What's Up, Tiger Lily?

Name: What's Up, Tiger Lily?
Genre: Adventure, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Released: November 2, 1966
Duration: 80 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Bryna Wilson, Frank Buxton, Julie Bennett, Len Maxwell, Louise Lasser

1966

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Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

American International Pictures (AIP) | Release Date: November 2, 1966 | PG

Starring: Bryna Wilson, Frank Buxton, Julie Bennett, Len Maxwell, Louise Lasser, Mickey Rose, Mie Hama, Tatsuya Mihashi, The Lovin' Spoonful, Woody Allen

Summary: In Woody Allen's directorial debut, he took the Japanese action film Key of Keys (1965) and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.

Director: Senkichi Taniguchi and Woody Allen

Genre(s): Adventure, Thriller, Comedy, Crime

Rating: PG

Runtime: 80 min

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Arguably Woody Allen's funniest movie. A riotous object lesson in how much dialogue can transform visuals, and Allen works wonders with it. Read full review

Time Out London Staff (Not Credited)

Sweet revenge for anyone who has sat through a foreign film suffering from a torrent of bad dubbing. For his first auteur-credit (!), Woody Allen got hold of a 1964 Japanese exploitation thriller and exploited it for his own ends, dubbing it delightfully with gags and Hollywood clichés. Enough one-liners to leave you with happy memories. A jolly oddity. Read full review

Donald Liebenson

References to vibrators and cattle prods mark the emergence of a hipper style of comedy, and, for the kids, there are gratuitous numbers by the Lovin’ Spoonful. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Take a Toho Films (Japan) crime meller [directed by Senkichi Taniguchi], fashioned in the James Bond tradition for the domestic market there, then turn loose Woody Allen and associates to dub and re-edit in camp-comedy vein, and the result is What’s Up, Tiger Lily? The production has one premise – deliberately mismatched dialog – which is sustained reasonably well through its brief running time. Read full review

The Guardian Philip French

Woody Allen acquired the rights to a terrible Japanese Bond-style extravaganza, re-edited it and provided an incongruous soundtrack full of New York Jewish gags. The joke wears thin, but there are good laughs along the way. Allen's then-wife Louise Lasser and friend Mickey Knox help out. Read full review

Pauline Kael

The jokes get rather desperate, but there are enough wildly sophomoric ones to keep this pop stunt fairly amusing until about midway. It would have made a terrific short.

Empire David Parkinson

Funny in places but not Allen's best writing...and its difficult to get beyond the conceit. Read full review

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Compi24

Aug 4, 2020

And the award for strangest directorial debut goes to. . . "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" makes for an undoubtedly fascinating watch at times. "Fascinating" in that it's fascinating something like this ever came to be in the first place. A pre-existing, Japanese spy film that's been re-dubbed andAnd the award for strangest directorial debut goes to. . . "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" makes for an undoubtedly fascinating watch at times. "Fascinating" in that it's fascinating something like this ever came to be in the first place. A pre-existing, Japanese spy film that's been re-dubbed and worked over by Woody Allen's overtly crass and occasionally racist hands? Yikes. Some of the more innocuous jokes may land every ten minutes or so, but, God almighty, is this thing an incredibly obnoxious watch on the whole. I get that this kind of filmmaking may have been viewed as some kind of groundbreaking novelty for the times, but anyone with any sort of "MST3K-esque" commentary experience would be able to concoct a funnier viewing of the parodied film at home; and do it amongst the company of friends/family, to boot. Definitely one of the writer/director's lamer efforts, for sure.… Expand

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