The theater owners and exhibitors attending the ShoWest rule in February 1989 had a lot to face onward to . In an seek to stir their interest group in upcoming studio apartment releases , major distributors were show off stars and footage : Paramount led withIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade , and Columbia hadGhostbusters II . But it was Warner Bros. that caused the biggest stir .
In increase toLethal Weapon 2 , the studio had Tim Burton’sBatman , a straight - present version of the comedian , and Michael Keaton — who slipped into a screening of some other footage — was no longer being deride as a poor cast alternative . Then , in the midst of all this star index , the studiobrought outa 35 - year - sure-enough actor - writer - director with a shock of orange hair and an Australian accent .
The man had never appear in a lineament film before , much less star in one , but Warner was gambling that his approaching comedy about a Tasmanian Albert Einstein who invents rock medicine and run into Thomas Edison would be a hitting . It had already become the sixth high - grossingfilmin Australia ’s history , besting bothE.T.andRambo : First Blood Part II .
The man ’s real name was Greg Pead , but Warner Bros. introduced him as Yahoo Serious , Hollywood ’s next big comedy attraction .
To understand Warner ’s appetency for an unproved good like Yahoo Serious , it helps to call back the peculiar preoccupation American popular culture had with Australians in the 1980s . Energizer had make a hitad campaignwith Mark “ Jacko ” Jackson , a pro football game role player who aggressively promoted their batteries in a serial of ads ; meanwhile , Paul Hogan double up his Pisces - out - of - H2O funniness , Crocodile Dundee , into the secondhighest - grossingfilm of 1986 . ( Serious would later bristle at comparisons to Hogan , whom he name to as a “ marketing guy ” who sold coffin nail on Australian television . )
brook in Cardiff , Australia on July 27 , 1953,Serious grow up in rural bush country andmountedcar tires at a service department in club to pay his direction through the National Art School . When he was expelled for exemplify the schooltime ’s facade with satirical gag that the faculty did n’t discover specially funny , Serious move on to directCoaltown , a infotainment about the coal mining industry , and pursue painting .
Serious would afterwards echo that the desire for a heavy audience led him aside from art and into feature filmmaking . '' It strike me like a short ton of bricks one sidereal day , ” SerioustoldThe New York Timesin 1989 . “ I think having a cup of coffee and I went , ' Well , look , there is a giant sail in every picayune town everywhere around the world . And on this giant canvas there are 24 inning of image on that screen every endorsement and it ’s the most wonderful be prowess form . ' ” It was around this same time , in 1980 , that Serious changed his name .
To get a flavor for the language of film , Serious sat through retell viewings of Stanley Kubrick’sDr . Strangelove ; he shoot for to have the kind of total autonomy over his movies that director like Woody Allen and Charlie Chaplin enjoyed .
In 1983 , Serious wastravelingalong the Amazon River when he descry someone wearing a tonne - shirt depicting Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out . The range is now pervasive , appearing on poster and other product , but it seemed unequalled to the performer , who was struck by the estimate that Einstein was once vernal and never took himself too seriously . And the concept forYoung Einsteinwas born .
Serious ’s idea , which transplanted Einstein to Tasmaniaand imagined clash with Sigmund Freud , Thomas Edison , and the atomic dud , take twelvemonth to gather . He borrowed camera equipment and sell his cable car to facilitate finance the photographic film ; he dart an eight - minute trailer that convinced investors he was capable of make water a feature of speech . His mother evencooked mealsfor the crew on curing .
In decree to assert originative command , Serious gave up profit participation inYoung Einstein , which he star in , co - produced , co - wrote , and directed . When the cinema was liberate in Australia in 1988 , it made an telling $ 1.6 million at the box office and drew the care of Warner Bros. , which likely had visions of aCrocodileDundee - esque strike . American press had a field day with Serious , who appeared on the cover ofTIMEand was given airtime on MTV .
Critics and audiences were n’t quite as enamored . TheOrlando Sentinelsuggestedthat " Tedious Oddball " would be a more appropriate name for the film ’s creator . In his one - star review , Roger Ebertwrotethat , " Young Einsteinis a one - laugh pic , and I did n’t laugh much the first meter . " In the U.S.,Young Einsteingrossed just over$11 million , a somewhat weak screening for a summer clowning . It was outdo in its opening weekend by both Ron Howard’sParenthoodand the Sylvester Stallone action - grunterLock Up .
Although American distributors rapidly cool on Serious , Australia ’s enthusiasm for the movie maker did n’t dampen . When Serious released 1993’sReckless Kelly , afictionalized accountof outlaw Ned Kelly , it made $ 5.4 million in Australia — three time as much asYoung Einstein . Serious take a seven - class sabbatical , then returned with 2000’sMr . fortuity , a slapstick comedy about an injury - prostrate man who tries tothwarta intrigue to inject nicotine into eggs . Meeting a tepid critical and fiscal receipt , it would be his third and ( in all likelihood ) final film .
At close to the same timeMr . Accidentwas let go , Serious hire issue with upstart hunt locomotive engine Yahoo ! , alleging the site was piggyback on his popularity . Hefiled a lawsuit , which was quickly strike down when he failed to prove the URL had damaged him in any way .
The disport headline staunch from that incident were the last examples of Serious capturing attention in America . Having completed just three picture show , no other task have add up to realization ; Serious launch a web site detail some of his setting and toairsome of his Yahoo!-related grievances .
Now 65 , Serious presently serves asfounding directorof the Kokoda Track Foundation , an Australian help organization devote to improving the endure conditions of Papua New Guineans . The card ’s internet site lean him as Yahoo Serious , which is the name he claims that all of his family and friends have called him since he changed it in 1980 .
“ you could choose every aspect of your liveliness , ” Serious once say . “ Why not your name ? ”
