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Alice's Restaurant (1969)

 -  Comedy | Drama  -  20 August 1969 (USA)
6.2
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Ratings: 6.2/10 from 2,590 users  
Reviews: 38 user | 23 critic

A cinematic adaption of Arlo Guthrie's classic song story.

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Writers:

(song), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Alice's Restaurant (1969)

Alice's Restaurant (1969) on IMDb 6.2/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Patricia Quinn ...
Alice Brock (as Pat Quinn)
...
Ray Brock
...
Himself
Lee Hays ...
Himself - Reverend at Evangelical Meeting
Michael McClanathan ...
Shelly
Geoff Outlaw ...
Roger Crowther
...
Mari-chan
Kathleen Dabney ...
Karin
William Obanhein ...
Himself - Officer Obie
Seth Allen ...
Evangelist
Monroe Arnold ...
Blueglass
Joseph Boley ...
Vinnette Carroll ...
Draft Clerk
Sylvia Davis ...
Marjorie Guthrie
Edit

Storyline

Arlo Guthrie's song is converted into a motion picture. Arlo goes to see Alice for Thanksgivng and as a favor takes her trash to the dump. When the dump is closed, he drops it on top of another pile of garbage at the bottom of a ravine. When the local sheriff finds out a major manhunt begins. Arlo manages to survive the courtroom experience but it haunts him when he is to be inducted into the army via the draft. The movie follows the song with Arlo's voice over as both music and narration. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Every Generation Has A Story To Tell. See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

20 August 1969 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

El restaurante de Alicia  »

Box Office

Gross:

$6,300,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

After discovering that the character "Officer Obie" was modeled after him, actual Stockbridge (Massachusetts) Sheriff William Obanhein demanded that he play the role himself. His reason: "If anyone is going to make a fool out of me, it might as well be me!" See more »

Goofs

Although Arlo's mother says after Woody Guthrie's death that there will be "no funeral," a private funeral service was held the day after Woody died, after which he was cremated and his ashes scattered at Coney Island. See more »

Quotes

Officer Obie: Want your wallets and your belts. Put everything on the desk.
Arlo Guthrie: I can understand you wanting our wallets, so we don't have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you want our belts for?
Officer Obie: Kid, we don't want any hanging.
Arlo Guthrie: [pause] Obie, do you think we're gonna hang ourselves for littering?
See more »


Soundtracks

"Boiling Cabbage Down"
  • traditional (uncredited)

Performed by James Broderick
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
the '60s, ladies and gentlemen
18 June 2005 | by (Portland, Oregon, USA) – See all my reviews

First of all, I have to admit that I did not experience the '60s; I was born long after they were over. My parents grew up in the '60s, so I've learned about that era from them, and from various other sources. But obviously, I can't truly understand what happened. "Alice's Restaurant" is one of the great records of the era. And a really funny one at that.

Arlo Guthrie plays himself trying to avoid getting drafted. The police arrest him for having long hair, and the army forces him into a recruiting center. In the recruiting center, they force him to walk around in his underwear. As an act of defiance, he declares: "I wanna see blood 'n' guts 'n' gore 'n' veins! I wanna kill, man!" Of course Arlo's favorite hang-out is Alice Brock's restaurant in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. That place could be the embodiment of the whole 1960s.

Anyway, "Alice's Restaurant" is nowadays a look back at when the country's youth were fighting for a better future (people who lived through the '60s would probably object to how I said that). And in the Bush era, we really long for that.

By the way, I saw Arlo Guthrie in concert when he came to Portland in 1998, and then again in 2004. Both concerts were great.


7 of 11 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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