The Wanderers (1979)

Director:

Philip Kaufman

Writers:

Richard Price (novel)
Rose Kaufman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It's 1963. Meet The Wanderers... They were the hottest guys in town.

Plot:

Set against the urban jungle of 1963 New York's gangland subculture, this coming of age teenage movie is set around the Italian gang the Wanderers...

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Rock 'n' Roll | Football Game | Hazing | Cheerleader

Cast

Ken Wahl	...	Richie
John Friedrich	...	Joey
Karen Allen	...	Nina
Toni Kalem	...	Despie Galasso
Alan Rosenberg	...	Turkey
Jim Youngs	...	Buddy
Tony Ganios	...	Perry
Linda Manz	...	Peewee
William Andrews	...	Emilio
Erland van Lidth	...	Terror (as Erland Van Lidth De Jeude)
Val Avery	...	Mr. Sharp
Dolph Sweet	...	Chubby Galasso
Michael Wright	...	Clinton
Burtt Harris	...	Marine Recruiter
Samm-Art Williams	...	Roger
Dion Albanese	...	Teddy Wong
Olympia Dukakis	...	Joey's Mom
George Merolle	...	Peppy Dio
Terri Perri	...	Terri Perri
John Califano	...	Bowling Bankroller
Richard Price	...	Bowling Bankroller
Linda Artuso	...	Buddy's Woman
Earlie J. Butler III	...	Del Bomber
Rafael Cabrera	...	Del Bomber
Brian Colleary	...	Referee
Rosemary De Angelis	...	Waitress
Lorna Erickson	...	Gloria Galasso
Ken Foree	...	Black Sportsman
Sally Anne Golden	...	Crying Woman
Leon W. Grant	...	Boo Boo (as Leon Grant)
Jery Hewitt	...	Bowler
Adam Kimmel	...	Folk Singer
Tara King	...	Pretty Girl
Faith Minton	...	Big Lady
Bruce Nozick	...	Dushie
Michael Pasternak	...	Georgie
Sheryl Posner	...	Despie's Girlfriend
Bert Samuel	...	Mau Mau
Konrad Sheehan	...	Ducky Boy 2nd-In-Command
Frank Ferrara	...	Wanderer
Paul Lisotta	...	Wanderer
Thomas H. LoRusso	...	Wanderer
Anthony Pleskow	...	Wanderer
Steven Santillo	...	Wanderer
Billy Stulberg	...	Wanderer
Victor Terry	...	Wanderer
F.X. Vitolo	...	Wanderer (as Frank Vitolo)
Harry Benjamin	...	Pharoah Leader
Alan Braunstein	...	Ducky Boy Leader
Mark Lesly	...	Second Ducky Boy
Farrel R. Tannenbaum	...	Ray Leader
Anthony Tirico	...	Executioner Leader
Vinnie De Carlo	...	Albert
Dom De Prospo	...	Dom
Tony Munafo	...	Tony
Michael J. Raffaele	...	Mike
Danny Aiello III	...	Baldie
Michael Amato	...	Baldie
John Devaney	...	Baldie
Terrence George	...	Baldie
Nicholas J. Giangiulio	...	Baldie
Eddie Horre	...	Baldie
Dennis M. Lee	...	Baldie
Ralph Mazzella	...	Baldie
Peter Potulski	...	Baldie
Jimmy Scagnelli	...	Baldie
Joe Zimmardi	...	Baldie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Conroy	...	Wanderer (uncredited)
Wayne Knight	...	Waiter (uncredited)
John Macaluso	...	Duckie Boy (uncredited)
Timothy Aaron Styles	...	Dell Bomber (uncredited)

Directed by
Philip Kaufman

Writing credits
Richard Price		(novel)
Rose Kaufman		(screenplay) and
Philip Kaufman		(screenplay)

Produced by
Fred C. Caruso	....	associate producer
John W. Hyde	....	executive producer
Martin Ransohoff	....	producer
Richard R. St. Johns	....	executive producer

Cinematography by
Michael Chapman

Film Editing by
Stuart H. Pappé
Ronald Roose

Casting by
Scott Rudin

Production Design by
John Jay Moore

Set Decoration by
Thomas C. Tonery		(as Thomas Tonery)

Costume Design by
Robert De Mora

Makeup Department
Philip Leto	....	hair stylist
Craig Lyman	....	special makeup effects artist
Bob O'Bradovich	....	makeup artist (as Robert O'Bradovich)

Production Management
Fred C. Caruso	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Laurie B. Eichengreen	....	second assistant director
Alan Hopkins	....	assistant director
Thomas A. Reilly	....	dga trainee (as Thomas Reilly)

