Oliver Clark as Mr. Blossom Background The film was based on the book of the same name by Robert Klane, who had previously collaborated with producer Marvin Worth on the film adaptation of Where's Poppa? This was Byron Stewart's first ever acting role and, per Ken Howard's commentary on The White Shadow Season 1 DVDs, got him the role of Warren Coolidge. Reception The film was panned by critics. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film half of one star out of four, calling it "a hideous comedy" with "tired racial slurs" in its script. On his year-end list of the worst films of 1977 in "decreasing order of lousiness," he named Fire Sale first. Arthur D. Murphy of Variety declared, "Alan Arkin's alleged comedy is a consummate sophomoric vulgarity [ . . . ] There's something basically loathsome about insensitive comedy which derives from physical and mental illness." Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a lethally crass, singularly unfunny comedy" and "about as funny as arson." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post described the film as "boorish" and "animated by naked hostility and vindictiveness rather than satirical perception or adroitness." Leonard Maltin's film guide assigned its lowest possible grade of BOMB and called it "Truly unbearable." References External links 1977 films 1977 comedy films 20th Century Fox films American comedy films Films scored by Dave Grusin Films directed by Alan Arkin Films based on American novels 1970s English-language films 1970s American films