Under the Rainbow (1981): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Under the Rainbow is a 1981 comedy directed by Steve Rash, starring Phil Fondacaro as Hotel Rainbow Guest, Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher. It runs 1 hour 38 minutes and earned $18.8 million worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 38m (98 min)
- Director
- Steve Rash
- Genre
- Comedy
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Orion Pictures
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Under the Rainbow About?
The premise of Under the Rainbow without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
During World II in Los Angeles, the Culver Hotel’s manager leaves his nephew in charge for a weekend. The nephew renames it the Hotel Rainbow and wildly overbooks, welcoming royalty, assassins, secret agents, Japanese tourists and munchkins. Secret Service agent Bruce Thorpe and casting director Annie Clark fall in love amid the chaos and intrigue.
Under the Rainbow Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- paranoia
- farce
- duke
- restaurant
- attempted murder
- woman wears underwear
- hotel
- assassin
- spy
- 1930s
- forced to strip
- mistaken identity
+38 more Show fewer
- lingerie slip
- brassiere
- sword fight
- sword
- map
- dog
- title spoken by character
- men's bathroom
- year 1938
- kansas
- barn
- little person
- kitchen
- pearl
- reference to franklin d. roosevelt
- duchess
- shouting
- fight
- kiss
- lifting a female into the air
- lifting a male into the air
- horse and carriage
- group
- slip the undergarment
- japanese tourist
- secret service
- nazi
- reference to clark gable
- reference to adolf hitler
- sound stage
- female rear nudity
- hostage
- hit with a frying pan
- dressing room
- inspired by a true story
- economic recession
- shanty
- bus
Under the Rainbow Cast & Characters
Phil Fondacaro leads the cast as Hotel Rainbow Guest, with Chevy Chase as Bruce Thorpe and Carrie Fisher as Annie Clark. Directed by Steve Rash; 72 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Steve Rash
-
Phil Fondacaro as Hotel Rainbow Guest -
Chevy Chase as Bruce Thorpe -
Carrie Fisher as Annie Clark -
Cork Hubbert as Rollo Sweet
Also Starring in Under the Rainbow
· 68 more- Peter Isacksen Homer
- Eve Arden The Duchess
- Joseph Maher The Duke
- Billy Barty Otto Kriegling
- MAKO Nakomuri
- Richard Stahl Lester Hudson
- Adam Arkin Henry Hudson
- Bennett Ohta Akido
- Jack Kruschen Louie
- Ruth Brown Cleaning Woman
- Tony Cox Hotel Rainbow Guest
- John F. Goff Bartender
- Robert Donner The Assassin
- Jerry Maren Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Zelda Rubinstein Iris
- Pat McCormick Tiny
Show all 72 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Louisa Moritz Telephone Operator
- Debbie Lee Carrington Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Kevin Thompson Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Twink Caplan Cigarette Girl
- Theodore Lehmann Hitler
- Felix Silla Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Chris Romano Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Ray Armstrong Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Bobby Porter The Ventriloquist
- Daniel Frishman Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Joe Gieb Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Jim Boeke Whittler
- Patty Maloney Rosie
- Michael Gilden Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Denise Cheshire Flying Monkey
- Tony Ballen Truck Driver
- David Haney Cab Dispatcher
- Leonard Barr Pops
- Roger Arroyo Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Gary Friedkin Wedgie
- Luis De Jesus Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Pam Grizz Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Rob Narita Tourist
- George Rossitto Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Art Hern Studio Guard
- Sal Fondacaro Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Carol Morris Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Beth Nufer Prostitute
- John Edward Allen Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Charlie Messenger Hitler's Aide
- Gordon Zimmerman Man at Radio
- Geraldine Papel Waitress
- Vic Hunsberger Flying Monkey
- Lou Carry Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Lydia Green Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Karen Lay Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Nancy MacLean Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Stacie Nichols Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Chris Nunn Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Brian Orenstein Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Harrell Parker Jr. Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Matthew Roloff Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Kendra Wall Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Butch Wilhelm Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Robert Murvin Lefty
- Vicki Petite Montzingo Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Gary Pratt Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Rob Purcell Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Susan Rossitto Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Charles Secor Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Desiree Szabo Hotel Rainbow Guest
- Masami Endo Tourist
More from Steve Rash
More films directed by Steve Rash, best-rated first: The Buddy Holly Story, Can't Buy Me Love, Crooked Arrows and Son in Law.
Under the Rainbow Plot Summary
What happens in Under the Rainbow from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
1938, on the eve of World War II, unfolds a curious, dreamlike tale that flits between the dusty plains of Kansas and the glittering backlots of Hollywood. In Kansas, Rollo Sweet is a little person living in a homeless shelter, clinging to a big dream of making it in the movies. As residents crowd around a radio to hear an address from President Roosevelt, the signal is weak and uncertain, turning a quiet moment into a chorus of static and hope. Rollo climbs to the roof to fix the antenna, only to lose his footing and tumble downward, setting off a chain of events that will blur the line between fantasy and waking life.
Full summary
The whole story of Under the Rainbow, scene by scene
Under the Rainbow Box Office
Under the Rainbow grossed $18.8 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$18.8M
- US & Canada
- $18.8M
How Well Do You Know Under the Rainbow?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
In what year does the story take place, on the eve of World War II?
Cars in Under the Rainbow
17 cars on screen, including the 1934 Ford Model BB and the 1936 Nash 400.
-
1934 Ford Model BB Important role -
1936 Nash 400 Important role -
1937 De Soto De Luxe Minor role -
1936 Dodge unknown Minor role
Under the Rainbow Also Known As
4 alternative titles, including “Geheimauftrag Hollywood” and “A szivárvány alatt”.
- Also known as
-
- Geheimauftrag Hollywood
- A szivárvány alatt
- Sotto l'arcobaleno
- Gökkuşağı Oteli
Seen Under the Rainbow?
Movies Like Under the Rainbow
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Chasing Rainbows, Rainbow Kids and Rainbow Time.
Under the Rainbow FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of Under the Rainbow, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Under the Rainbow?
Under the Rainbow runs 1 hour 38 minutes (98 minutes).
When was Under the Rainbow released?
Under the Rainbow was released on July 31, 1981.
Who directed Under the Rainbow?
Under the Rainbow was directed by Steve Rash.
More films by Steve Rash Who is in the cast of Under the Rainbow?
Under the Rainbow stars Phil Fondacaro as Hotel Rainbow Guest, Chevy Chase as Bruce Thorpe and Carrie Fisher as Annie Clark, among 72 credited actors.
How much did Under the Rainbow make at the box office?
Under the Rainbow grossed $18.8 million worldwide.
Does Under the Rainbow have a post-credit scene?
No. Under the Rainbow has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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