Director Joe Dante was the guest of honor at the Aero Theatre on August 25, 2011 where American Cinematheque screened his 1989 movie "The 'Burbs." In introducing it, Dante remarked how glad he was that it was being shown in a "single screen theater" and how he wished that there were more of them around. Dante said "The 'Burbs" was as fun to make as it was to watch, and it stars Tom Hanks in one of his post-"Big" performances. He did however point out that while it was successful, it got some of the "worst reviews ever" including this one from Vincent Canby:
"The movie is as empty as something can be without creating a vacuum."
To that Dante replied:
"Is this a classic picture or what?"
Dante became involved with "The 'Burbs" when Imagine Entertainment sent him the script for it which was then called "Bay Window." It wasn't conceived as a Hitchcock parody but more of a "contemporary crazy neighbor" movie. He originally wanted to make it in Arizona, but the writer's strike at the time made that impossible. They shot instead at the Universal Studios Backlot on the same street where "Desperate Housewives" is filmed. Dante recollected that the studio left them alone to do as they pleased, and of how lucky they were to shoot in sequence. If the cast and crew came up with anything, they could build on it from there.
The only problem with filming there was that nothing could stop the trams which took guests on the famous Universal Studios tour. "The set was also next to the "Jaws" ride, so every once in awhile the crew would hear tourists screaming at the fake shark. Universal has had to loop everyone's dialogue in their movies as a result, to which Dante remarked:
"You won't ever get better sounds from an actor in looping."
Several audience members were curious to know more about Rick Ducommun who played Hanks' nosy neighbor Art Weingartner. Dante said Ducommun was actually a businessman who came from a wealthy background, and he remarked that there was "something so obnoxious about him." Apparently he didn't get along with Hanks which Dante said was "perfect for the movie." Since then, Ducommun has shown up in supporting roles in movies like "Groundhog Day" and Dante's "Gremlins 2: The New Batch." Today, he does standup comedy mostly.
Another person the audience wanted to know more about was Brother Theodore who played Uncle Reuben Klopek. Dante described him as a very dark "east coast figure" best known as a monologuist and said he was a "nice fellow" and a "very sweet man." Theodore improvised the bizarre grunts and gestures of his hilariously odd character, but everyone had to be loud when speaking to him as he was hard of hearing. He passed away in 2001, and Dante said he regrets not hanging out with him as much as he would have liked.
The emcee at the Aero Theatre that evening proclaimed Dante to be one of the most "distinctive and fun voices in movies," and "The 'Burbs" is certainly proof of that. While the critics were not especially kind to it, the audience laughed constantly throughout. Seeing it 20 or so years later, we can safely say that Vincent Canby was WRONG! If he was looking for a vacuum, he should have gone to K-Mart.
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