Meet Wally Sparks

Meet Wally Sparks is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Peter Baldwin, written by Harry Basil and Rodney Dangerfield. It stars Dangerfield in the title role, with Debi Mazar, Michael Weatherly, Cindy Williams, Alan Rachins, Burt Reynolds and David Ogden Stiers costarring.

Meet Wally Sparks
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Baldwin
Produced byLeslie Greif
Written by
Starring
Music byMichel Colombier
CinematographyRichard H. Kline
Edited byRaúl Dávalos
Production
company
Distributed byTrimark Pictures
Release date
  • January 31, 1997 (1997-01-31)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4.1 million[1]

Plot

Wally Sparks is the host of a sleazy tabloid-style TV talk show who makes Jerry Springer seem gentle by comparison. His show has become so foul that he's alienated his not-especially-discriminating viewers, and his ratings are taking a nosedive.

Lenny Spencer, head of the network carrying his show, gives Wally an ultimatum—he has a week to clean up the content and boost his ratings, or his show gets cancelled.

Wally's producer, Sandy Gallo, comes up with an idea—Floyd Preston is the governor of Georgia and a staunch conservative known for his attacks on the lowbrow content of Wally's show, so what better way to demonstrate that Wally is trying to change his ways than to have Preston on the show as a guest?

In order to persuade Preston to appear, Wally attends a reception at the Governor's Mansion, where he makes the mistake of participating in a drunken game of strip poker with Preston's wife, Emily, while somehow involving himself in a plot to blackmail the Governor. Further complications ensue when Wally's son, Dean, begins a romantic relationship with the Governor's daughter.

Cast

Main cast

Acting cameos

Cameos as themselves

Release

Box office

Meet Wally Sparks opened in 1,552 venues on January 31, 1997 and ranked number 13 in the domestic box office in its opening weekend, earning $2,131,001.[2] At the end of its run, the film grossed $4,073,582.[1]

Critical reception

The film received largely negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that only 14% (2 of 14 reviews) gave the film a positive review.[3]

References
  1. "Meet Wally Sparks (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  2. "Weekend Box Office Results for January 31-February 2, 1997". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. February 3, 1997. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  3. "Meet Wally Sparks". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
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