MY FAVORITE YEAR drew Peter O’Toole his seventh of eight Oscar nominations for Best Actor. A popular comedy from 1982, with Richard Benjamin taking his first run at directing a feature film, a frantic yet fond memory piece of the mid 1950’s, lightly based off aspects of some famous show biz personalities. O’Toole stands out like a tuxedo in a box of socks.

New York City, 1954. A top-rated TV variety show faces people problems during the lead-up to its next live broadcast. ‘King Kaiser’ (Joseph Bologna), the fierce and fearless star, has angered hoodlike union boss ‘Karl Rojeck’ (Cameron Mitchell) with his pointedly unflattering sendups. A different type of threat is the week’s special guest, legendary movie hero ‘Allan Swan’ (O’Toole, 49), is renowned for being a loose cannon, primed with booze and prone to scandalous escapading. Junior gag writer ‘Benjy Stone’ (Mark Linn-Baker, 27) is assigned to watch over Swann, whom he idolizes, and keep him reasonably sober and fit for skit action. But flamboyant Swann is his own man—or several in one.

Written by Norman Steinberg and Dennis Palumbo, the scripts ‘Comedy Cavalcade’ mimics the creative anarchy of the hit 1950-54 series Your Show of Shows, with Bologna’s inspired and demanding headman suggesting Sid Caesar, Linn-Baker’s ambitious smartass based on Mel Brooks (one of the writers for El Sid) and O’Toole’s gallantly wayward Swann patterned after swashbuckler-at-large Errol Flynn.

It’s a mixed blessing, with the charm and flair of O’Toole and bravo brassiness of Bologna the reward for putting up with Linn-Baker’s off-putting nudnik (remember that dachsund you wanted to punt?), a tiresome injection of schnorring and kibitzing from Lainie Kazan and Lou Jacobi (intended as LOVE ME!!! endearing but more like salt on spam), and the barrage of shouting from Bill Macy, abrasive enough to wish him bodily harm. Elbow past them and there are good snorts from Bologna, chuckles from growling Mitchell (doing a riff on Teamster’s bigshot Jimmy Hoffa), and above all, towering among them like—well, a movie star—are smiles to spare from the front & center stand-up (or fall over) job of affectionate spoofing finessed by O’Toole. Eyes twinkling over the inherent silliness of adulation, shrewd enough to play it straight and not spoil the joke by winking at you, he offers a master class in the barometric pressure required by certain humor conditions in order to make them breezy instead of blustery. That devil Flynn would be bemused. *

In producing Michael Gruskoff (Silent Running, Young Frankenstein, Nosferatu the Vampyre) saw to it that a well-distributed $7,900,000 ensured neat period atmosphere in the sets, props (dig the cars) and costuming. Grosses of $20,100,000 notched #36 on ’82’s box office list. Benjamin went on to direct thirteen features and six TV movies.

With able input from Jessica Harper (stuck with being pestered by Linn-Baker), Adolph Green (lauded writer, sharp in a rare acting role), Anne De Salvo, Basil Hoffman, Tony DiBenedetto (always enjoyable), Selma Diamond (who wrote for Caesar’s show—and many more), Teresa Ganzel, Philip Bruns, Gloria Stuart, 71 (Titanic 15 years in the future) and ill-fated Lana Clarkson, 19, debut. 92 minutes.

* Brooklyn’s own—quote from the missed Mr. Bologna (1934-2017): “My favorite actors when I was a kid were in their 60’s. Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne.”  There was a reason I liked this guy.