Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story

Funny and good.

Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in this half hour special that mocks the Nixon administration. It was set to air on PBS, but was pulled at the last minute because PBS got cold feet. It never aired and remains an interesting obscurity. Allen stars as the titular Harvey Wallinger, a thinly veiled swipe at Kissinger. The film is a mock documentary and consistently funny, although familiarity with the folks in the Nixon administration renders it a lot funnier.

Uses a mockumentary style Allen would later explore in Zelig. I'm a bit biased, since I love Allen's humor and I hate Henry Kissinger, so I thought this was hilarious. A lot of great one-liners: "Nixon and Wallinger become inseparable. Their political beliefs coincide. They both love Richard Nixon.";"Sex is a very capricious thing. Sometimes I feel like making love to a Democrat. Sometimes I feel like making love to a Republican. Generally I try to wait and see what the Russians do first."

An amusing political parody in the mold of Woody's early comedies, complete with droll narration and talking head interviews such as in Take the Money and Run.

I saw this at the Paley Center in New York. It was alright.