The Box Office That Wasn’t There

I remember the Coen Brothers movie from 2001 with Billy Bob Thornton. I’d completely forgotten there was a Steve Guttenberg 3-D comedy from 1983 with the same title:

…but I’m pretty sure everyone else who was around back in the summer of ’83 has forgotten about it, too.

Though I remember seeing local ads in the newspaper for the Guttenberg movie, I’d also forgotten it was originally in 3-D. Thanks in part to the success of Friday The 13th Part III In 3-D the year before (which, I can personally attest to, was a great 3-D theater experience), 1983 was a big year for 3-D, but, to my recollection, all of them seemed to tank: Jaws 3-D…Amityville 3-D…The Man Who Wasn’t There…Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone…Metalstorm: The Destruction Of Jared Syn…

I’ve never seen The Man Who Wasn’t There (1983), but, judging by its trailer, it had to be more entertaining than that dreary Coen Brothers movie…

…which, sadly, was not a reinterpretation of H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man story. (*)

I do get a kick out of the tagline on the 1983 film’s poster, though: “The funniest thing you’ve never seen”…

…which turned out to be rather prophetic, since the movie was seen by very few people that summer.

(*) Lest I be attacked by any diehard Coen Brothers completists, I loved Barton Fink, which wasn’t exactly a cheerful movie, but felt The Man Who Wasn’t There was a major league downer. It just left a seriously sour taste. Not what I was expecting at all.