Although the theatrical poster for 1978's ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES shows Jack Riley as being billed fourth, in reality the film's credits listed him as providing a "Special Appearance by Jack Riley" as an "agricultural official." The cult film was directed by John De Bello, who also provided the musical theme for the picture. Songs and additional music were provided by Paul Sundfor and Gordon Goodwin. A nine-minute CD soundtrack was included as an exclusive extra to the DVD Special Edition of the film sold in Best Buy stores.
In FRANCES, the 1982 biopic of actress Frances Farmer, Jack Riley plays "Bob Barnes," an publicist hired by Farmer who ends up giving her drugs and taking her to a party, where she runs into the reporter who ruined her career. Graeme Clifford directed the film. John Barry's score was released on LP by Milan and Southern Cross, eventually reappearing on CDs from Label X in 1997 and 2005.
Riley actually WAS fourth-billed, playing "Doctor Ziegler," an oddball psychiatrist, in 1984's NIGHT PATROL, a New World Pictures clone of Warner Bros.' POLICE ACADEMY, which had opened 9 months earlier. Jackie Kong directed the film, which had original music written and performed by Don Preston.
I didn't know Riley was in Catch-22. I'll have to look out for him next viewing.
For me, my favorite movie bit of his is in THE LONG GOODBYE in which he plays a piano player trying to learn "this goddamn thing": the John Williams theme.
