Brain Donors

An outrageous comedy in the tradition of Abbott and Costello, the Three Stooges and the Reagan administration about a wealthy dowager who hires an attorney to help her fulfill her late husband's dream of founding a ballet company. The lunatic lawyer and his two addled sidekicks hatch a harebrained scheme to take control of the fledgling ballet company run by the wealthy widow. The zany trio figure that they'll be on easy street if they can land cushy jobs running the company, but there are a few obstacles in their way- namely a greedy, ambulance-chasing lawyer who has other plans for the dowager's money, and a snooty, egotistical dancer who fancies himself a "living legend" in the ballet world.

(Live-Action) Roland T. Flakfizer, Jacques, Rocco Melonchek, Roberto Volare, Lazlo, Alan Grant, Lisa Le Baron, Lillian Oglethorpe, Tina, Pedestrian, Paramedic, Rob, Laura, Kid, Father, Usherette, Woman with Program, L.A. Stage Manager, Security Guard Amundson, Janitor, Theatre Janitor, Good Morning Usher, Stage Hands, Messenger, Nurses, Doctor, Jailer, Precinct Cop, Cops, N.Y. Stage Manager, Singing Lobster Gram, Stuffy Patron, Dancer #1, N.Y. Conductor, L.A. Conductor, Chauffeur, Ballet Dancer

Animated opening and closing credits.

Will Vinton Productions created the Claymation title sequence at the beginning of the film.

Very loosely based on the Marx Brothers' classic "A Night at the Opera" (1935), "Brain Donors" is an homage to the work of that legendary comedy team, with John Turturro playing the Groucho part, Bob Nelson as Harpo, and Mel Smith in the Chico role. Nancy Marchand also does a comic turn as a sort of modern-day Margaret Dumont.

Part of "Brain Donors" was shot at the Morton Estate in Pasadena, California; the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup" (1933) was also filmed there.

George De La Pena, who plays the film's egotistical "danseur," was formerly a principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater.

Songs: "Theme from 'New York, New York'" (John Kander, Fred Ebb), "Alfie" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David), "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) (Mbube)" (Hugo Peretti, Albert Stanton, George Weiss, Luigi Creatore, Solomon Linda, Paul Campbell), "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin).