Influence
The film's theme song was co-written by Mick Jagger, Daryl Hall and Eurythmics co-member Dave Stewart and performed by Jagger. Assuming the song would be a hit, "Weird Al" Yankovic requested (and received) permission from Jagger to record a parody version, "Toothless People", for his upcoming Polka Party! album. When Jagger's song failed to crack the Top 40, Yankovic considered not recording his version; because Jagger had "authorized" the parody, however, he decided failing to produce it would be an insult to the artist and recorded it. Another song that was featured in the soundtrack which became moderately successful was Modern Woman by Billy Joel.
The movie version features different lyrics from the single version.
This movie contains one of Roger Ebert's favorite lines in movies in 1986. When Midler's character discovers that the kidnappers keep having to drop the ransom amount to the bargain basement amount of $10,000, Midler says while crying, "I've been kidnapped by Kmart!"
The film was later loosely remade in India twice: as the Telugu film Money (1993), as the Hindi film Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (Save Me From My Wife) in 2001. It was also remade in Hong Kong as Mo deng pu ni ti in 1996.
All of these versions are based (however loosely) on the O. Henry story, "The Ransom of Red Chief". Actually, this is an edit, and this movie is NOT based on the O.Henry story as the screen writer mentioned.
Read more about this topic: Ruthless People
Famous quotes containing the word influence:
“... even I am growing accustomed to slavery; so much so that I cease to think of its accursed influence and calmly eat from the hands of the bondman without being mindful that he is such. O, Slavery, hateful thing that thou art thus to blunt the keen edge of conscience!”
—Susan B. Anthony (1820–1907)
“Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations, as all other causes combined.”
—John Abbott. The Mother at Home; or the Principles of Maternal Duty, John Abbott, Crocker and Brewster (1833)
“What arouses the indignation of the honest satirist is not, unless the man is a prig, the fact that people in positions of power or influence behave idiotically, or even that they behave wickedly. It is that they conspire successfully to impose upon the public a picture of themselves as so very sagacious, honest and well-intentioned.”
—Claud Cockburn (1904–1981)