History Film / MyFavoriteYear

A 1982 comedy [[BigApplesauce set in New York City]] during the 1950s, ''My Favorite Year'' is the story of Benjy Stone (played by Mark Linn-Baker), a comedy writer on the King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna) VarietyShow, who is tasked with keeping his childhood hero, Alan Swann (Creator/PeterOToole), sober enough to perform that week. In addition to this daunting task, [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily a union boss]] objects to the show's {{parody}} of him, and has plans to stop the show. HilarityEnsues.

* JerkAss: Sy Benson.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory

* PerformanceAnxiety: Swann is upset to learn that ''The King Kaiser Show'' is broadcast live in front of an audience.

-->''"My name is Benjy Stone and 1954 was [[TitleDrop my favorite year]]. Not my best year, not the year I had the most success, but my ''favorite'' year. It’s the year that separated my life into before and after."''

* NostalgicNarrator: Benjy

* TitleDrop: In his opening narration, Benjy mentions that 1954 was his favorite year.

The film is is a highly fictional account of when ErrolFlynn guest starred on ''Your Show Of Shows'', and the characters are almost all based on RealLife people.

* CompositeCharacter: Benjy is a combination of a young Creator/MelBrooks (who executive produced the film) and a young WoodyAllen, both of whom wrote for ''YourShowOfShows'' around this time.

A 1982 comedy [[BigApplesauce set in New York City]] during the 1950s, ''My Favorite Year'' is the story of Benjy Stone (played by Mark Linn-Baker), a comedy writer on the King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna) VarietyShow, who is tasked with keeping his childhood hero, Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), sober enough to perform that week. In addition to this daunting task, [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily a union boss]] objects to the show's {{parody}} of him, and has plans to stop the show. HilarityEnsues.

A 1982 comedy [[BigApplesauce set in New York City]] during the 1950s, ''MyFavoriteYear'' is the story of Benjy Stone (played by Mark Linn-Baker), a comedy writer on the King Kaiser (Joseph Bologna) VarietyShow, who is tasked with keeping his childhood hero, Alan Swann (Peter O'Toole), sober enough to perform that week. In addition to this daunting task, [[TheFamilyForTheWholeFamily a union boss]] objects to the show's {{parody}} of him, and has plans to stop the show. HilarityEnsues.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Benjy is [[PerfectStrangers Cousin Larry]] and his girlfriend sang at the [[PhantomOfTheParadise Paradise]]. Sy Benson also [[Film/TheJerk helped Navin Johnson become a millionaire with the Opti-Grab]]. Costume designer Lil became a [[NightCourt night court bailiff]]. And Swann dances with [[{{Titanic}} Old Rose]] at the restaurant..

* NostalgicNarrator

* AlcoholHic: Swann

The film is is a highly fictional account of when ErrolFlynn guest starred on ''YourShowOfShows'', and the characters are almost all based on RealLife people.

** The movie was directed by {{Quark}}. No....[[NamesTheSame not]] [[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine that one]].

* ActuallyPrettyFunny - King Kaiser's producer, Leo Silver is not happy to get that response when reading the following from the newspaper: "In response to the question, 'What were you doing in Central Park, in Bethesda Fountain, at 1 in the morning, naked?', Swann replied, 'The back stroke.'"
* AlcoholHic - Swann
* AllPartOfTheShow - The studio audience think King Kaiser getting beat up by Rojek's men and Alan swinging to the rescue are all part of the show.
* TheAlcoholic - Swann, played for both [[PlayedForLaughs laughs]] and [[PlayedForDrama drama]], depending on the scene.
* BigDamnHeroes - Swann pulls off one of these in typical [[{{Swashbuckler}} swashbuckling]] style during the finale.
* BlessedWithSuck - Swann and Benjy have the following exchange after Swann gives Benjy advice on how to woo a woman:

* BrokenPedestal - Benjy grows disgusted with many aspects of Swann's behavior, especially his minimal contact with his daughter. Swann does redeem himself at the end, though.
* CannotTellAJoke - K.C. Dowling. Her attempt to repeat back the joke Benjy tells her is hilarious for all the wrong reasons.
* ChivalrousPervert - Swann is this, quite often. When told the restroom he's blundered into is "for ladies only," he briefly loses the chivalrous part, unzips his trousers, and replies, "So is ''this'', madam, but every now and again I have to run a little water through it."
* CompositeCharacter - Benjy is a combination of a young Creator/MelBrooks (who executive produced the film) and a young WoodyAllen, both of whom wrote for ''YourShowOfShows'' around this time.
* CursedWithAwesome - Benjy thinks that Swann's reputation as a ladykiller is this. Swann feels it's more BlessedWithSuck.
* TheDulcineaEffect - As a result of [[TheAlcoholic his]] [[GentlemanAdventurer personality]], Swann is either particularly prone to this, [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation or feels he is expected to be]] and just runs with it.

