph for a stretch. Is it the thrill of speed, or of breaking a dozen laws, that holds the appeal?

Now and then you will find a devotee of the fine arts - the finest in painting or photography - skulking out of the art gallery where they sell the paintings of wide-eyed kids or dogs playing poker or former presidents with insanely impressive musculature.

And without question, the finest chefs and cooks and gourmets just have to stop off for some Marshmallow Circus Peanuts from time to time.

That said, I will add that I am no expert on what makes a good movie. I think the last time I was in a theater, popcorn was a dollar, and everybody was all excited about "Gone With The Wind" coming out soon. 

But there is a movie called "Madhouse" that I can't seem to get enough of. And the ratings of 0% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer seem a tad low to me. Take the calm, deft comedy of John Larroquette - so popular in "Stripes" on the big screen and "Night Court" on the small one - add the magic that is Kirstie Alley, the quirky raised eyebrows of Alison LaPlaca, and throw in a curveball named John Diehl, memorable as "Cruiser" in "Stripes" and as "Larry Zito" in TV's "Miami Vice," stir lightly with madcap friends and relatives and a broken leg, and the result is comedy magic on a scale rarely seen outside of the collaborations of Mike Nichols and Neil Simon.

It's available for viewing on Amazon Prime and I can't think of a single thing I would rather do right now than to watch it again. The scene where Laroquette and Diehl mime "Bernadette" by the Four Tops in a bar is worth the afternoon in itself!

I always felt that Alison LaPlaca was going to be the next Katharine Hepburn, but it turned out, no one wanted another Katharine Hepburn.

The thing with the movie getting 0% still rankles. It reminds me of a certain TV show that got a Neilsen rating of -2. Not only was no one watching, but two people called to say they never would!