Der Störenfried

The Troublemaker is a 1964 American comedy film directed by Theodore J. Flicker and starring Tom Aldredge and Joan Darling. It premiered at the Beekman Theater in New York City on June 22, 1964. Flicker co-wrote the script with Buck Henry; both men appear as actors in the film. The humor was based on The Premise, a Greenwich Village-based comedy troupe Flicker created that he and Henry both participated in.[1]

Jack Armstrong (Tom Aldredge) gives up his career as a chicken farmer to open a coffee shop in Greenwich Village. Lawyer T. R. Kingston (Buck Henry) assists Jack in his endeavor, which becomes paying protection money to Sal Kelley (James Frawley) and other city officials. Soon, Jack and T.R. find themselves in a bit too deep, and are being chased down by the officials. Jack’s girlfriend Denver (Joan Darling) joins the mix, and the trio gets into all sorts of chaos.

The Premise was an improv group originally started by Flicker in 1960, where it performed in the Premise Theater in Greenwich Village. The original members of the group were Flicker, George Segal, James Frawley, and Joan Darling - all of which, except George, made an appearance in The Troublemaker. Buck Henry joined the group later on. He discussed his experience in an interview with Bill Dana and Jenni Matz in 2005.

A performance put on by The Premise is where Bill Dana first met Buck Henry, and got him onto The Steve Allen Show in 1961.

This film was shot on location in the West Village and Times Square in New York City. It was produced under Ozymandias Productions and Seneca Productions, and distributed through Janus Films.

The crew for this film includes Ben Berk (Assistant Director), Gayne Rescher (Director of Photography), Robert Gaffney (Producer), John McManus and William Austin (Film Editors), Cy Coleman (Music Composition and Conduction), David Moon (Art Director), Leif Pedersen (Set Decoration), Robert Maybaum (Sound), and Lewis Bushnell (Production Manager).

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times gave the film a mixed review. He applauded Flicker’s direction, but wasn’t charmed by the comedy of the film.

Despite not being a fan of the storyline or the jokes, Crowther admired the professionalism of the crew, which includes Gayne Rescher’s cinematography and Cy Coleman's music for the film.[3]

In an obituary for director Flicker, Variety called Troublemaker an “indie cult classic”.[4]