Expert: Barbara L. Baker - 2/4/2009

Question
I need help in finding a movie that my family enjoyed, it was from possibly  the late 70's -mid-80's. I know that it  contained one of the following actors, if not both; Don Knotts, or Tim Conway. Here is all that we can remember: it contains several scenes that involve a grandmother of the local area mobster who is insane. When guests come to the mobster's house to visit, she jumps out the grandfather clock wearing a gorilla mask. She also peers at guests from underneath the glasstopped dining room table. She sticks celery in her ears. The mobster totally ignores behavior and expects his guests to as well. When the grandmother passes gas, the dog is blamed and is kicked. I saw that you had asked this same question in 2003 but never found out if you had found out the movie title. Please help this is a movie that my mom, dad and I watched when I was young and my dad passed away before thanksgiving and I want this for my mom.

Thanks for your help

God Bless
Cliff Franks

Answer
Cliff, I found two possible titles for you.  The first movie is the same one I gave for the 2003 answer. The only one with both Don Knotts and Tim Conway from this time period that also has gangsters in it is "The Prize Fighter" from 1979.  The second is a Tim Conway film from 1986 called "The Longshot" which also involved gangsters at a race track.

However, I cannot be sure either of these is the film you are looking for, since there is no mention in any plot description I've found about insane grandmothers doing these things in either film.  Yet clearly it was a memorable sequence, since your description is almost identical to the one I received 6 years ago from a different person!  Conway and/or Knotts did other movies from 1976-1981, but all the rest were less likely than this one.  

Since I can't be sure either of these is the film you are looking for, I suggest you go to the Internet Movie Data Base (imdb.com) and look up both films to see if the limited plot description there rings any bells for you.  Both films are available on DVD, if one of them is the one you are seeking.  If none are the film you are looking for, then I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.