![]() It's just that even though Zotz! has charm to spare, it never really gets a laugh. The oddball powers and peculiarities of this magic coin sure do offer a lot of similarly inspired possibilities too. I mean, it has the right cast: a cartoon character-come-to-life like Tom Poston in the lead, the once and future Thurston Howell III, Cecil Kellaway, Fred Clark, and, heck, even Margaret Dumont reliving her days alongside the Marx Bros. That's the mildly frustrating thing about Zotz!. So, was it worth the wait.? Well, no, not really. This Columbia Classics on-demand DVD is the first time the movie's landed a home video release all its own in ages. Zotz! didn't find its way onto DVD until 2009, though, and even then it was exclusively part of Sony's William Castle boxed set. I've been desperately wanting to see Zotz! ever since my pal David first told me about his familial connection to the movie a decade and a half ago. That might give conniving professor Horatio Kellgore (Jim Backus) the leverage he needs to muscle his way into that cushy chair in the dean's office, and.ooohhhh, does that mean the bombshell that was just hired (Virginia Fenster) will be Jones' colleague or his replacement? At the end of the day, Jones decides to do the right thing and use the coin in the service of his country, but we're waistdeep in the Cold War and all, and other powers have their eyes on that magical little so-and-so in the professor's coat pocket. Jones isn't altogether certain what to do with his newfound superpowers, but no matter if he tries to show them off or keep 'em under his hat, the guy winds up looking like a nutjob. If he points and zotz-es at the same time.well, that's The Power of the Silent Death, and that's no good for anyone. He can slow anything in his field of vision down to a crawl with The Power of Retarded Movement just by uttering the magic word "zotz". If he holds the coin and points at someone or something - intentionally or not! - he unleashes The Power of Sudden Pain. See, it turns out he's one of a tiny handful of people the world over with the know-how to translate the rules. ![]() Okay, maybe an etymologist isn't the most obvious choice for the lead role in a manic family comedy, but all that changes when Jones stumbles onto a long-forgotten mystical coin. I know, I know.no one reading this cares, but goshdarnit, that puts me within a couple degrees of producer/director/schlockteur William Castle, and I'm pretty sure that's something to be proud of.įuture sitcom mainstay Tom Poston stars as Jonathan Jones, a professor of ancient Eastern languages. Well, here's something I don't get to say all that often: a few months back, I was in the wedding of the grandnephew (um, or something like that) of Walter Karig, whose satirical 1947 novel Zotz! was adapted into a pretty much unrecognizable slapstick comedy shortly after his death. ![]()
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