Diner (1982)

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

5 March 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Suddenly, life was more than french fries, gravy and girls.

Plot:

A group of college-age buddies struggle with their imminent passage into adulthood in 1959 Baltimore.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | Christmas | Bet | Fake Accident | Menu

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Steve Guttenberg	...	Edward 'Eddie' Simmons
Daniel Stern	...	Laurence 'Shrevie' Schreiber
Mickey Rourke	...	Robert 'Boogie' Sheftell
Kevin Bacon	...	Timothy Fenwick Jr.
Tim Daly	...	William 'Billy' Howard (as Timothy Daly)
Ellen Barkin	...	Beth Schreiber
Paul Reiser	...	Modell
Kathryn Dowling	...	Barbara
Michael Tucker	...	Bagel
Jessica James	...	Mrs. Simmons
Colette Blonigan	...	Carol Heathrow
Kelle Kipp	...	Diane
John Aquino	...	Tank
Richard Pierson	...	David Frazer
Claudia Cron	...	Jane Chisholm
Tait Ruppert	...	Methan
Tom Tammi	...	Howard Fenwick (as Tom V.V. Tammi)
Pam Gail	...	First Stripper
Lauren Zaganas	...	Second Stripper
Sharon Ziman	...	Elyse
Mark Margolis	...	Earl Mager
Ralph Tabakin	...	TV Customer
Frank Stoegerer	...	TV Director
Nat Benchley	...	Technical Director
Frank Hennessy	...	Audio Man
Marvin Hunter	...	Newscaster
Steve Smith	...	Announcer
Lee Case	...	Mr. Howard - Billy's Father
Clement Fowler	...	Mr. Simmons - Eddie's Father
Howard Silverman	...	Clothing Hustler (as Howard 'Chip' Silverman)
Ted Bafaloukos	...	George
Barney Cohen	...	Knocko
Bruce Kluger	...	Guy at Pool Hall
Bruce Elliott	...	Soap Opera Man (as Bruce Elliot)
Carole Copeland	...	Soap Opera Woman
Aryeh Cooperstock	...	Rabbi
Brian Costantini	...	Drunk at Wedding
Lorraine D. Glick	...	Woman at Wedding
Florence Moody	...	Waitress (as Florence L. Moody)
Mary Lou Vukov	...	Waitress
Alan Kaplan	...	Bagel's Friend
Donald Saiontz	...	Bagel's Friend
Chief Gordon	...	Man in Jail
Beverly Sheehan	...	Beautician
Dusty Clare	...	Salon Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Allison Caine	...	Additional Voice (voice) (uncredited)
Herb Levinson	...	The Emerson Black & White Console Televison Customer (uncredited)
Todd Stockman	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Barry Levinson

Writing credits
Barry Levinson		(written by)

Produced by
Mark Johnson	....	executive producer
Jerry Weintraub	....	producer

Original Music by
Bruce Brody
Ivan Král

Cinematography by
Peter Sova

Film Editing by
Stu Linder

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Art Direction by
Leon Harris

Set Decoration by
R. Chris Westlund

Costume Design by
Gloria Gresham

Makeup Department
Irving Buchman	....	makeup artist
Christine George	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ken Swor	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
D. Scott Easton	....	first assistant director
Win Phelps	....	first assistant director
Robert Rooy	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master (as Larry Bird)
Steven Franciotti	....	construction coordinator
Bill Gay	....	lead man (as Billy Gay)
Vinnie Vecchio	....	property master
Ken Zimmerman	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Hochman	....	sound editor
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
C. Darin Knight	....	sound mixer (as Darin Knight)
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles J. Bond	....	sound (uncredited)
Dan Yale	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Charles Schulthies	....	special effects (as Charles R. Schulthies)

Camera and Electrical Department
George Berrios	....	assistant camera
Catharine Bushnell	....	still photographer
Ted Churchill	....	camera operator
Richard Falk	....	lighting consultant (as Richard Falk Sr.)
John M. Gilgar	....	gaffer
Donald Sweeney	....	camera operator (as Don Sweeney)
Tom Weston	....	assistant camera
Ted Churchill	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Deahdra Scarano	....	costumer: women
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer: men (as Tony Scarano)
Mary E. Vogt	....	assistant costume designer (as Mary Vogt)

