Straight Time (1978)

Director:

Ulu Grosbard
(more)

Writers:

Edward Bunker (novel)
Alvin Sargent (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 July 1978 (Norway)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

"Please God, don't let him get caught."

Plot:

After being released on parole, a burglar attempts to go straight, get a regular job, and just go by the rules...

Plot Keywords:

Parole | Parole Officer | Jail | Ford Mustang | Factory Worker

Cast

Dustin Hoffman	...	Max Dembo
Theresa Russell	...	Jenny Mercer
Gary Busey	...	Willy Darin
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Jerry Schue
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Earl Frank
Rita Taggart	...	Carol Schue
Kathy Bates	...	Selma Darin
Sandy Baron	...	Manny
Jake Busey	...	Henry Darin (as Jacob Busey)
Tina Menard	...	Hotel Manager
Stephanie Ericson-Baron	...	Bar Patron
Dave Kelly	...	Counterman
Don Sommese	...	Waiter
Kit Jee Wong	...	Grocer
Peter Kwong	...	Grocery Clerk
Jane Howard	...	Employment Clerk (as Betty Jane Howarth)
Ronald L. Mellinger	...	Jail Guard
Michael Blakley	...	Beach Boy #1
John Colton	...	Beach Boy #2
Edward Bunker	...	Mickey
Corey Rand	...	Carlos
John Gilgreen	...	Bank Guard
Mary Craven	...	Bank Teller
Peter Jurasik	...	Bank Teller
Enid Hendershot	...	Girl at Bank
James Ray	...	Jewelry Store Manager
Stuart I. Berton	...	Salesman #1
Barry Cahill	...	Salesman #2
Susan Sherman	...	Saleslady
Francesca Drown	...	Saleslady
Emily Le Rue	...	Girl
Ernest Taylor III	...	Job Applicant
Fran Ryan	...	Cafe Owner
Bob Jarvis	...	Police Officer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark F. Hill	...	Paramedic (uncredited)
Mags Kavanaugh	...	Cocktail Waitress (uncredited)
Mary Margaret Robinson	...	Hostage (uncredited)
Deborah Romare	...	Girl at Bank (uncredited)

Directed by
Ulu Grosbard
Dustin Hoffman		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Edward Bunker		(novel "No Beast So Fierce")
Alvin Sargent		(screenplay) and
Edward Bunker		(screenplay) and
Jeffrey Boam		(screenplay)
Nancy Dowd		uncredited &
Michael Mann		uncredited

Produced by
Stanley Beck	....	producer
Gail Mutrux	....	associate producer
Howard Pine	....	executive producer (as Howard B. Pine)
Tim Zinnemann	....	producer
Dustin Hoffman	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
David Shire

Cinematography by
Owen Roizman

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen
Randy Roberts

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden		(as Diane Crittenden)

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Art Direction by
Dick Lawrence

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Makeup Department
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist
Bob Westmoreland	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Larry J. Franco	....	second assistant director (as Larry Franco)
Jack Roe	....	assistant director

Art Department
Barry Bedig	....	property master

Sound Department
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Portman)
James E. Webb	....	production sound mixer (as Jim Webb)

Stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator
Alan Gibbs	....	stunts
Victor Paul	....	stunts
Sorin Serene Pricopie	....	stunts (as Sorin Pricopie)
Dick Ziker	....	stunt coordinator
Larry Holt	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tim Griffith	....	gaffer
Bob Rose	....	key grip
Robert M. Stevens	....	camera operator (as Bob Stevens)
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (uncredited)
Tony Rivetti	....	steadicam (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bernie Pollack	....	costumer: men

Music Department
John Caper Jr.	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Wayne Roberts	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Susan Leslie Battles	....	production coordinator (as Susan Battles)
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Gene Levy	....	auditor
Edward Bunker	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• First Artists
• Sweetwall

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1989) (Greece) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Burbank Editorial Service Inc.  sound effects editing
• Panavision  filmed with

Also Known As:

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Cantonese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Canada:R | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Germany:12 (re-rating) (2007) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | UK:18 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:14+ | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

7th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

First Artists

Trivia:

The meaning of the film's "Straight Time" title refers to the post-prison activities of an ex-convict who is not performing anymore criminal acts, as with the similar expression "Going Straight", it being the title also of a number of other film & TV titles.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final diner scene, Jenny is smoking a cigarette and hands the cigarette to Max. In the next shot, the cigarette is back in Jenny's hand.

Quotes:

Jerry Schue:[Max, Jerry and Carol are enjoying a backyard barbecue. Carol leaves to grab some drinks] Get me outta here. They're killing me. I can't make this scene anymore, get me outta here... You got something, I know you got something...
Max Dembo:Yeah, I got something.
Jerry Schue:Well, let's do it.
Max Dembo:Don't you wanna know what it is?
Jerry Schue:I don't give a damn what it is, let's just do it... What is it?
Max Dembo:Bunch of old guys play poker over in a motel out in the valley. They got about twenty thousand dollars on the table. We just tip toe in, tip toe out and it's all ours. There ain't no cops because they can't call.
Jerry Schue:Great. You got the guns?
Max Dembo:Yeah.
Jerry Schue:[Jerry notices Carol coming back. He whispers to Max] Need a shotgun.
[Carol enters the scene with beers and a guitar]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Straight Time: He Wrote It for Criminals (1978) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Two of Us

Quite Good

This movie creeps up on you, gets a kind of emotional hold on you and digs in through the end. Really, a terrific 70s style film (should have been made in 1973). Dustin Hoffman is outstanding. He gives an understated performance that fits the atmosphere of the movie, the story and himself perfectly. It is one of his best performances. Theresa Russell, and Harry Dean Stanton also deliver excellent performances. A very good example of how story, and acting that is true to the story, matter so much in making a good film. Urls Grosbard does a good job of establishing the mood of the film and carrying it all the way through, without hitting you over the head with unnecessarily forced dialog or drawn-out action sequences, etc.