Handle with Care (1977)

This movie interlaces the stories of several characters in a small town united by their use of CB (citizen's band) radio. Paul LeMat is the local CB coordinator who has time for little else... See full summary »

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Paul Brickman

Stars:

Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Bruce McGill

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Le Mat	...	Spider
Candy Clark	...	Electra
Bruce McGill	...	Blood
Roberts Blossom	...	Papa Thermodyne
Charles Napier	...	Chrome Angel
Ann Wedgeworth	...	Dallas Angel
Marcia Rodd	...	Portland Angel
Alix Elias	...	Hot Coffee
Richard Bright	...	Smilin' Jack
Ed Begley Jr.	...	The Priest
Michael Rothman	...	Cochise
Michael Mahler	...	The Hustler
Harry Northup	...	The Red Baron
Will Seltzer	...	Warlock
Leila Smith	...	Grandma Breaker

Storyline

This movie interlaces the stories of several characters in a small town united by their use of CB (citizen's band) radio. Paul LeMat is the local CB coordinator who has time for little else in his life. His father, Roberts Blossom is a sour old man who is nice on the radio. Charles Napier is a trucker hospitalized after an accident, with hilarious consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

citizens band radio | father son relationship | imperative in title | prostitute | truck driver | 

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Taglines:

Everybody is somebody else

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Citizen's Band

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bruce McGill's first movie.

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Goofs

When Spider and Cochese are in Spider's car after pulling down the Nazis' antenna, Cochese says, "Oh Spider, I don't think I can take much more of this," but his lips aren't moving.

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Jonathan Demme

User Reviews

Winning Character Study

It sounds like a redneck movie about truckers, but it's really a gentle character study. The story centers around the citizen's band radio craze of the 1970s. Against this backdrop, the lives of a group of small town residents is examined in a successful blend of comedy and drama. Le Mat is quite likable as the unofficial enforcer of the local airwaves. His girlfriend is played by Clark, his "American Graffiti" co-star. There are fine performances from Blossom and McGill, as Le Mat's father and brother, respectively. There's a funny subplot about a bigamist trucker featuring Napier, Wedgeworth, Rodd, and Elias. The finale is a little forced, but this early effort from Demme mostly rings true.