Looker (1981)

Director:

Michael Crichton

Writer:

Michael Crichton (written by)

Release Date:

30 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

If Looks Could Kill...

Plot:

Plastic surgeon Larry Roberts performs a series of minor alterations on a group of models who are seeking perfection...

Plot Keywords:

Perfection | Plastic Surgeon | Model | Computer | Cosmetic Surgery

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Albert Finney	...	Dr. Larry Roberts
James Coburn	...	John Reston
Susan Dey	...	Cindy Fairmont
Leigh Taylor-Young	...	Jennifer Long
Dorian Harewood	...	Lieutenant Masters
Tim Rossovich	...	Moustache Man
Darryl Hickman	...	Dr. Jim Belfield
Kathryn Witt	...	Tina Cassidy
Terri Welles	...	Lisa Convey
Michael Hawkins	...	Senator Robert Harrison (as Michael Gainsborough)
Ashley Cox	...	Candy
Donna Kei Benz	...	Ellen (as Donna Benz)
Catherine Parks	...	Jan
Terry Kiser	...	Commercial Director
Georgann Johnson	...	Cindy's Mother
Richard Venture	...	Cindy's Father
Anthony Charnota	...	Master's Assistant
Terrence E. McNally	...	Technician in Scanning Room (as Terrence McNally)
David Adams	...	D.M.I. Guard
John Sanderford	...	D.M.I. Policeman
Scott Mulhern	...	D.M.I. Policeman
Arthur Taxier	...	D.M.I. Truck Technician
Richard Milholland	...	D.M.I. Truck Technician
Jeana Keough	...	Suzy (as Jeana Tomasina)
Barry Jenner	...	Commercial Producer
Derrel Maury	...	Commercial Assistant Producer
Paul Jasmin	...	Steve
Eloise Hardt	...	Mrs. Emerson
Melissa Prophet	...	Commercial Script Girl
Lila Christianson	...	Tammy
Lorna Christianson	...	Pammy
Gary Combs	...	Non-Descript Man
Kelly Black	...	Reston Girl
Kim Johnson	...	Reston Girl
Lori Sutton	...	Reston Girl
Vanna White	...	Reston Girl
Jacqui Evans	...	Reston Girl
Theresa Hunt	...	Reston Girl
Pamela Jean Bryant	...	Reston Girl (as Pamela Bryant)
Anita Merritt	...	Reston Girl (as Juanita Merrit)
Carol Teasdale	...	Reston Girl
Jackie Forsythe	...	Reston Girl
Stefani Kiessig	...	Reston Girl
Kathryn Redding	...	Reston Girl
Lourinda Cordero	...	Reston Girl
Pamela Bromshagen	...	Reston Girl
Jerry Douglas	...	Laxative Spokesman
Randi Brooks	...	Girl in Bikini
Jesse Logan	...	Exercise Instructor
Joseph G. Medalis	...	Husband (as Joe Medalis)
Estelle Omens	...	Wife
Steve Strong	...	Warrior
Tawny Moyer	...	Warrior Housewife
Dick Christie	...	Father
Katherine De Hetre	...	Mother (as Katherine DeHetre)
Allison Balson	...	Daughter
Adam Farrar	...	Son (as Adam Starr)
Joyce Fell	...	Windsurfer
Jerry Flattery	...	Windsurfer
Loring Pickering	...	Windsurfer
Kelby Anno	...	Windsurfer
Randall England	...	New Wave Model
Irena Ferris	...	New Wave Model
Gordon Gavin	...	New Wave Model
Tom Holleron	...	New Wave Model
Maile Souza	...	New Wave Model
Cynthia Mobley	...	New Wave Model
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Erwin	...	Commercial Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Susanne Severeid	...	Tour Guide (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Crichton

Writing credits
Michael Crichton		(written by)

Produced by
Howard Jeffrey	....	producer
John Lugar	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Barry De Vorzon		(as Barry DeVorzon)

Cinematography by
Paul Lohmann

Film Editing by
Carl Kress

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
Dean Edward Mitzner

Art Direction by
Jack G. Taylor Jr.

Set Decoration by
Jerry Wunderlich

Costume Design by
Betsy Cox

Makeup Department
Ken Chase	....	makeup artist
Judith A. Cory	....	hair stylist (as Judith Cory)
Jene Fielder	....	body makeup
Eric Serena	....	hair designer: Ms. Dey

Production Management
Jack Roe	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
D. Scott Easton	....	first assistant director (as Scott Easton)
John T. Kretchmer	....	second assistant director (as John Kretchmer)

Art Department
Gene Anderson	....	assistant props
Barry Bedig	....	property master
Bruce Behan	....	special props supervisor
Cameron Birnie	....	set designer
Nigel A. Boucher	....	leadman (as Nigel Boucher)
Harold Broner	....	construction coordinator
Frank L. Brown	....	leadman (as Frank Brown)
Daniel Gluck	....	set designer
George Jenson	....	illustrator
Daniel Maltese	....	set designer
Joe Olsen	....	assistant props
William Ladd Skinner	....	set designer (as Bill Skinner)
Bo Welch	....	set designer (as Robert Welch)

