Cinderella Liberty (1973)

A lonely Navy sailor falls in love with a hooker and becomes a surrogate father figure for her son during an extended liberty due to his service records being lost.

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writers:

Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay), Darryl Ponicsan (novel)

Stars:

James Caan, Marsha Mason, Kirk Calloway

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Caan	...	John Baggs Jr.
Marsha Mason	...	Maggie Paul
Kirk Calloway	...	Doug
Eli Wallach	...	Lynn Forshay
Burt Young	...	Master at Arms
Bruno Kirby	...	Alcott (as Bruce Kirby Jr.)
Allyn Ann McLerie	...	Miss Watkins
Dabney Coleman	...	Executive Officer
Fred Sadoff	...	Dr. Osgood
Allan Arbus	...	Drunken Sailor
Jon Korkes	...	Dental Corpsman
Don Calfa	...	Lewis
Ted D'Arms	...	Cook
Sally Kirkland	...	Fleet Chick
Diane Schenker	...	Nurse

Storyline

A lonely Navy sailor falls in love with a hooker and becomes a surrogate father figure for her son during an extended liberty due to his service records being lost.

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Plot Keywords:

father figure | navy | welfare | fishing | seattle washington | 

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Taglines:

She's 32. She drinks too much. She hustles pool. She's got a 10-year old mulatto son. She's got a different boyfriend every night. She's in trouble. And he's in love.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1974 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Permiso para amar hasta medianoche

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sanford

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While walking the streets of Seattle in the movie, James Caan is approached by a panhandler who asks him for change. The man was an actual panhandler who didn't see the cameras on the street, and mistook Caan for a real sailor.

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Quotes

Doug: You are so dumb you make me sick, whitey.
John Baggs Jr.: [fondly] Well I'm getting kinda fond of you too, spook.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Time of the Apes (1991)

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Soundtracks

"You're So Nice To Be Around"
Music by John Williams
Lyrics and vocals by Paul Williams
Harmonica solo by Toots Thielemans (as Jean 'Toots' Thielemans)

User Reviews

a surprising and thoughtprovoking film

nothing surprised me more than flicking over the channel and catching this film late last night. it promised to be just the kind of dull fare I needed to watch and cure my insomnia: a sailor up to no good in a sleezy bar with a giggling hooker. but this film did the opposite it woke me up and i will admit made me cry - a lot. It is a small story, a sailor falls for a 'barroom whore' and assumes responsibility for her, her son and her unborn child and that's it really. He is stuck in Seattle waiting for his papers, broke and lost and these two unlikely characters, the whore and her son, hook up with him and somehow they muddle together to make what looks like almost a family. each of them is tentative, protective of the tiny space that makes up their world, yet all three show that despite harsh realities they can express tenderness to each other. what was remarkable was that there was nothing patronising or dismissive in the portrayal of any of the characters, all three of which are the stereotypical stock of cinema, a philandering sailor, a whore, and a illegitimate kid. i was totally convinced by the story and moved by the way that despite the needs expressed for each other, they were pushed apart. i cannot recommend this film highly enough, and hope that anyone reading this will try and watch it.