Editorial Department
Andy Blumenthal	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Harry V. Lojewski	....	music supervisor
Joe Tuley	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Mike Padovich	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Ted Bafaloukos	....	creative consultant
Paul Gongaware	....	production assistant
Nancy Hackerman	....	location manager
Leanne Moore	....	assistant to production accountant
Susan Moore	....	assistant to producer
Betsy Norton	....	script supervisor
Judith Rheiner	....	publicist
Bob Roe	....	production assistant (as Robert Roe)
Paul Roedl	....	production accountant
Gene Rudolf	....	visual consultant
Bill Sanders	....	production assistant
Anna Zappia	....	production office coordinator
Alan Jacques	....	projectionist (uncredited)
Kevin King	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
• SLM Production Group

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1986) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Vídeo Arte (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Elektra Records  soundtrack
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)  titles and opticals
• Taylor Royall Casting  extras casting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Peru:14 | Brazil:Livre | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (Certificate #26376) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

400 block N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Like Catch Me If You Can (2002), Spider-Man (2002) and Sister Act (1992), Diner will be transformed into a Broadway musical. Original director/writer Barry Levinson will also write Diner's book and Sheryl Crow will write the music and lyrics. Kathleen Marshall, a recent Tony Award-winner for her choreography of 'Anything Goes,' will direct and choreograph the production which is set for theater tryouts by summer 2012.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When discussing marriage outside the diner, Eddie tells Shrevie that he and Elyse will be vacationing in Cuba, which had already been taken over by Castro on 1 January 1959. By New Years Day 1960, a honeymoon in Cuba would have been considered out of the question.

Quotes:

Modell:We all know most marriages depend on a firm grasp of football trivia.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.101" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Reconsider Baby

"There's not that much of a story, really. What do we do? We drive around..." Kevin Bacon

Diner, Barry Levinson's writing and directing debut belongs to so-called "small" or "minor" movies and it indeed does not have spectacular locations, breathtaking action sequences or even dramatic story. As Kevin Bacon comments in the Behind the Scenes Documentary, "There's not that much of a story, really. What do we do? We drive around..." What the movie has is "a very honest portrayal of a group...of guys that people relate to on a very personal level." The different generations of viewers react to film with devotion and recognition, and Diner has become one of the beloved long time cult favorites. Based on its writer/director's memories of growing up in Baltimore, the film takes place during the week between Christmas and New Year in 1959, and tells of the friendship of five guys in their early twenties. During the course of the film, we will get to know the young men, their fears of growing up, facing responsibilities, and making decisions, their fascination and insecurities with the girls.

From his Oscar-nominated script, BL makes the study of young men who hesitate to grow up but rather hang out in their beloved Diner. Daniel Stern's 'Shrevie' is an owner of LP collection that he seems to value more than his young and pretty wife (Ellen Barkin in her film debut). Mickey Rourke, played his best role (at least, IMO) as Boogy, the cynical womanizer with the most charming smile. Steve Guttenberg's Eddie puts his fiancée through the enormously difficult football quiz and the passing score is the must for the marriage because he is scared to get married. Kevin Bacon plays Fenwick, a permanently drunk and lost kid, the character much darker than the rest of the guys. Timothy Daly is Bill who seems to be the most successful of the bunch, and know what he wants but can't make the girl he loves to love him. By making Diner, Levinson actually put his native city, sleepy and provincial 1959 Baltimore, on the cinema map, and that's just one of movie's pleasures. And there are plenty. Diner is filled with authentic and believable scenes, situations, and conversations that everyone can relate to. The Diner's menu has a lot to offer to the grateful viewers and fans of the insightful, ironic, entertaining, small but bright and shiny gem. Barry Levinson does not flatter six protagonists but he understands them and loves them because he sees in them the indelible part of his own life, his experiences, and his own childhood friends. As another great film about childhood friendship says, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

Barry Levinson went on to create many good and very good films after Diner. These are just a few: The Natural, Good Morning, Vietnam; Bugsy; Avalon; Sleepers, An Everlasting Piece, Disclosure, Wag the Dog, and his Oscar winner "Rain Man" but Diner will always have a very special place for me. This is the film I keep coming back to again and again, and as the time passes it only gets better.