Foolin' Around (1980)

A working-class boy falls for a girl from a wealthy family, and must compete for her with a rich boy who also wants her.

Director:

Richard T. Heffron

Writers:

Michael Kane, David Swift

Stars:

Gary Busey, Annette O'Toole, John Calvin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Busey	...	Wes
Annette O'Toole	...	Susan
John Calvin	...	Whitley
Eddie Albert	...	Daggett
Cloris Leachman	...	Samantha
Tony Randall	...	Peddicord
Michael Talbott	...	Clay
Shirley Kane	...	Aunt Eunice
William H. Macy	...	Bronski (as W.H. Macy)
Beth Bosacker	...	Rickie
Roy Jenson	...	Blue
Gene LeBell	...	Paul
Susan Bishop
Reuben Singer
Thomas V. Mikkelsen

Storyline

A working-class boy falls for a girl from a wealthy family, and must compete for her with a rich boy who also wants her.

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Plot Keywords:

rich | wealthy family | hang glider | marriage | chase | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1980 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Amor por sorpresa

Filming Locations:

Central Lutheran Church - 333 S. 12th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Packages, GCC Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Daggett - a retired tycoon, Susan's grandfather: [Daggett to Wes] Your dog can be a friend, booze can be your friend, but if you have a girl for a friend you'll end up drunk kissing your dog.

User Reviews

Hilarious, Old-Time Film With Great Supporting Performances

This little seen film, which I caught for the first time over twenty years ago, is a wonderful throwback to 1930's screwball comedy in more ways than one. Young hick (Busey) starts college at the University of Minnesota, and falls in love with debutante O'Toole, despite her mother's intentions to marry her to society dolt Calvin. What ensues are a series of pratfalls and slapstick bits that, while not terribly deep, are nonetheless quite funny. More importantly, Busey and O'Toole are so damn likeable, you really do want them to fall in love.

But, like all great 1930s comedies, what makes the film sparkle is not the lead performances (in the 30s, these were usually played by likeable ingenues without much depth), but by the character actors who formed the background for the story. This film is no different in that the film is practically stolen from the leads by three splendid supporting performances -- Cloris Leachman as O'Toole's society-conscious mother, Eddie Albert as O'Toole's crusty grandfather and Busey's boss, and especially Tony Randall as Leachman's butler. Randall's performance deserves special note because his stiff demeanor is beautifully contrasted with his profane and off-color dialogue (the final words we hear from him, behind closed doors, almost made me fall off my chair laughing).

While no masterpiece, this is a wonderful picture to watch if you'd like a brief look at a long lost style of filmmaking.