At the Ritz, the rates are low, the decor is rococo art deco and the clientele is...convivial. As Cleveland sanitation company owner Gaetano Proclo reasons, this New Yook all-male bathhouse is the perfect place to hide from his murder-minded brother-in-law Carmine. But what Gaetano and his fellow bathhouse patrons get is an exercize in wild, manic mayhem from director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, two Superman films), bringing Terrence McNally's hit Broadway farce to spicy screen life. Four of this film's stars also spiced up its stage life: original cast members Jack Weston as Gaetana, Jerry Stiller as Carmine, future Amadeus Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham as a sardonic Ritz regular and especially Rita Moreno as bubble-brained torch singer Googie Gomez, a riotous performance that won her a Tony Award. Kaye Ballard, Treat Williams and Paul B. Price add to the tasty guest list. So check into The Ritz. You'll have roomfulls of laughter to check out.

F. Murray Abraham, Rita Moreno, Jerry Stiller, Jack Weston and Paul B. Price play the roles they created in the original Broadway production.

Gaetano Proclo:
We used to have a guy like that back in the army. We called him "Get away from me Claude".

Continuity: When Carmine first calls Claude from backstage, Claude's wig is pulled forward. When he says, "Fashionable," the wig is far back on his head in the close-up. When it returns to the long shot, the wig is forward again.

Performed by The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records