Despite the wacky promise of its earlier scenes (Winkler disrupting the amateur play) and Saks' breezily crude performance, plus the presence of the dwarf from James Bond, the script soon reverts to the usual domestic misunderstandings, underscored by Carl Reiner's stiflingly uninventive close-up after close-up direction. Even the climax is disappointing, forcing Winkler to eke out a weak script by gross overacting. And why is the movie set in 1951? To show off the producer's old TV set? There's certainly no other sense of period involved. True, the movie does garner a few laughs here and there, but it would undoubtedly be twice as funny with careful trimming.

...I saw this on cable back in the late 1980's as I was a big wrestling fan since 1986. I saw this on VHS in a 'for sale' bin and bought it.In 1998, I started training as a wrestler after the Air Force and would always go back to watching this to see how it was a very accurate portrayal of people that are involved with wrestling ( families and friends that wouldn't understand us, the travel, the heartbreak, etc. ). Henry Winkler is funny and sometimes sad to watch as nobody else can understand what a genius he is creatively. A great way to separate himself The Fonz character he played on Happy Days at the time. Plus, look at the cast...William Daniels ( Knight Rider ), Polly Holiday ( Alice ), and wrestlers Roddy Piper and Chavo Guerrero Sr. If you get a chance, watch it.

Ah gees...well so many fantastic words you could use to describe The One & Only. Words such as.....er....um...ah..well atleast it's better than Nightshift. Look out for a surprise appearance from none other than Tom Bosley - as the bad guy wrestler Mr.C

When this film hit the theaters in 1978, I saw it three times. But when I watched it again recently on video (a video that I BOUGHT), I couldn't believe that I at one time LIKED this movie. Winkler plays a totally unlikable character who never gets any better. Darby plays a dopey girl who, for reasons not addressed in this movie, falls for the obnoxious egocentric jerk. I chuckled maybe twice during the whole movie. The rest of the time I was wondering how anyone could fall in love with someone who cares about no one on earth except themselves and how Carl Reiner got mixed up in this mess. I was embarrassed to admit to my wife that in the late 70's I actually paid to sit through this tripe... three times! Foolish youth.