* GentlemanAdventurer - Swann plays these in ''all'' of his movies, and does his best to live up to the image in his public appearances.
* HeyItsThatGuy - Benjy is [[PerfectStrangers Cousin Larry]] and his girlfriend sang at the [[PhantomOfTheParadise Paradise]]. Sy Benson also [[Film/TheJerk helped Navin Johnson become a millionaire with the Opti-Grab]]. Costume designer Lil became a [[NightCourt night court bailiff]]. And Swann dances with [[{{Titanic}} Old Rose]] at the restaurant..

* HollywoodCostuming - Subtly (and not-so-subtly) lampshaded. The portrayal of {{swashbuckler}}s in classic film is spot on, and cranked UpToEleven for the VarietyShow finale. Also, King Kaiser's costume in the Union Boss sketch.
* IgnorantOfTheCall - Alan Swann continually insists that he's not the hero he plays in the movies, that he's just a man and [[WartsAndAll a flawed man at that]], and he [[BerserkButton gets really mad at people who insist otherwise]]... but he doesn't hesitate to rush in to save the day when the time comes.
* INeedAFreakingDrink - Swann (are we seeing [[TheAlcoholic a pattern]] here?)
* JerkAss - Sy Benson.
* LiteralMetaphor - During the gatecrashing scene, the following exchange takes place between two bystanding stockbrokers:

* TheMafia - Union boss Karl Rojek is portrayed as a [[TheMafia a mob boss]] on the King Kaiser show in this style. Given his reaction, it's as heavily implied as it can be without flat-out saying so that he ''is'' one.
* TheMusical - There was a musical adaptation starring Tim Curry as Alan Swann.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed - Alan Swann and King Kaiser are Errol Flynn and Sid Caeser in all but name.
* NoodleIncident - It's never explained just exactly ''what'' happened at the Stork Club.

* QuickNip - Swann conceals liquor ''everywhere''.
* PerformanceAnxiety - Swann is upset to learn that ''The King Kaiser Show'' is broadcast live in front of an audience.

* RousingSpeech - When Swann confesses to being afraid to meet [[spoiler:his daughter]] face to face, Benjy gives him one of these.
* StudioAudience - The VarietyShow is broadcast live in front of an audience, [[PerformanceAnxiety much to Swann's dismay]].

* TagAlongActor - A movie actor prepares for his roles by imitating real people. In one scene he's sitting in on a discussion between a Mafia don and some movie exec, and the don is getting irritated by the actor constantly imitating his mannerisms.
* ThisIsReality - Swann's plan to gatecrash a party in a skyscraper's penthouse by rapelling down from the roof leads to this exchange:

* TheVoiceless: Herb does all of his "speaking" through Alice. [[spoiler:Until he sees all hell break lose during the show taping, when he declares, "Oh, God, ths makes me so happy!"]]

* CompositeCharacter - Benjy is a combination of a young Creator/MelBrooks (who executive produced the film), and a young WoodyAllen, both of whom wrote for ''YourShowOfShows'' around this time.

* CompositeCharacter - Benjy is a combination of a young Creator/MelBrooks (who executive produced the film), and a young WoodyAllen, who both wrote for ''YourShowOfShows'' around this time.

* HeyItsThatGuy - Benjy is [[PerfectStrangers Cousin Larry]] and his girlfriend sang at the [[PhantomOfTheParadise Paradise]].

** Swann dances with [[{{Titanic}} Old Rose]] at the restuarant.
** Sy Benson also [[Film/TheJerk helped Navin Johnson become a millionaire with the Opti-Grab]].
** Costume designer Lil became a [[NightCourt night court bailiff]].

* TheVoiceless: Herb does all of his "speaking" through Alice. [[spoiiler:Until he sees all hell break lose during the show taping, when he declares, "Oh, God, ths makes me so happy!"]]

* NoCelebretiesWereHarmed - Alan Swann and King Kaiser are Errol Flynn and Sid Caeser in all but name.

* TheMusical - There was a musical adaptation starring Tim Curry as Alan Swann

** The movie was directed by {{Quark}}. No....[[NamesTheSame not]] [[StarTrekDeepSpaceNine that one]].