GOTOR

GATOR (1976)
dir: Burt Reynolds

GOTOR
Sick #114, March 1977
w: Jayson Wechter
a: Jerry Grandenetti

The governor (Michael Douglas, though here looking more like Telly Savalas) is an incumbent governor up for reelection. They don't say what state, it's just a state that exists in TV and movies called "The South". Federal agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston) has been sent from New York to clean up the corruption in Dunston County in that state by taking out crime boss 'Bama' McCall (Jerry Reed). To do that, he needs the aid of Bama's friend, convicted moonshine runner 'Gator' McCluskey (Burt Reynolds).

Gator is now living in the swamp with his daughter and father. Initially he eludes the law but agrees to cooperate under the threat of losing his family. He meets Bama, who looks more like Gabe Kaplan here, at a rally for the governor's challenger.

Gator joins Bama and helps him with his racketeering, taking protection from businesses in a poor neighborhood. They are hounded by reporter Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton) and later Gator is invited to Bama's brothel.

Gator is left alone with the prostitutes and wants no part of them because they're underage. He's going to tell Bama he wants no part of the operation anymore and is given a mickey and transported over the county line. Greenfield is doing some snooping of his own, Bama and the corrupt cops know he's on to them and has his goons rough him up. Aggie, investigating the story, knows how to get the goods on Bama.

Gone for this parody is Emmeline, a "crazy cat lady" who used to work for the county clerk and has the key to files on Bama (and how he's in cahoots with the corrupt mayor, also abandoned in this parody). A pity since being stuck with cats has so many comic possibilities.

Gator and Aggie have the records escape to with Greenfield to her beach house and there's a love scene on the beach.

Bama and his goons break into Aggie's beach house while she and Gator are gone, kill Greenfield and kidnap Emmeline (who isn't used in the parody anyway) and torch the place thinking they've destroyed the evidence. The hole up in a motel and call the authorities while they're being chased, gut the room is a decoy rigged so that it will explode when Bama's thugs catch up. Now Gator returns to life with his family and Aggie moves to New York to further her career.