Elephant Parts (1981) USA
Elephant Parts Image Cover
Additional Images
Director:William Dear
Studio:Anchor Bay
Producer:Michael Nesmith
Writer:William Dear, Bill Martin
Rating:4.5
Rated:NR
Date Added:2006-03-27
ASIN:B0000844IZ
UPC:0013131190199
Price:$19.98
Awards:1 win
Genre:Comedy
Release:2003-03-17
IMDb:0082316
Duration:62
Aspect Ratio:1.33:1
Sound:Stereo
Languages:English
William Dear  ...  (Director)
William Dear, Bill Martin  ...  (Writer)
 
Michael Nesmith  ...  Himself - Player
Jonathan Nesmith  ...  
Bill Martin  ...  Himself - Player
Diane Owen  ...  
Robert Ackerman  ...  Himself - Player
Lark Alcott  ...  
Roy Babich  ...  
Chicago Steve Barkley  ...  Himself - Player (as 'Chicago Steve Barkley')
Nancy Bleier  ...  
Manuel Campos  ...  Himself - Player
Carline Davis-Dyer  ...  
Heather Dear  ...  
Oliver Dear  ...  
William Dear  ...  Himself - Player (as Bill Dear)
Marielle de la Bruere  ...  
Cindy DeVore  ...  
Jim Dyer  ...  
Keith Ellinger  ...  
Brian E. Frankish  ...  
Lark Geib  ...  Various (as Lark Alcott)
Nancy Gregory  ...  Herself - Player
Rita Herbst  ...  Herself - Player
Jay Hirsch  ...  
Archie Lang  ...  Himself - Player
Ellen Lent  ...  (as Ellen Winchell)
Katherine McDaniel  ...  Herself - Player
Arthur McMillan  ...  
Paddy Morrissey  ...  Himself - Player
Deborah Pratt  ...  
Jon Richard  ...  Himself - Player
Stuart Schwarz  ...  
Danny Taylor  ...  
Frantz Turner  ...  Himself - Player (as Franz Turner)
Peter Wise  ...  Himself - Player
Summary: He will be forever remembered as a former Monkee (and son of the inventor of Liquid Paper), but Elephant Parts is a reminder that Michael Nesmith was also a pioneer in music and long-form videos. Produced in 1981, the same year MTV made its debut, the hourlong program consists of 41 comedy bits and videos for Nesmith tunes. Of the former, most star Nesmith himself and are short and silly in an inoffensive, slapstick kind of way, poking fun at TV commercials, rock stars, drug use, and more in a style reminiscent of Saturday Night Live or the now-defunct SCTV. The music videos, which include "Rio" (one of Nesmith's best songs) and four others, are clever and visually rich, making skillful use of the medium well before the advent of computers and other modern techniques. Monkee business? Sure, but darned amusing, and the first video Grammy winner to boot. --Sam Graham