Manuel Esteba P.C.

Background

Manuel Esteba was a producer and director of exploitation films whose main "merit" is to have directed what's considered to be the worst movie ever made in Spain: the 1983 E.T. spoof El E.T.E. y el OTO, filmed in two weeks with a ridiculously low budget. Not surprisingly, this was his last film (by the way, he still claims that Spielberg gave him permission personally to make the movie).

(March 28, 1983)

Nicknames: "Get It On, Break the Gong", "The Man Who Inspired Rob Liefeld", "Gong Fail", "The Shoddy Gongman"

Logo: At the beginning of the movie, a very muscular man with red briefs poses as Rank's "Gongman" and hits a gong that reads "Una Producción Manuel Esteba P.C." all in capitals. The gong immediately breaks.

Closing Variant: At the end of the film, the man is seen trying to fix the gong, but he can't, and starts weeping in frustration.

Technique: Live-action.

Music/Sounds: In the first part, only the sound of the gong breaking. In the second part, a happy-go-lucky piano tune, which the last part of the ending music, accompanied by the man's sobbing.

Availability: Extremely rare; seen only on the Spanish E.T. spoof, El E.T.E. y el OTO, which is very hard to find.

Legacy: A really cheap parody, but considering the film it's on, it may have been intentional. It can get a few laughs out of it, however, even if the gong shattering may surprise some first-time viewers.