Art Department
Neal Adams	....	artist: Joey's banner
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master (as Joseph Caracciolo)
Richard A. Ventre	....	chargeman scenic artist (as Richard Ventre)
Sherman Labby	....	production illustrator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Nathan Boxer	....	sound man (as Nat Boxer)
Steve Maslow	....	post-production sound mixer
Tex Rudloff	....	post-production sound mixer
Sam F. Shaw	....	sound effects (as Sam Shaw)
Bill Varney	....	post-production sound mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Curt Schulkey	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Eddie Earl Hatch	....	utility stunts
Victor Magnotta	....	stunt coordinator
Steve James	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Di Pasquale	....	first assistant camera
Edward Gold	....	camera operator
Louis Goldman	....	still photographer
Sal Martorano	....	electrician
Richard Quinlan	....	gaffer
Ed Quinn	....	key grip (as Edward Quinn)
Adam Kimmel	....	camera apprentice (uncredited)

Casting Department
Margery Simkin	....	special casting
Joy Todd	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marilyn Bishop	....	costumer: women
Michael Dennison	....	costumer: men
Warren Morrill	....	costume supervisor
Richard Shissler	....	assistant costume designer
Susan Brown	....	assistant costume designer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Cynthia Maurizio	....	assistant editor
Craig McKay	....	additional editor
Nicholas C. Smith	....	assistant film editor (as Nicholas Smith)

Music Department
Susan R. Crutcher	....	music editor (as Susan Crutcher)
Phill Sawyer	....	music production coordinator

Transportation Department
Edward Iacobelli	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Linda Artuso	....	dance instructor
Nancy Forner	....	production assistant
Sidney Gecker	....	script supervisor
Lilly Kilvert	....	location consultant
Anne Kingman Page	....	assistant to director
Victor Livingston	....	production assistant
Norman Mau	....	production assistant
Kyle McCarthy	....	production assistant
Amy Ness	....	production assistant
Bruce Patterson	....	production assistant
Michele Connors Raley	....	assistant to producer
Jay Remer	....	unit publicist
Lucille Smith	....	auditor (as Lucille Masone Cannon)
David A. Starke	....	location assistant (as David Starke)
David Streit	....	location manager
Cathleen Summers	....	executive assistant to producer
Lawrence Tan	....	martial arts coordinator
Susan Zwerman	....	location manager
Stephen A. Glanzrock	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Film Finance Group
• Orion Pictures Corporation
• Polyc International BV

Distributors

• Orion Pictures Corporation (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1979) (USA) (theatrical) (through)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1989) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Adams Filmi (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (1998) (Greece) (TV)
• Europa Vision (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Force Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Nelonen (2001) (Finland) (TV)
• Nordic Video (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Roadshow Home Video
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Bangladesh) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Bhutan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (India) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Nepal) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Pakistan) (TV)
• Tanweer Films (2012) (Sri Lanka) (TV)
• VCL (1981) (UK) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (video)

Other Companies

• Donna Motors  vintage cars
• Aspen Productions (I)  production services
• American Zoetrope  post-production facilities
• Howard Anderson Company, The  titles (as Howard A. Anderson Co.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (1980) | France:-16 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Australia:R (original rating) | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (video rating) (1991)

Filming Locations:

Long Island City, New York, USA

Company:

Film Finance Group

Trivia:

Joey's artwork was done by comic book artist Neal Adams.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Nina Joey and Richie go to the party, My Boyfriend's Back by the Angels is playing on the record player. The Angels were on the Smash label which was all red, the record playing was on a green label, Lucky Seven records.

Quotes:

[Mr.Sharp writes on the blackboard "All men are created equal"]
Mr. Sharp:Who wrote this?
Class:You did, sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Old School (2003)

Soundtrack:

Baby, It's You

One of my personal "cult classics"

A memorable film about a "club" of Italian-American teenagers in The Bronx of 1963. (Today we'd call them a "gang," but if you compare the "Wanderers" to today's "Bloods", "Gangster Disciples", etc., those l963 kids were relative sissies.)

The movie is unpretentious, Its structure, pace, and acting are outstanding, with special kudos for the renditions of various neighborhood "characters" by largely unknown players. (Karen Allen, Ken Wahl, and Olympia Dukakis went on to later fame, but I don't think they were well-known in 1979). Not since "Marty" has a film captured the essence of so many day-to-day denizens of its neighborhood.

The settings are authentic (I lived two blocks away from the hangout of the fictional "Fordham Baldies" in 1963), as is the soundtrack, featuring Dion & The Belmonts, The Ventures, and others. Try it!