[Clemenza]

One of my favorite movies of all time. Derbyshire hits on many of the reasons why.

I would like to add that it also represents to some of us an ethnic subculture which, in many ways, no longer exists. Upwardly mobility among Italian Americans (to say nothing of Polish/Eastern European) Americans has led to the loss of cultural distinctiveness. The neighborhood culture shown in SNL has largely disappeared (as an aside, although the movie was filmed in the more scenic Bay Ridge, it actually depicted Bensonhurst folks).

Also, Derbyshire's blue collar populism is on display here. What he tends to forget is that those of us who's families went from poor immigrant, to blue collar, to upper middle class white collar (in three generations), are just as guilty as mocking ne'er do wells as the "elite." Another fact lost on Derbyshire (surprising, since he lives on Lawn Guyland) is that, especially in New York, the Hispanic and black lower/lower middle classes are mocked and/or scorned by folks as well, usually, but not always in jest. Its classism, not racism.

Enough of the psychobabble BS: This is a GREAT movie about one of the more enjoyable, yet mockable eras in American pop culture. I think that when I get out of work, I will crank up "Night Fever" or "If I Can't Have You" as I get onto Route 31.

[Clemenza]

"When My Mother Dies, THEN You Can Have the Job!" --- Tony to Annette, or Clemenza to Bloomberg?

Great Movie Ping!

[jdm]

That's great and all, but the YMCA goes back even further.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I loved the soundtrack. Of course, I harbor this deep secret: I actually won money (like Tony Manero) in a Disco-Dancing Contest.

[Fiji Hill]

Karen Gorney is the daughter of Jay Gorney, who co-wrote Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, a smash hit recording for Rudy Vallee & his Connecticut Yankees as well as Bing Crosby during the fall of 1932.

[Wolfie]

"Can you dig it? I knew that you could!"

(Man, I'm gettin' old).

[Oratam]

"One of the longest journeys in the world is the journey from Brooklyn to Manhattan."

Norman Podhoretz in Making It

[lesser_satan]

X-er ping

[NavyCanDo]

When the movie came out I was stationed at a Navy base in the Tennessee where at the time red-neck Rock ruled and where the phrase “Disco sucks” was first uttered. I don’t remember the movie going over real well down there. I first saw it on HBO or Showtime years later, when Disco was truly on it’s way out, being replaced by the much better 80’s Rock inspired by MTV which was a great channel in its early days.

[varina davis]

I could listen to Bee Gees music forever — never tire of it.

[beeber]

Stayin' alive!

[mkjessup]

Somebody help me, yeah,
Life goin nowhere, somebody help me, yeah,
My campaign is barely alive, barely alive...

[B-Chan]

I'm with you. The reviewer hits it right on. As a kid, I wanted to hate Fever so badly — it seemed to me an affirmation of the lifestyle and tastes over every boneheaded, sub-literate Guido I knew in school — but I couldn't. It was (and is) just too good.

Fever was the late Gene Siskel's favorite film of all time, and for good reason. Whatever Travolta may be now, in 1978 he was Tony Manero — and that's good enough for me.

[xJones]

Tony Manero: “You make it with some of these chicks, they think you gotta dance with them.”

[the OlLine Rebel]

It’s a good movie, great soundtrack, but let’s not forget it’s NOT a “musical”.

It is actually a very depressing movie. Pretty good for what it is.

Eitehr way, I’m not sure I’d ever say it was 1 of the greatest movies!

[jordan8]

Saturday Night Fever, one of the dozen or so best movies of all time.

Derbyshire must have been swigging port out of the bottle while he typed this.

[Silly]

What day of the week does its thirty year anniversary fall on? Saturday?

[A knight without armor]

I love SNF. I saw it for the first time on a cold night in Dubuque, Iowa. I was with a friend who was just entering seminary school.

[T.Smith]

Wow. This one article by one man dedicated more thought to this movie than any civilization ought to in an entire lifetime. It was/is a useless, boring waste of film. It is pointless, meaningless drivel; like like most of what came out of the 70’s.

That is just this man’s opinion. Now, The Breakfast Club! THAT was a groundbreaking bit of cinema!

[Coleus]

thanks for the post and ping. reliving my childhood, I miss disco and the 70’s