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To call Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again a “one-of-a-kind
cult classic” is an understatement. It holds no bars. Pulls
no punches. Makes no apologies. And those are the reasons
it still makes people laugh. The extremely talented (and underrated)
Mark Blankfield delivers a tour de force performance as Dr. Daniel Jekyll,
a brilliant, mild-mannered surgeon whose workaholic tendencies have him
on the brink of both international fame and a bad start with his soon-to-be
wife, Mary (Bess Armstrong, a year before Jaws 3-D nearly
destroyed her career). All Jekyll thinks about is his work… and
he’s determined to develop a new method of saving lives through
drugs (the major pharmaceutical companies must’ve used this as
a training film!).
One night, Jekyll meets up with fate when he (and I cannot stress the
use of this word enough here) “accidentally” snorts one of
his experimental formulas and voila - enter Mr. Hyde: a zany
sex maniac complete with a ‘fro, hairy chest, gold chains, and
serious passion for snorting powdery substances! Mr. Hyde is immediately
out on the town, admiring the pretty, flashing colors that streak by
and heading for the arms of Ivy (the elusive Krista Errickson), a pretty
young prostitute/punk singer (with an enormous overbite) whom Jekyll
met earlier in the day.
 Fans of character actors and bit players alike (both large and small)
will no doubt enjoy looking for various actors and actresses (some of
whom are seen very, very briefly): George Wendt, Art LaFleur,
Tim Thomerson as a cross-dressing Dr. Lanyon, Michael McGuire as the
conniving Dr. Carew, Peter Brocco, Lin Shaye, that kid from D.A.R.Y.L. (Barret
Oliver), the late Sam Whipple, Nancy Lenehan and more!. Even Elvira
herself, Cassandra Peterson, shows up in a few scenes as the busty blonde
nurse with the lipstick mark on her surgical mask - about all you can
really see of her are her eyes and cleavage… which is probably
what all of you Elvira fans know her for anyway. Her right nipple
makes a cameo appearance for those of you who are interested. Speaking
of nudity, Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again really
doesn’t feature very much in the way of skin: sure, you get to
see Blankfield’s baby-smooth booty once or twice and there’s
an enormous pair of fake titties that would give Chesty Morgan a run
for her money, but other than that, the movie is surprisingly lacking
in the skin department (which is amazing considering it’s a non-PC
comedy from 1982).
 I don’t know, there’s just something about Jekyll & Hyde… Together
Again that makes even non drug users laugh. Maybe
it’s because the film takes a stab at every cultural trend of
the early 80s (i.e. arcades, the pre-AIDS world of promiscuous sex,
the post-disco/punk music, etc.) as well as making fun of the farce
we know as the medical profession (again, this was probably a training
film for modern-day physicians and HMOs, too). Even poor Howard
Hughes and Robert Louis Stevenson are thrown into the mix and given
a good bashing.
It’s a shame that Mark Blankfield never managed to land a really
good, steady role in a show - his comedic performance is top-notch. He
did manage to play in a sketch comedy series called “Fridays” and
was seen in “Sledge Hammer!” as well as “Arrested
Development”, but it’s probably the Mel Brooks fan
club that will recognize him for his parts in Robin Hood: Men
In Tights and Dracula: Dead And Loving It.
 Those of you looking for Fredric March or John Barrymore will probably
be disappointed. Those of you who were left feeling a bit jaded
by flops like Dr. Jekyll And Ms. Hyde or were unfortunate
enough to catch David Hasselhoff in that musical version should probably
give Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again a shot
- you might be surprised… I know I was.
Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again will be available
for a limited time from the Legend Films website (www.legendfilms.com)
and is scheduled to be released in stores in June 3rd.
 Presentation
Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again is one of several
dozen titles that Legend Films picked up for distribution on DVD from
the snobs at Paramount Pictures (and when I say “snobs” I
refer to the fact that they’ve kept these films in the vaults
for years without sharing them with their adoring fans… yet they
have no problem with the mass production of bombs that nobody wants
to watch like The General’s Daughter which wind
up in big chain bargain bins). The movie doesn’t look half
bad considering the movie hasn’t been re-mastered… actually,
it looks pretty damn good and the grain/defects/specks are minimal at
best (especially during the credits). The English Mono Stereo
soundtrack is very clear and does not disappoint. There are no
subtitles, but the disc is Close Captioned for the hearing impaired
(but I didn’t need it. Actually, I had to turn it down every
now and then, which is a switch for me as I’m usually cranking
movies up saying “What? What?!” and asking
my kids where my Jello is).
Extras
As with most of the Legend/Paramount titles, Jekyll & Hyde… Together
Again is a barebones release and contains no Special Features,
either.
The Bottom Line
Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again is a funny-ass
film that’s priced right and definitely worth picking up… even
withoutany Special Features.
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