Don’t Drink the Water (1994) – Nostalgia Central

Woody Allen wrote Don’t Drink the Water as a play in 1966. It was extremely successful on Broadway, running for just shy of 600 performances, and was made into a movie in 1969 with Jackie Gleason in the starring role.

When Woody finally saw that film in the 1990s, he was unimpressed and decided to make his own film version (albeit as a made-for-TV movie) and play the lead role himself.

New Jersey caterer Walter Hollander (Allen), his wife Marion (Julie Kavner, famously the voice of Marge Simpson) and their grown-up daughter Susan (Blossom star Mayim Bialik) set off on a holiday to Europe, against Walter’s better judgement.

Finding themselves behind the Iron Curtain, Walter photographs a sunset and is accused of spying.

To avoid arrest, the Hollanders seek refuge in the American Embassy, which is temporarily being run by the absent Ambassador’s diplomatically incompetent son, Axel (Back to the Future and Family Ties star Michael J. Fox). Romance develops between Axel and Susan.

Dom DeLuise appears as Father Drobney, a lunatic priest who has been hiding in the embassy for six years and is trying to learn to be an amateur magician.

All the action is confined to the Embassy, giving the film a stage-bound feel.

Narrator
Ed Herlihy
Walter Hollander
Woody Allen
Marion Hollander
Julie Kavner
Susan Hollander
Mayim Bialik
Axel Magee
Michael J. Fox
Krojack
Vit Horejs
Ambassador Magee
Josef Sommer
Father Drobney
Dom DeLuise
Mr Burns
Robert Stanton
Mr Kilroy
Edward Herrmann
Miss Pritchard
Rosemary Murphy
Krojack’s Colleague
Sándor Técsy
Chef Oscar
Austin Pendleton
Herbert Gruber
Victor Steinbach
Anna Gruber
Emir
John Doumanian
Emir’s Aide
Erick Avari
Taina Elg
Yannis Kasnar
Frederick Rolf
Countess Bordoni
Elizabeth De Charay

Director
Woody Allen

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