Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent. Dangerous.
Enough about me, let’s talk about Gremlins!
You know the rules. They set them out from the beginning so of course they are going to be broken, why else have them?
1. Don’t expose the Mogwai to light, sunlight will kill it.
2. Do not let it have any contact with water.
3. Never, ever feed it after midnight.
Gremlins as legendary creatures have been around since at least World War II, thought to plague aircraft with their mischievous pranks causing malfunctions. One of our previous cartoons starring Bugs Bunny showed this in Falling Hare (1943.) Roald Dahl wrote a book, The Gremlins in 1943, as he was a RAF pilot and knew the stories of the vexatious little beings.
And the gremlins in tonight’s movie are just as naughty. Starting out as cute, sweet and innocent, trouble starts when the rules are ignored. That last rule can be confusing, because “after midnight” is a pretty generic time that in the film seems to be just past 12 am and not say 6 am, but it’s a movie so just go with it. One gremlin becomes many after getting wet. The special effect was created by using balloons covered in fur that could be inflated and popped out of Gizmo’s back.
This version of Gremlins was created by Chris Columbus. He was inspired after hearing mice scurrying around his loft in the middle of the night, which he found to be “really creepy” in the darkness. Originally written as a much darker film with more violent and disturbing deaths, producer Steven Spielberg preferred keeping it lighter as Gizmo was so damn cute and he wanted it to stay that way.
The film starts with a man desperately trying to find a Christmas present for his son Billy, while looking in a small antique shop in Chinatown. There we hear the song of the Mogwai. The elderly shop owner Mr. Wing (Keye Luke) refuses to sell the magical little furball believing rightfully that the man does not comprehend the power of nature. But Mr. Wing’s grandson goes behind his back to make the sale, informing the purchaser of the rules.
But of course soon those rules are broken and the mischief begins.
Much of the fun is in all the different incarnations of the gremlins. The evil version is named Stripe because of the white fur atop his head, who jumps into a swimming pool to increase their numbers. There’s Mogwais that sing Christmas carols and a flasher in a raincoat. They watch Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs in a theater with 3-D glasses and eat popcorn. But they are a side of nature that humans do not understand and have misused which leads to some very bad stuff. Mayhem and death follow as the gremlins take over the town.
The special effects team used puppetry and animatronics to bring them to life. Which was much better than their first idea, a monkey in a mask that went about as well as you can imagine after the primate freaked out.
As an aside, my kitties, The Tuxedo Brothers, have a new cabaret show in previews. It’s called “Monkey in a Mask”*, it includes singing, storytelling, plate spinning, a fire eater and risqué jokes. Get your tickets now by donating to Wonkette. *not a real thing but it would be spectacular
The puppets allowed the actors to work directly with them, creating a more realistic interaction. Created by Chris Walas. There were several versions of Gizmo, some as marionettes with strings and others were mechanical which kept breaking down because of their small size. They also used larger puppets of just faces for close-ups that could allow for more expressive Mogwais. Gizmo was voiced by Howie Mandel and Frank Welker did Stripe. Gizmo’s song was written by Jerry Goldsmith and hummed by child actress, Ilene Keys.
The adorableness of the Mogwai made for a perfect toy tie-in. The plush version of Gizmo was in high demand for the holiday season in 1984. Every kid wanted their own Gizmo to hug and others wanted an action figure of the evil Stripe.
And the toys are still available for purchase, don’t forget to use the Amazon portal that gives Wonkette a tiny cut if you’re feeling like you need a little cuddle from a retro cutie.
Gremlins stars Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Corey Feldman and Hoyt Axton. Directed by Joe Dante.
Available with subscription on Max. For $3.99 on Vudu, Apple TV and Google Play.
To make requests, see the movie lists and schedules go to WonkMovie.
Got your popcorn? Enjoy!
Our cartoon is Daffy Duck And the Dinosaur from 1939, directed by Chuck Jones.
