| All You Need Is Cash | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Written by | Eric Idle |
| Directed by | Eric Idle Gary Weis |
| Starring | Eric Idle Neil Innes John Halsey Ricky Fataar Michael Palin George Harrison Bianca Jagger John Belushi Dan Aykroyd Gilda Radner Bill Murray Mick Jagger |
| Narrated by | Eric Idle |
| Music by | Neil Innes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Gary Weis Craig Kellem Lorne Michaels |
| Cinematography | Gary Weis |
| Editor | Aviva Slesin |
| Running time | 76 minutes |
| Production company | Broadway Video |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | 22 March 1978 (1978-03-22) |
| Network | BBC2 |
| Release | 27 March 1978 (1978-03-27) |
All You Need Is Cash (also known asThe Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (inmockumentary style) the career of afictitious English rock group calledthe Rutles.[1] AsTV Guide described it, the group's resemblance tothe Beatles is "purely – andsatirically – intentional".[2]
The film was co-produced by the production companies ofEric Idle andLorne Michaels, and it was directed by Idle andGary Weis. It was first broadcast on 22 March 1978 onNBC, earning the lowest[2][3] ratings of any show on American prime timenetwork television that week, though those who did watch it gave almost unanimously good reviews.[2] It did much better in the ratings when it premiered in the UK onBBC2 on 27 March 1978.[4]
All You Need Is Cash is a series of skits and gags that illustrate the fictional Rutles story, closely following the chronology of the Beatles' career.
The film was co-written by Eric Idle and Neil Innes. The music and events of the Rutles paralleled that of the Beatles, parodying many of the latter's career highlights. For example, the 1968 animated filmYellow Submarine became theYellow Submarine Sandwich, and the song "Get Back" became "Get Up and Go".
The Rutles were played byEric Idle,John Halsey,Ricky Fataar, andNeil Innes. The band originally appeared in a sketch on Idle's programmeRutland Weekend Television in 1975.
The film has manycameo appearances by both English and American comedians, including alumni ofMonty Python,Saturday Night Live, andRutland Weekend Television.George Harrison has a cameo role as a television journalist conducting an interview outside the headquarters of Rutle Corps, oblivious to the stream of people coming out of the building carrying items stolen from the office; this is a reference to the Beatles' famously plunderedApple Boutique and Apple Headquarters, where even the ceiling lining was looted. The interview ends abruptly as the microphone is stolen out of his hand.
The film also features cameos from Idle's fellow PythonMichael Palin; severalSNL cast members includingGilda Radner,John Belushi,Bill Murray,Dan Aykroyd,Al Franken, andTom Davis;Bianca Jagger as Dirk McQuickly's wife Martini;Ronnie Wood as aHells Angel; andMick Jagger,Paul Simon, andRoger McGough as themselves.
Innes, a former member of the English musical comedy groupBonzo Dog Band and an associate of theMonty Python troupe, became acquainted with the Beatles when the Bonzo Dog Band had a cameo appearance in the filmMagical Mystery Tour, in which they performed "Death Cab for Cutie".Paul McCartney had also produced the Bonzos' 1968 hit single,I'm the Urban Spaceman, composed and sung by Innes.
Fourteen of Innes's songs were released on a soundtrack album (the CD version added six songs omitted from the original vinyl album) namedThe Rutles. The album was both critically and commercially successful and was nominated for aGrammy award for Best Comedy Recording of the year. The orchestrations and arrangements for the Rutles recordings were made by film composerJohn Altman.John Halsey,Ricky Fataar, andNeil Innes performed their own respective musical and vocal parts, butEric Idle's vocals were sung [slightly sped up] byOllie Halsall, who also played the lead guitar parts.[5]
The show has been released on DVD, originally in a 66-minute version incorporating cuts forsyndication, later in a "special edition" restored to its full length of 76 minutes and with extras including a commentary by Idle. The full-length version replaces a spoofnewsreel voiceover by Idle with an American-sounding announcer. In 2013, the show was given a Blu-ray release in the form of a double pack with "The Rutles 2: Can't Buy Me Lunch", once again including the 76-minute version ofAll You Need Is Cash.[6]
The soundtrack was reissued on CD. It included additional tracks from the original television sessions remixed in stereo by Neil Innes. Innes, Fataar and Halsey returned in 1996 to recordThe Rutles Archaeology, but without the involvement of Eric Idle.[citation needed]
