Hot Dog…The Movie
Harkin Banks heads to skiing championships in California. A teen runaway tags along as he parties and competes with friends and foes.
Cast:
- David Naughton as Dan O’Callahan
- Patrick Houser as Harkin Banks
- Tracy Smith as Sunny
- John Patrick Reger as Rudolph “Rudi” Garmisch
- Frank Koppala as “Squirrel” Murphy
- James Saito as Kendo Yamamoto
- Shannon Tweed as Sylvia Fonda
1984 viewing
This one was a staple on HBO in 1984. Anytime I spent the night at my friend’s house this movie would be in the HBO weekend lineup. It seemed like it was in constant rotation.
It was raunchy, full of crude humor and lots of cute girls. Perfect for young kids in the 80s. And it introduced us to the wet t-shirt contest! Oh, there was also a lot of great skiing in the movie.
I don’t have high hopes for this one holding up, but let’s see what it’s like forty years later…
40th Anniversary Re-watch
I was prepared for a cringe fest watching this sex comedy from 1984. That’s not the case though. I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would.
The plot was good, the writing was good and the acting was good. All were on par for a lower budget 80s comedy.
The story revolves around Harkin Banks a young kid trying to make it on the skiing circuit. Banks picks up hitchhiker Sunny on his way to the skiing championships. Once they arrive they meet Dan O’callahan, veteran skier and at the end of his career.
Banks also meets his idol German skier Rudolph Garmisch the current champion, only to find out Garmisch is a complete jerk. Banks is befriended by O’callahan and the two plot to take down Garmisch and his crew.
Hot Dog…The Movie had a feel of Caddyshack to it. The ne’er-do-wells versus high society, only on a ski hill instead of a golf course. And it works.
The cast isn’t easily recognizable. David Naughton plays O’callahan. Naughton may be best known for playing David Kessler in An American Werewolf in London. Over the years he’s starred in over 94 movies and TV shows. He also hit the Billboard Top Ten in 1979 for the theme song “Makin’ It,” from his TV series of the same name.
Hot Dog..The Movie was the debut movie for both Patrick Houser and Tracy Smith. They would both go on to star in a handful of movies in the 80s and 90s. Both were good in this movie and I’d like to see more of them. Not sure why their movie careers didn’t take off.
The ski bunny is played by Playboy Playmate of the Year (1982) Shannon Tweed. She’s been in over 100 movies and TV shows over the years. Tweed is also the wife of KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. They’ve been together since 1983.
Favorite Line:
Hey, Rudy! You can kiss my ass! Not on zis side and not on zat side, but right in ze meedle!
Overall this is an enjoyable movie and one of the better sex comedies of the 80s. There are other movies in this genre on my list and this one is easily one of the best. There’s really only one gratuitous nude scene, the wet t-shirt contest. The other scenes are all in context and not over the top.
The skiing is fantastic. The ski competition scenes show great skill and competency. There is some editing magic to get shots of the stars doing the jumps. The Chinese downhill at the end is filled with great skiing and great stunts.
Hot Dog…The Movie is a great example of the genre and worth watching. It did great at the box office too. It brought in over $18 million on a $2 million budget.
I enjoyed it and I’d recommend it to anyone. Just don’t watch it with your kids, it’s rated ‘R’ for good reason.
Did you watch Hot Dog…The Movie? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on X(Twitter). The main Geekster channel is @TRNSocial and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai
7/10 stars
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