Hair (1979)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

Gerome Ragni (musical book) and
James Rado (musical book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

11 May 1979 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

Tagline:

Let the sun shine in! [USA theatrical]

Plot:

Claude leaves the family ranch in Oklahoma for New York where he is rapidly indoctrinated into the youth subculture and subsequently drafted.

Plot Keywords:

Oklahoma | Friendship | New York City | Love | Vietnam War

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

John Savage	...	Claude Hooper Bukowski
Treat Williams	...	George Berger
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Sheila Franklin
Annie Golden	...	Jeannie Ryan
Dorsey Wright	...	Lafayette aka Hud
Don Dacus	...	Woof
Cheryl Barnes	...	Hud's Fiancee
Richard Bright	...	Fenton
Nicholas Ray	...	The General
Charlotte Rae	...	Lady in Pink
Miles Chapin	...	Steve Wright
Fern Tailer	...	Sheila's Mother
Charles Denny	...	Sheila's Father
Herman Meckler	...	Sheila's Uncle
Agness Breen	...	Sheila's Aunt
Antonia Rey	...	Mrs. Berger, George's Mother
George J. Manos	...	Mr. Berger, George's Father (as George Manos)
Linda Surh	...	Vietnamese Girl
Jane Booke	...	Debutante #1
Suzanna Love	...	Debutante #2 (as Suki Love)
Joe Acord	...	Claude's Father
Michael Jeter	...	Sheldon
Janet York	...	Prison Psychiatrist
Rahsaan Curry	...	Lafayette Jr.
Harry Gittleson	...	The Judge
Donald Alsdurf	...	MP
Steve Massicotte	...	Barracks Officer
Mario Nelson	...	Barracks Officer
Renn Woods	...	'Aquarius' soloist (as Ren Woods)
Toney Watkins	...	Colored Spade / Ain't Got No
Carl Hall	...	Colored Spade
Howard Porter	...	Colored Spade
Nell Carter	...	Ain't Got No / White Boys
Kurt Yaghjian	...	Ain't Got No (as Kurt Yahjian)
Laurie Beechman	...	Black Boys
Debi Dye	...	Black Boys
Ellen Foley	...	Black Boys
Johnny Maestro	...	Black Boys (as John Maestro)
Fred Ferrara	...	Black Boys
Jim Rosica	...	Black Boys
Vincent Carella	...	Black Boys
Charlayne Woodard	...	White Boys (as Charlaine Woodward)
Trudy Perkins	...	White Boys
Chuck Patterson	...	White Boys
H. Douglas Berring	...	White Boys
Russell Costen	...	White Boys
Kenny Brawner	...	White Boys
Lee Wells	...	White Boys
Leata Galloway	...	Electric Blues
Cyrena Lomba	...	Electric Blues
Ron Young	...	Old Fashioned Melody
John DeRobertas	...	Flesh Failures
Grand L. Bush	...	Flesh Failures (as Grand Bush)
Melba Moore	...	'3-5-0-0' Soloist
Ronnie Dyson	...	'3-5-0-0' Soloist
Rose Marie Wright	...	Dancer
Tom Rawe	...	Dancer
Jennifer Way	...	Dancer
Shelley Washington	...	Dancer
Christine Uchida	...	Dancer
Raymond Kurshals	...	Dancer
Richard Colton	...	Dancer
Anthony Ferro	...	Dancer
Sara Rudner	...	Dancer
Pat Benoye	...	Dancer
Cameron Burke	...	Dancer
Richard Caceres	...	Dancer
Tony Constantine	...	Dancer
Ron Dunham	...	Dancer
Leonard Feiner	...	Dancer
Ken Gildin	...	Dancer
Kate Glasner	...	Dancer
Christian Holder	...	Dancer
Chris Komar	...	Dancer
Nancy Lefkowith	...	Dancer
Joseph Lennon	...	Dancer
Robert Levithan	...	Dancer
France Mayotte	...	Dancer
Héctor Mercado	...	Dancer
Sharon Miripolsky	...	Dancer
Marta Renzi	...	Dancer
Donna Ritchie	...	Dancer
Ellen Saltonstall	...	Dancer
Radha Sukhu	...	Dancer
Byron Utley	...	Dancer
Earlise Vails	...	Dancer
Ronald Weeks	...	Dancer
Kimmary Williams	...	Dancer
Deborah Zalkind	...	Dancer
Johanna Baer	...	Dancer
Carolyn Brown	...	Dancer
Colleen O'Callaghan	...	Dancer
Susan Clark	...	Dancer
Jennifer Douglas	...	Dancer
Karen Mays	...	Dancer
Megan Murphy	...	Dancer
Vicki Lynn Powell	...	Dancer
Anna Spelman	...	Dancer
Lauralee Stapfer	...	Dancer
Deborah Wagman	...	Dancer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Amy Hartman	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Adrienne King	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Warren Kliewer	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Sunny Leigh	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Sharmagne Leland-St. John	...	Party Guest / Lady in White (uncredited)
Peter Maloney	...	Court Clerk (uncredited)
Esther Oldham-Farfan	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Patrick Reynolds	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Laird Stuart	...	Field Officer (uncredited)
Frank Kahlil Wheaton	...	ABC Cameraman (uncredited)

