IMDb > One Trick Pony (1980)

One Trick Pony (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

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5.5/10   327 votes »
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Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert M. Young
Writer:
Paul Simon
Contact:
View company contact information for One Trick Pony on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 October 1980 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Drama See more »
Tagline:
Rock 'n' roll will give you some laughs...but it won't do you any favors.
Plot:
Jonah (Paul Simon) is an aging rock star trying to put together a new album in the face of an indifferent record label and a talentless producer. At the same time, he's struggling to save his failing marriage. | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
1 nomination See more »
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Imperial Leisure – Death To The One Trick Pony Album Review
 (From Obsessed with Film. 14 March 2012, 9:01 AM, PDT)
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User Reviews:
The movie is also a "One Trick Pony" See more (12 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Paul Simon ... Jonah

Blair Brown ... Marion

Rip Torn ... Walter Fox
Joan Hackett ... Lonnie Fox

Allen Garfield ... Cal van Damp (as Allan Goorvitz)

Mare Winningham ... Modeena Dandridge
Michael Pearlman ... Matty Levin

Lou Reed ... Steve Kunelian
Steve Gadd ... Danny Duggin
Eric Gale ... Lee-Andrew Parker
Tony Levin ... John DiBatista
Richard Tee ... Clarence Franklin

Harry Shearer ... Bernie Wepner
Kate Pierson ... Herself (as The B-52s)

Fred Schneider ... Himself (as The B-52s)
Keith Strickland ... Himself (as The B-52s)
Cindy Wilson ... Herself (as The B-52s)
Ricky Wilson ... Himself (as The B-52s)

John Sebastian ... Member of the Lovin' Spoonful
Steve Boone ... Member of the Lovin' Spoonful
Joe Butler ... Member of the Lovin' Spoonful
Zal Yanovsky ... Member of the Lovin' Spoonful (as Zalman Yanovsky)

Sam Moore ... Himself (as Samuel D. Moore)
Dave Prater Jr. ... Himself (as Sam and Dave)

Tiny Tim ... Himself

David Sanborn ... Himself
Michael J. Miller ... Acappella Singer
Glenn Scarpelli ... Acappella Singer

Merv Griffin ... Acappella Singer
Richard Dolan ... A Cappella Singer

Daniel Stern ... Hare Krishna
Lisa Carlson ... Blonde Girl Groupie
Sameen Tarighati ... Brunette Girl Groupie
Joe Smith ... Narrator at Convention
Steve Ralbovsky ... B-52's Road Manager
Noel L. Silverman ... Lawyer
Jordan Cael ... Lee Perry
Susan Forristal ... Cal's Girlfriend
Ann Karell ... Budget Motor Inn Clerk
Freda Scott ... Chambermaid
Skeeter Greene ... Receptionist
Sharon Watroba ... Receptionist
Carol Levy ... Receptionist
Claudia Jo Allmand ... Receptionist
Vincent Vok ... Bartender
Patti Austin ... Back-up Singer
Vivian Cherry ... Back-up Singer
Ullanda McCullough ... Back-up Singer
Harper Simon ... Young Jonah
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The B-52's ... Themselves

Gerry Robert Byrne ... Salesman (as Gerry R. Byrne)
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Directed by
Robert M. Young 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Paul Simon 

Produced by
Michael Hausman .... co-producer
Paul Martino .... associate producer
Michael Tannen .... producer
 
Original Music by
Paul Simon 
 
Cinematography by
Dick Bush 
 
Film Editing by
Edward Beyer 
Barry Malkin 
David Ray 
 
Casting by
Karen Rea 
 
Production Design by
David Mitchell 
 
Art Direction by
Woods Mackintosh 
 
Set Decoration by
Justin Scoppa Jr.  (as Justin Scoppa)
 
Costume Design by
Hilary Rosenfeld 
 
Makeup Department
Max Henriquez .... key makeup artist
 
Production Management
A. Kitman Ho .... unit manager
John H. Starke .... production manager (as John Starke)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Hausman .... first assistant director
Joel Tuber .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Bruno Robotti .... charge scenic artist
 
Sound Department
Arthur Bloom .... sound recordist
Louis Cerborino .... sound editor
Tom Fleischman .... sound re-recording mixer
Larry Jost .... sound mixer
Neil L. Kaufman .... sound editor
Kevin Lee .... assistant sound editor
Regina Mullen .... adr assistant
Christopher Newman .... sound mixer (as Chris Newman)
Maurice Schell .... supervising sound editor
 
Special Effects by
Bob Myers .... special effects crew
 
Editorial Department
Mark Rathaus .... apprentice editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Dave Grusin .... music arranger
Phil Ramone .... music producer
Mitchell Wirth .... music editor
 
Other crew
Clayton Townsend .... production assistant
Madeleine Todd .... caterer (uncredited)
Karhn White .... caterer (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | UK:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | USA:R
Filming Locations:
Cleveland, Ohio, USASee more »
Company:
Warner Bros. PicturesSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
During the film's credits, Paul Simon & co. (The Jonah Levin Band) are shown driving through what is ostensibly a highway between Cleveland's airport and The City. The footage is actually Route 22, in Union, New Jersey.See more »
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Jonah and Matty practice baseball in the park, the ball is returned to Jonah by someone obviously taller than eight-year-old Matty.See more »
Quotes:
Jonah:Anna Freud came backstage last week -- Anna Freud. She sold us some blow.See more »
Movie Connections:
References "The Love Boat" (1977)See more »
Soundtrack:
Do You Believe In MagicSee more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful.
The movie is also a "One Trick Pony", 18 October 1998
Author: Scoopy from Budapest

Paul Simon is a self-conscious, introspective, thoughtful man. These qualities, together with his superb guitar licks, eclectic international tastes, and sweet whispery tenor, have made him one of the musical giants of the 20th century, at least figuratively.

The same qualities don't stand him in good stead as an actor. Unlike other self-conscious performers (Woody Allen comes to mind), he can't effectively emote even as himself - a Simonesque musician named Jonah Levi. He uses his limbs awkwardly, and he always seems to be waiting politely for the other actors to finish their lines so he can get his turn.

I wanted to like this film, because I like Simon and he threw his heart into it. I just couldn't. He's stiff, the script is meandering, and the ending is so abrupt you wonder if you missed something. Even his music is decidedly on the lower side of his career output, and it seems to create gaps in the movie's flow. (Hey, what can the characters do to kill two and a half minutes until the background song ends? How about showing Paul taking out the garbage?) Besides, if you want to hear his music, grab one of his concert tapes and get his "A" output.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (12 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for One Trick Pony (1980)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
movie's fatal flaw EJF
Is This A Great Movie? jcosyn-1
This films deserves more credit than it got porlhancock
I actually have this on dvd... porlhancock
DVD now available directly from Warner's webpage! simonhowson
Any DVD in the future? lucksted
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