The King of Marvin Gardens (1972)

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writers:

Jacob Brackman (screenplay)
Bob Rafelson (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 October 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

'It's Monopoly out there'. Jason Staebler, The King of Marvin Gardens, has gone directly to jail, lives...

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Scheme | Island | Boardwalk | Get Rich Quick Scheme

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	David Staebler
Bruce Dern	...	Jason Staebler
Ellen Burstyn	...	Sally
Julia Anne Robinson	...	Jessica
Scatman Crothers	...	Lewis (as Benjamin 'Scatman' Crothers)
Charles LaVine	...	Grandfather
Arnold Williams	...	Rosko
John P. Ryan	...	Surtees (as John Ryan)
Sully Boyar	...	Lebowitz
Josh Mostel	...	Frank
William Pabst	...	Bidlack
Garry Goodrow	...	Nervous Man (as Gary Goodrow)
Imogene Bliss	...	Magda
Ann Thomas	...	Bambi
Tom Overton	...	Spot Operator
Maxwell 'Sonny' Goldberg	...	Sonny
Van Kirksey	...	Messenger #1
Tony King	...	Messenger #2
Jerry Fujikawa	...	Agura
Conrad Yama	...	Fujito
Scott Howard	...	Auctioneer
Henry Foehl	...	Auctioneer
Frank Hatchett	...	Dancer
Wyetta Turner	...	Dancer

Directed by
Bob Rafelson

Writing credits
Jacob Brackman		(screenplay)
Bob Rafelson		(story) and
Jacob Brackman		(story)

Produced by
Steve Blauner	....	executive producer
Bob Rafelson	....	producer
Harold Schneider	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
László Kovács		(director of photography) (as Laszlo Kovacs)

Film Editing by
John F. Link		(as John F. Link II)

Casting by
Fred Roos

Production Design by
Toby Carr Rafelson

Makeup Department
Dorothy Byrne	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph M. Ellis	....	second assistant director (as Joe Ellis)
Michael Haley	....	second assistant director
Tim Zinnemann	....	assistant director (as Tim Zinneman)

Art Department
Mark Wade	....	property
Tony Wade	....	property

Sound Department
James Nelson	....	sound effects
Tom Overton	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Richmond L. Aguilar	....	gaffer
James O. Blair	....	gaffer (as Jim Blair)
Bobby Byrne	....	camera operator (as Robert Byrne)
Paul Caven	....	electrician
Dick Colean	....	first assistant camera
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Leonard Lookabaugh	....	dolly grip (as Len Lookabaugh)
Carl Manoogian	....	key grip
Aaron Pazanti	....	best boy

Costume and Wardrobe Department
G. Tony Scarano	....	wardrobe (as Tony Scarano)

Editorial Department
Terry Chambers	....	assistant editor
Peter Denenberg	....	assistant editor (as Pete Denenberg)

Transportation Department
Joe Berman	....	transportation

Other crew
Marilyn La Salandra	....	production coordinator (as Marilyn LaSalandra)
Suzanna Schiff	....	assistant to director
Anna Tait	....	location auditor
Meta Wilde	....	script continuity

Production Companies

• BBS Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (included in 'Jack Nicholson Triple Feature')
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (included in 'America Lost and Found: The BBS Collection')
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Bu-ray) (included in 'America Lost and Found: The BBS Collection')

Other Companies

• Marion Dougherty Associates  casting
• Producers' Sound Service  sound re-recording (as Producers Sound Service)
• Synchrofilm Inc.  music supervision

Also Known As:

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:R | UK:X | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

BBS Productions

Trivia:

Original title: "The Philosopher King".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: David listens to tape recording he made but during close-up of tape recorder, none of the buttons that would allow it to play are depressed.

Quotes:

Jason Staebler:You notice how it's Monopoly out there? Remember Boardwalk, Park Place, Marvin Gardens?
David Staebler:Go directly to jail?
Jason Staebler:Well, that's me. Don't pass go, don't collect $200.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Laserdisc Memories: America Lost and Found (#1.18)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Steppin' Out With My Baby

A quiet masterpiece

A classic from of the New American Cinema The King of Marvin Gardens is one of the most underrated films of the 70. The film stars Bruce Dern and Jack Nicholson (cast against type as an introverted depressive) as a pair of estranged brothers reunited in Atlantic City to try to get scam artist Dern's ill-conceived property development dreams off the ground. Ellen Bursten rounds out the cast as an ageing beauty queen struggling with the realisation that her young protégé, played by the previously and subsequently unknown Julia Ann Robinson, has surpassed her. Shot in a bleak, wintry Atlantic City that contrasts sharply with Dern's vision of a happy ending for the quartet in Hawai'i, the film is a compelling and meditative character study that doesn't shy away from or glamorise the problems of the people who inhabit it. The three leads give superb performances as characters who are all in their disparate ways seeking redemption. Made in the brief period of the 1970s when the big American studios were hoodwinked into financing films that were singular, intelligent, and challenging, The King of Marvin Gardens is a must see for any fan of the cinema.