Directed by
Milos Forman

Writing credits
Gerome Ragni		(musical book) and
James Rado		(musical book)
Michael Weller		(writer)

Produced by
Michael Butler	....	producer
Robert Greenhut	....	associate producer
Lester Persky	....	producer

Original Music by
Galt MacDermot		(music by)

Cinematography by
Richard C. Kratina		(co-director of photography) (as Richard Kratina)
Miroslav Ondrícek		(director of photography)
Jean Talvin		(co-director of photography) (as Gene Talvin)

Film Editing by
Alan Heim
Lynzee Klingman		(supervising film editor)
Stanley Warnow

Casting by
Howard Feuer
Jeremy Ritzer

Production Design by
Stuart Wurtzel

Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Sr.		(as George DeTitta)

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Max Henriquez	....	makeup artist
Bob Mills	....	makeup artist: California unit (as Robert Mills)
Joe Tubens	....	hair stylist
Vivienne Walker	....	hair stylist: California

Production Management
Robert Greenhut	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Hausman	....	first assistant director
Joseph Ray	....	second assistant director (as Joe Ray)
Joel Tuber	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	propmaster (as Joseph Caracciolo)
Jon Linder	....	scenic artist (as John Linder)
Harold Michelson	....	art director: California
Pat O'Connor	....	propmaster: California
John J. Rutchland Jr.	....	construction coordinator: California (as John Rutchland)
Edward Swanson	....	chief carpenter
Jerry Wunderlich	....	set decorator: California (as Gerald Wunderlich)

Sound Department
Milton C. Burrow	....	supervising sound editor
Gordon Davidson	....	sound editor
Don Digirolamo	....	dolby consultant
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bob Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer (as Chris Newman)
Edward L. Sandlin	....	sound editor
William A. Sawyer	....	sound editor (as William Sawyer)
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Al Griswold	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerald Cotts	....	director cameraman: second unit
Vinnie Gerardo	....	assistant camera (as Vincent Gerardo)
George Holmes	....	gaffer: California
Jan Kiesser	....	camera operator: California
Gerald A. King	....	grip: California (as Jerry King)
Edward Knott	....	key grip
Richard Pearce	....	additional photographer
Tom Priestley Jr.	....	camera operator (as Thomas Priestley)
Richard Quinlan	....	gaffer
Ricki-Ellen Brooke	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera (uncredited)
George A. Clark	....	grip (uncredited)
Sal Martorano	....	electrician (uncredited)
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "b"camera, steadicam (uncredited)
David J. Schweitzer	....	camera department intern (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Silvio Scarano	....	wardrobe: California (as Sylvio Scarano)
Elisabeth Seley	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Neil Burrow	....	assistant editor
John Davis	....	assistant editor
Lois Freeman	....	assistant film editor
Michael Jablow	....	associate editor
Neil L. Kaufman	....	assistant editor (as Neil Kaufman)
Ann Stein	....	assistant editor (as Anne Stein)
Karen Wanderman	....	assistant editor
Clayton Collins	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Norman Hollyn	....	assistant music editor
Chuck Irwin	....	music recording engineer
Galt MacDermot	....	conductor
Galt MacDermot	....	music arranger
Tom Pierson	....	conductor: vocals (as Thomas Pierson)
Tom Pierson	....	music arranger: vocals (as Thomas Pierson)
John Strauss	....	music editor

