My Bodyguard (1980)

Director:

Tony Bill

Writer:

Alan Ormsby (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family

Plot:

When a boy comes to a new school and gets harassed by a bully, he acquires the services of the school's most feared kid as a bodyguard.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Bully | High School | Fire Escape | Grandmother Grandson Relationship

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Chris Makepeace	...	Clifford
Adam Baldwin	...	Linderman
Matt Dillon	...	Moody
Paul Quandt	...	Carson
Hank Salas	...	Mike
Joan Cusack	...	Shelley
Dean R. Miller	...	Hightower
Tim Reyna	...	Koontz
Richard Bradley	...	Dubrow
Denise Baske	...	Leilani
Vicky Nelson	...	Freddy
Tom Rielly	...	Reissman
Paul Charbonneau	...	Allen
Laura Salenger	...	Girl
Bert Hoddinott	...	Burt
Cindy Russ	...	Cheerleader No. 1
Laurie McEathron	...	Cheerleader No. 2
Lori Mandell	...	Crying Girl
Dean Devlin	...	Boy
Ruth Gordon	...	Gramma
Martin Mull	...	Mr. Peache
John Houseman	...	Dobbs
Craig Richard Nelson	...	Griffith
Kathryn Grody	...	Ms. Jump (as Katherine Grody)
Dick Cusack	...	Principal Roth (as Richard Cusack)
Dorothy Scott	...	Librarian
Angelo Anthony Buscaglia Jr.	...	Basketball Coach (as Angelo Buscaglia)
Kitt York	...	Stewardess
Marge Kotlisky	...	Mrs. Linderman
Tim Kazurinsky	...	Workman
Bill Koza	...	Mr. Dunphy
Vivian Smolen	...	Mrs. Dunphy
Bruce Jarchow	...	Roberto
Andrea Dillon	...	Hostess
Leonard Mack	...	Custodian
George Wendt	...	Engineer
Jerome Myers	...	Counterman
Freddy Moss	...	2nd Counterman
Joseph Cohn	...	3rd Counterman
Pat Billingsley	...	Biology Teacher (as Patrick Billingsley)
Barbara Hoddinott	...	Teacher in Hallway
Eddie Gomez	...	Eddie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jennifer Beals	...	Clifford's Friend (uncredited)
Sandra Bogan	...	Joan (uncredited)
Allison Caine	...	Additional Voice (uncredited)
Gary Houston	...	Drunk in the Park (uncredited)
Steven Rozic	...	Hotel Doorman (uncredited)

Directed by
Tony Bill

Writing credits
Alan Ormsby		(written by)

Produced by
Don Devlin	....	producer
Phillip M. Goldfarb	....	associate producer (as Phillip Goldfarb)
Melvin Simon	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dave Grusin

Cinematography by
Michael D. Margulies		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Stu Linder

Casting by
Vic Ramos

Production Design by
Jackson De Govia

Set Decoration by
Dave L. Love

Makeup Department
Irving Buchman	....	makeup artist
Colleen Callaghan	....	hair stylist
Rodger Jacobs	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Phillip M. Goldfarb	....	unit production manager (as Phillip Goldfarb)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Daves	....	assistant director
Richard H. Prince	....	second assistant director (as Richard Prince)

Art Department
Kevin Conlin	....	construction foreman
John R. Jensen	....	construction coordinator
George Lillie	....	paint boss
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master (as Erik Nelson)
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall	....	set designer (as Jeannine Oppewall)
Jeffrey R. Renfrow	....	leadman (as Jeffrey Renfrow)
Larry Suenaka	....	construction foreman
Robert R. Volpe	....	assistant property master (as Robert Volpe)

Sound Department
Rick Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dick Alexander)
Nathan Boxer	....	production sound (as Nat Boxer)
Ray Cymoszinski	....	production sound
Gordon Daniel	....	sound effects editor
Daniel Gianneschi	....	cable person (as Dan Gianneschi)
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	dialogue editor (as Marvin Kosberg)
Andy MacDonald	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gilbert D. Marchant	....	sound effects editor (as Gil Marchant)
Vern Poore	....	sound re-recording mixer

Stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator (as Terry J. Leonard)
Carol Daniels	....	stunt driver (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rick Anderson	....	camera operator
James Blanford	....	assistant camera (as Jim Blandford)
Jim Coe	....	still photographer
Eugene F. Crededio	....	key grip: Chicago (as Eugene Crededio)
William Dambra	....	electrician
Gerrit Dangremond	....	assistant camera
Edward England	....	best boy
Dick Kehl	....	gaffer: Chicago
Michael Kohnhorst	....	second assistant camera
Thomas Lewis	....	electrician
Mark R. Lindberg	....	electrician (as Mark Lindberg)
Tom Lindner	....	gaffer
Robert McLain	....	dolly grip (as Robert McLain Jr.)
Tom Prophet Jr.	....	key grip
Tom Stuebe	....	grip (as Thomas Stuebe)
Paul Vombrack	....	camera operator: second camera (as Paul Vom Brack)
Frank Yario	....	grip

Casting Department
Lisa Clarkson	....	additional casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Geraldine Brenner	....	costume assistant
Paula Lynn Kaatz	....	costume supervisor (as Paula Kaatz)
Linda Matthews	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Andy Blumenthal	....	assistant editor
Stephen Fox	....	assistant editor (as Steve Fox)

Music Department
Else Blangsted	....	music editor
Allison Caine	....	vocal effects advisor

Transportation Department
Frank Mejerski	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Dean Devlin	....	production assistant
Wilbur Hopp	....	craft service
Carol Shapiro Janson	....	unit publicist
J. David Jones	....	helicopter pilot (as David Jones)
Jerry Ketcham	....	location manager
Mamie Mitchell	....	production secretary
Betsy Norton	....	script supervisor
Wendy Riddle	....	assistant: Tony Bill
Noni Rock	....	production assistant
Joe Schultz	....	caterer: Sunrise Catering
Al Shenfeld	....	location auditor
Kate Smith	....	secretary: Tony Bill
Cami Taylor	....	assistant: Don Devlin
Alice West	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Dominick Frigo	....	thanks (as Lt. Dominick Frigo)
Lucie Salenger	....	special thanks (as Lucy Salenger)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
• Market Street Productions
• Melvin Simon Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS / Fox Video (1990) (Greece) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1989) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dan Perri  title design
• Pickwick Public Relations  publicity
• Sunrise Catering  catering

Also Known As:

"Bodyguard" - Belgium (English title) (video title)

Runtime:

96 min | USA:102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1986) | Iceland:12 (1990 re-rating) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-12 (cut) (1981) | Norway:12 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Jennifer Beals' film debut (uncredited).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the lunch counter scene, Shelley is shown eating a sandwich while making a purchase. A following cut shows her buying the sandwich.

Quotes:

Carson:Hey Moody! You owe me a years worth of lunch money
[flips Moody the bird and runs behind Linderman]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Bye Bye Nerdie (#12.16)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

She's a Latin from Manhattan

My guardian angel

Tony Bill's "My Bodyguard" seems to be a film that has been forgotten. Thanks to the Fox cable channel, it turned up the other night. It doesn't seem possible this movie is twenty five years old already. Not having seen it when it was released, we took a chance and it paid off handsomely.

The film addresses the bullying in schools, a nightmare for those students that appear weak, or easy marks for these predators to make a name for themselves among their peers, at the others expense. Unfortunately, no one pays attention to the ones being abused and Hollywood, in general, takes the bully's side in many occasions, at the expense of the nerd, or the ones suffering the harassment.

"My Bodyguard" shows some of today's familiar faces as they looked in those years. Some have gone to careers of their own, such as Matt Dillon, Adam Baldwin, Joan Cusack, George Wendt, and the uncredited Jennifer Beals, who has no speaking role.

When Clifford Peache, the son of a hotel manager in Chicago, changes schools, he meets his worst nightmare: Melvin Moody. Melvin terrorizes kids, especially those young and vulnerable. Clifford is the new target for Melvin to bring down and humiliate if he doesn't agree to do whatever he is told. Rick Linderman, the tall and strange guy in Cliff's class is the perfect candidate to be engaged as a body guard for all the kids being abused. In fact, Rick teaches Clifford a lesson when at the end he has to face the mean Melvin, who proves to be a coward, as all bullies are.

"My Bodyguard" is an entertaining film to watch thanks to the great performance by Chris Makepeace, who makes a great Clifford. Ruth Gordon, who plays Clifford's grandmother, has some comic moments. Martin Mull is seen as Cliff's father and John Houseman appears briefly as the man who is charmed by Grandma Peache.

Tony Bill shows he could deliver a movie that seems to be timeless.