Theme Song: Foolin’ Around landed Seals & Crofts for two original songs which never made it to proper albums.
“Foolin’ Around”
“These Moments Never Live Again”
It’s worth noting that “These Moments…” was released on a promo-only heart-shaped red 10” which seems pretty cool if you’re a huge S&C fan. It hasn’t shown up for sale on Discogs since 2018. Also for some reason, the same song is on both sides? Maybe that’s a mistake? S&C experts sound off in the comments and tell me how that’s called a “double A-side”.
Interesting Dated References: When a character is offered the role of Executive Vice President, they negotiate a salary up from $65k to $95k.
Social Context: For the most part, Foolin’ Around is a meandering love story filled with wacky PG-level hijinx. It feels more like a 70s-era live-action Disney movie than the post-Animal House frat comedy it was marketed as.
Summary: Wes (Gary Busey, Eye of The Tiger) arrives at college where he’s going to room with tenured friends from back home. Everyone drinks Schmidt because this was filmed in Minneapolis.
There’s seriously endless hijinx in this movie, including hanging a scam artist’s car from a tree, making a crabby CEO park in wet cement, and absurd carpet cleaning in an office building.
But the gist of things is that Wes falls in love with Susan (Annette O’Toole) who happens to be the heiress of the corporation he works for. She also happens to be engaged to the main CEO (John Calvin, Critters 3).
Added to that, her mother (Cloris Leachman) is completely against the budding nuptials with Wes. After many comedic Benny Hill-style chases, Wes thwarts the wedding and ends up running off with Susan in a third act that very much mimics The Graduate, except with lots of hang-gliding, Minneapolis scenery, and wackiness.
Worth Mentioning:
– William H. Macy appears as the aforementioned scam artist in what is basically his first screen role.
– There’s tons of Minneapolis scenery in Foolin’ Around. A lot of wedding scenes were filmed at the Cathedral of St. Paul, including Busey crashing through the primary stained glass window.
– Many scenes were filmed at Southways, a former Pillsbury mansion (since demolished) on Bracketts Point.
– A ridiculous amount of skyline footage including scenes filmed during the construction of the Nicollet Towers looking north as they were being constructed. You can also see the Loring Greenway being constructed over LaSalle Ave during these scenes.
Poster and Box Art: As mentioned Foolin Around was released to market with an Animal House-esque poster illustrated by the great William Stout.
Though more true to the movie, the home video release really misses the mark altogether.
