Hot Dog…The Movie

Hot Dog… The Movie is a comedy ski film directed by Peter Markle, starring David Naughton, Patrick Houser, Tracy N. Smith, John Patrick Neger, Frank Koppola and Shannon Tweed.

The film went on to gross over $17 million and became one of the iconic comedies of the 1980s.

Plot
The film stars Patrick Houser as Harkin Banks, a young and ambitious freestyle skier from Idaho who is determined to prove himself in a freestyle skiing competition at Squaw Valley.

Along the way he teams with a pack of fun-loving incorrigibles who called themselves the "Rat Pack" (whose leader, Dan O'Callahan is played by David Naughton) picks up an Austrian nemesis named Rudi (John Patrick Reger) & enters a love triangle with a pair of blondes, a young woman named Sunny (Tracy N. Smith) and the more mature Sylvia Fonda (played by 1982 Playboy Playmate of the Year Shannon Tweed in just her second major film role).

The movie ends with a terrific extended race scene, all of the characters take part in a 'Chinese Downhill' to determine the real champion of the competition.

Cast

 * David Naughton as Dan O'Callahan
 * Patrick Houser as Harkin Banks
 * Tracy Smith as Sunny
 * John Patrick Reger as Rudolph "Rudi" Garmisch
 * Frank Koppala as Squirrel Murphy
 * James Saito as Kendo Yamamoto
 * Shannon Tweed as Sylvia Fonda
 * George Theobald as Slasher
 * Mark Vance as Heinz Hartman
 * Eric Watson as Fergy
 * Lynn Wieland as Michelle
 * Sandy Hackett as T-shirt contestant M.C.
 * Crystal Smith as Motel Clerk
 * Peter Vogt as Fader Black
 * Robert Fuhrmann as Rick Lauter

Production
The filming dates for "Hot Dog... The Movie" began on March 21, 1983 and was filmed in Squaw Valley, California.

Box Office
During its opening weekend, "Hot Dog... The Movie" peaked at #2 at the box office, grossing $4,506,756.

Domestically, the film grossed $20,307,325.

Critical Reception
Janet Maslin (writing in the New York Times) gave the film generally positive review, describing it as "light and less moronic than it might have been."

Tony Hansen from eFilmCritic.com gave the film a negative review, saying that it "has the capacity to entertain because it has no high aspirations. It's so puerile that it even goes sub-retarded."