This is a very special film, a crazy comedy, directed by a great director, Otto Preminger, who made only dramas. A lot of big names in it, Groucho Marx, Mickey Rooney, George Raft, Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Jackie Gleason and a few others. The film is neither bad nor extraordinary, it has some cool moments. Mostly for those who love actors even in bad situations/stories/scripts.

I'm glad to see that stoners appreciate Skidoo, since their discriminating taste makes it hard for them to find anything to amuse themselves. That Preminger made a movie enjoyed half a century later by both stoners and people who use their brains for thinking is testimony to his genius. It's a fantastic movie, much smarter and more successful than most viewers realize.People who think it's stupid, who mock its clueless depiction of the 60s counterculture, should first look in a mirror to see what stupid looks like and then make their snarky comments. If Preminger had wanted to document what hippies were like he could have done that, but Skidoo is a farce, not a documentary. Gleason's acid trip isn't supposed to show what acid is really like, it's supposed to be corny and funny.THIS MOVIE IS A FARCE, folks! The Banks family isn't supposed to be like a real family, the gangsters like real gangsters, the hippies like real hippies, or the acid trip like a real acid trip. Skidoo is supposed to be freewheeling and totally off the wall, and it is.People take this fascinating movie either too seriously or not seriously enough, and it's because they don't understand what it is. It's unlike any other movie made in the 1960s or any other time, and it can't be evaluated in terms of anything but itself. It's a delightfully zany movie, and it holds up extremely well. Since it IS a farce, not a documentary, it isn't dated at all. It's fresh and alive.Gleason is fantastic, showing wide-ranging sensitivity and subtlety people who know him only as Ralph Kramden never saw. Rooney is great too, especially in the scene where he's talking to Gleason on the radio. But this is really an ensemble movie, and Preminger orchestrated his large and diverse cast marvelously. It's neat to see a veteran like Gleason working so well with a newcomer like Pendleton.Skidoo isn't a laughable failure; it's great fun, and it's smarter than its critics are.

If you dig Firesign Theater's late 60's - early 70s' comedy LP's, you may really like this. It would be familiar except for name stars in this movie. (Artistically) they didn't need to put Skidoo on film. Maybe it would be more highly regarded if it remained a work of sound - it could have remained theater of the mind! The cast generally has VERY distinctive voices and I really do mean that this story would be fine as longform comedy LP, requiring a narrator and some excellent foley work. The "Skidoo" story also would have made for a fun off-off Broadway happening! The Firesign Theater connection I notice means I'll need to take another look at Skidoo from DVR'ing on TCM, though there is nothing easily found to show any connection in the making of Skidoo of any Firesign principals; some of their aural devices and trippy plot devices may have been influenced by this movie and the 1968 movie "Head" additionally. "Head" is its' visuals. "Skidoo" is an idea that becomes shortchanged, enhanced, loved and notorious in parts by it's sets, props and the look of the actors. Anyway, I would say if you like either "Skiddoo" or "Head", see the other one!

I'm 43 and I had fun seeing all these old A-list actors in this severely screwed-up film. I'm not sure I could say the same for my cousins in their 20s however. There are some great sets and costumes, as well as music. The film is far from a cult classic and it is pretty amateurish at parts, especially some terribly done slapstick split-screen at the start, but the general plot is interesting and twisted, the combination of actors is bizarre, and the weird plot that takes Jackie Gleason through a prison acid-trip on his way to confront an old mafia boss is often amusing. Not long after, the entire prison starts tripping, including Burgess Meredith, Peter Lawford, Slim Pickens, and Jack Lord? You really get the sense that these guys were partying as much as anyone. I cant believe a studio released money for this, although the quality of the film and the lighting at times make it clear the budget was low or a fine director like Premminger was not matched by his director of photography. It's shot like a TV show, but I'm probably seeing a 4x duped print. I bet the originals are long gone.Its a historical artifact if nothing else, and there are some truly innovative psychedelic film sequences. The film starts terribly in establishing its preposterous plot, but seems to smooth out more over time towards the end. There's a certain loose sexuality coming through from the time period 1968, and I think this movie was trying to be Candy if nothing else. It's definitely a B-movie, but with the surprising A-listers from Jackie Gleason to Frankie Avalon and Burgess Meredith, and the historic aspect, I think its as good as lots of time-wasting indie movies. At least its not gratuitously morose. Its gratuitously asinine. I'd totally own it on DVD.