Transportation Department
James Fanning	....	transportation captain
James E. Foote	....	transportation captain: California (as James Foote)

Other crew
Michael Butler	....	producer: original Broadway stage production
Carol Clemente	....	production assistant
Ronald Colby	....	location manager: California
Martin Danzig	....	location manager
David Dreyfuss	....	production assistant
Tom Fritz	....	production assistant
Anne Gyory	....	assistant to director
Lois Kramer Hartwick	....	production office coordinator (as Lois Kramer)
Shawn Hausman	....	production assistant
Nancy Hopton	....	script supervisor (as Nancy Tonery)
Gary Jones	....	assistant: Miss Roth
Larry Kaplan	....	unit publicist
Lillian O. MacNeill	....	script supervisor: California (as Lillian MacNeil)
Kathleen McGill	....	production accountant: Lloyd Zeiderman & Associates
Steve Montgomery	....	production assistant
Jennifer Ogden	....	production assistant
Albert Ostermaier	....	equestrian trainer: dance sequence
Barbara Pettick	....	production assistant
Michael Peyser	....	production assistant
Larry Reehling	....	puppet creator
Ken Rinker	....	assistant choreographer (as Kenneth Rinker)
Barry Strugatz	....	production assistant
Twyla Tharp	....	choreographer
Jim Gerwig	....	caterer (uncredited)
Sharmagne Leland-St. John	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Thanks
George Berklacy	....	acknowledgment
Gordon J. Davis	....	acknowledgment
Jack Fish	....	acknowledgment
Paul Glanzman	....	acknowledgment (as Lt. Paul Glanzman)
Ed Koch	....	acknowledgment (as Mayor Ed Koch)

Production Companies

• CIP Filmproduktion GmbH

Distributors

• United Artists (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• Cinema Mondo (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox
• Fox-United Artists-Stockholm Film (1979) (Sweden) (video) (16 mm)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• City of New York  acknowledgement
• Fenton-Feinberg Casting  casting (as Fenton & Feinberg)
• Flying by Foy  flying effects
• Lloyd Zeiderman & Assoc.  production accountant (as Lloyd Zeiderman & Associates)
• Lloyd Zeiderman & Assoc.  production accounting
• National Park Service, The  acknowledgement
• New Jersey Film Commission  acknowledgement
• New York Shakespeare Festival  originally produced by
• R/Greenberg Associates  titles
• State of California  acknowledgement

Also Known As:

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG (Approved No. 25542) | West Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Barstow, California, USA

Company:

CIP Filmproduktion GmbH

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Hair" opened at the Biltmore Theater on April 29, 1968, ran for 1750 performances and was nominated for the 1969 Tony Award for the Best Musical.

Goofs:

Continuity: The fold in the money Bukowski holds in court changes orientation and is also folded more neatly between shots.

Quotes:

Woof, Hud, Berger:[singing] Oh say, can you see my eyes? If you can, then my hair's too short.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Teens (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Got Life

"You know I'm hung up on you."

Yes, HAIR came out in the late 70's. But please don't call it a "disco-era" musical; there isn't a single thing in it that would suggest any detraction from its 1968 period. Judge it on its own merit; too often, a movie is compared to its stage roots and is inevitably crucified. As it is, the film plays out like one long, fantasy trip (whether that trip is substance-enhanced or not is your call)- starting with the "Aquarius" sequence and continuing on to the marvelous set pieces for "Manchester England," "Ain't Got No," "I Got Life," and best of all, the "Electric Blues"/"Hare Krishna" fantasy which shows lovers John Savage and Beverly D'Angelo literally flying through their own wedding ceremony. (BTW, the woman singing "Aquarius" in the film's opening is not Melba Moore, but Ren Woods- a wonderful singer-actress seen a lot on TV in the 70's, and star of the Los Angeles production of "The Wiz.") The opening Twyla Tharp corps-de-ballet shot right on the Central Park grounds- with Woods' solo in a dizzying 360 camera pan- is an awesome start to a rock-infested musical. Ms. Moore (who performed in the original Broadway HAIR) appears later in the film singing "3-5-0-0" with Ronnie Dyson in the war protest scene shot in Washington, DC. And there are moments- like the "Walking In Space" basic training sequence or the simple close-up on Cheryl Barnes's torch solo "Easy To Be Hard-" which are just plain astonishing.