Judge Reinhold Reflects on the Nearly Flawless Production of Ruthless People, Four Decades Later - MovieMaker

      Judge Reinhold will forever be associated with Ruthless People.

      During a charming 40th anniversary screening of the film on Wednesday at the Arkansas Cinema Society’s Filmland, the acclaimed actor shared that whenever he feels down, he recalls the joyful experience of making Ruthless People and watching it achieve critical and commercial success. Reinhold has strong family connections in Arkansas.

      “It was the only time I read a script and thought, ‘If we don’t mess this up, it’s going to be a hit.’ I’ve never had that level of confidence about a script before,” he told moderator John Wildman during the Q&A session after the screening. “That’s the easiest work you’ll do as an actor, and perhaps as a director, because it’s all there, and all you want to do is avoid ruining it. The way to avoid ruining it is to largely stay out of the way.”

      Of course, Reinhold did much more than that. Although he portrayed a hesitant kidnapper who takes Bette Midler’s vivacious millionaire character, he might be the most lovable character in the film. He appears alongside Helen Slater as his wife and Danny DeVito as the husband of Midler’s character, who refuses to pay the ransom because he secretly wishes for his wife to be dead.

      The movie, directed by the legendary trio of Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker, marked their first traditional narrative comedy after the rapid-fire style of The Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane!, and Top Secret. While they generated numerous jokes, they didn’t write this film, unlike their earlier works.

      Ruthless People was penned by Dale Launer, who later wrote the equally brilliant Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and My Cousin Vinny.

      Discussion included Judge Reinhold's experiences with Kazoos, ghosts, and the spider scene in Ruthless People.

      Judge Reinhold and John Wildman discussed Ruthless People at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Photo by Content Titan, courtesy of AFS.

      Being offered a role in Ruthless People was the culmination of years of hard work; Reinhold had already made a name for himself with memorable performances in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Stripes, Gremlins, and Beverly Hills Cop, so he didn’t have to chase after Ruthless People. The filmmakers approached him.

      He humorously noted that he was one of the few individuals Launer appeared to enjoy spending time with, recalling the writer's curmudgeonly demeanor in real life, contrasting with his witty writing style.

      “He was a bit of a sourpuss,” Reinhold remarked. “Many comedy writers tend to be that way.”

      He recounted a specific day when Launer visited the set.

      “He came up to me with a frown, and I said, ‘Dale — how are you? It’s great to see you!’ He replied, ‘Yeah… came to watch the kazoo players perform my symphony.’”

      Reinhold mentioned that Jerry Zucker observed that Launer seemed to like him, and jokingly commented, “How can we get him to leave?”

      However, Reinhold described the production as enjoyable — even the day Midler accidentally kicked him in an intimate area during a scene where her character attempts to escape from a bag.

      Judge Reinhold and John Wildman discuss Ruthless People. Photo by Content Titan, courtesy of AFS.

      Reinhold noted that the test screenings went exceptionally well — so well that the actors were invited to witness the audience's reactions.

      “The only reason they invited us actors was because it performed extraordinarily well. We had done it! We followed the script, and it received very high ratings,” Reinhold recounted. “Normally, they wouldn't want actors present if it didn’t perform well. But Bette and I attended, and despite any complaints I might have about life, I must remember how fortunate I was to be in theaters and hear the collective laughter we received.”

      He recalled that the film garnered so much laughter that additional footage was required during editing to allow time for the reactions.

      “I don’t mean to boast — it was an incredible experience — they had to add footage to let the laughter subside so the audience wouldn’t miss more dialogue,” he remembered.

      Ruthless People became a significant success, ranking as the No. 9 movie at the box office in 1986. Reinhold would sometimes sneak into screenings on summer afternoons just to hear the laughter.

      “I would just slip in whenever I was having a rough day,” he shared. “I would quietly enter the back of the theater and sit there, thinking, ‘Yeah, life isn’t so bad.’”

      He candidly acknowledged his occasional failures. When an audience member praised his body-swap film Vice Versa, Reinhold pointed out that its box office underperformance cost him a chance to work on another Jerry Zucker project, Ghost, which turned out to be a blockbuster. The role ultimately became one of