Sound Department
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
Marsha Hoke	....	sound assistant
David J. Kimball	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert J. Litt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Nichols II	....	sound recordist
Andrew Patterson	....	sound editor
Jerry Stanford	....	sound editor
Elliot Tyson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles M. Wilborn	....	production sound mixer (as Chuck Wilborn)
John S. Coffey	....	boom operator (uncredited)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Joe Day	....	special effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
William Ballentine	....	creative assistant: Information International, Inc.
Gary Demos	....	technical supervisor: Information International, Inc.
Art Durinski	....	creative assistant: Information International, Inc.
Bill Hansard Jr.	....	process coordinator (as William Hansard Jr.)
Mark Jaffe	....	technical assistant: Information International, Inc.
Michael Lawler	....	3D photographer: Information International, Inc.
Larry Malone	....	creative assistant: Information International, Inc.
Malcolm McMillan	....	technical assistant: Information International, Inc.
Craig Reynolds	....	technical assistant: Information International, Inc.
Richard Taylor	....	creative supervisor: Information International, Inc.
Bert Terreri	....	optical services: Looker commercials "Liberty", "Ravish", "New Wave"
John Whitney Jr.	....	marketing services: Information International, Inc.

Stunts
Fred Waugh	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Combs	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paula Dell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eurlyne Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
J. Michael Marlett	....	gaffer (as Mike Marlett)
Ralph Nelson	....	still photographer
Guy Polzel	....	key grip
Timothy E. Wade	....	camera operator (as Timothy Wade)
Frank Detone Jr.	....	rigging grip (uncredited)
Kenneth Estes	....	video playback operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandra Culotta	....	costumer: women
Victoria Snow	....	costumer: women
Bruce Walkup	....	costumer: men

Editorial Department
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Richard Ritchie	....	color timer
Mary Scott	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Michael Boddicker	....	musician: synthesizers
Richard Hazard	....	orchestrator
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Michael Tronick	....	music editor
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Fritz Braden	....	transportation coordinator
Mike Padovich	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Janet Beroza	....	production assistant
Kevin Elders	....	assistant auditor
Vince Heileson	....	auditor
Kathy Kenworthy Roe	....	production secretary (as Kathleen Kenworthy)
Trish Kinney	....	script supervisor
Rich Klein	....	video consultant: Worldstage
Robert H. Kovoloff	....	promotional services courtesy of
Judith Lovejoy	....	assistant: Mr. Crichton
Vahan Moosekian	....	location manager
Carolyn Ray	....	assistant: Mr. Crichton
Art Sarno	....	publicist
Brent Sellstrom	....	video coordinator
Jacqueline Weiss	....	assistant: Mr. Jeffrey
Anna Zappia	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Ladd Company, The
• Warner Bros

Distributors

• Ladd Company, The (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1981) (USA) (theatrical) (through)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1983) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Sinfonia Films (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1983) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Information International (computer animation)

Other Companies

• Ampex Corporation  VPR playback consoles courtesy of
• Andrea Robb  commercials courtesy of
• Anheuser Busch  commercials courtesy of
• Chrysler Corporation  Dodge Omni courtesy of
• Conrac  studio monitors courtesy of
• Converse  commercials courtesy of (as Converse Athletic Shoes)
• Evans and Sutherland  multi-picture systems courtesy of
• Grass Valley Group, The  300 series production switcher courtesy of
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Jack Hooper & Co.  negative cutter
• Los Angeles Dodgers, The  baseball footage courtesy of (as Los Angeles Dodgers)
• Lynn Stalmaster & Associates  casting
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Paramount Pictures  scene from "The Lucy Show" furnished by (as Paramount Pictures Corporation)
• Production Payments  production services
• Ruxton Ltd.  24-frame video services
• Shakey's  commercials courtesy of
• Union Underwear Company Inc.  commercials courtesy of
• United Van Lines  commercials courtesy of
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack
• Worldstage  video consultant

Also Known As:

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16 | Canada:18A | France:U

Company:

Ladd Company, The

Trivia:

Kim Carnes recorded her own version of the theme song on her album "Voyeur" (1982). The title song in the movie was performed by Sue Saad.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the conference near the end, when Dr. Larry Roberts is disguised as a security guard, during several sequences getting in and out of elevators the wound on the side of his mouth disappears and reappears.

Quotes:

Lisa Convey:You probably think I'm beautiful, Dr. Roberts, but I'm not. I have lots of defects to fix. I have a list right here. My nose is .2 millimeters too narrow. And my cheekbones are .4 millimeters too high. And my chin has a little .1 bump here. And my areola distance is 5 millimeters. And I have a mole here on my ribs. So I need plastic surgery.

Movie Connections:

Features "The Lucy Show" (1962)

Soundtrack:

HIGH WIRE

A hidden Gem of a movie

Obviously forgotten today, and maybe that's a problem.

Michael Crichton dealt in practical Science Fiction. How a potential technology could really cause problems in the here and now. This movie hit on a few of them, some of which HAVE come to pass.

His premise is that computers could be used to simulate characters (already has happened) and that they could be used to influence us by using algorithms to calculate our optimum responses. (Again, probably happening now, even if we don't know about it.)

The plot is that a plastic surgeon is asked to alter four women into perfect specimens, but three of them are killed after wards (they never really explain why.) In trying to protect the last, whom he develops a personal bond with, he uncovers a plot to use computer generated images (wow, and now they are real!) to manipulate our responses.

A note on nudity. We have Susan Dey of Partridge family fame going topless in a couple of scenes. We'd NEVER see that now. If we are lucky, we might see a name actress have her head CGI'd (ironic) onto a body double. But usually, the MPAA would go completely nuts and give the film an R or NC-17 rating.

Some things are dated, such as tape-reading computers and big hair on the women- SO 1980's. But the film's concepts hold up pretty well.