My Favorite Year (1982)

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writers:

Norman Steinberg (screenplay) and
Dennis Palumbo (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show.

Plot Keywords:

Star | Movie Star | Television | Live Television | Jewish

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Peter O'Toole	...	Alan Swann
Mark Linn-Baker	...	Benjy Stone
Jessica Harper	...	K.C. Downing
Joseph Bologna	...	King Kaiser
Bill Macy	...	Sy Benson
Lainie Kazan	...	Belle Carroca
Anne De Salvo	...	Alice Miller
Basil Hoffman	...	Herb Lee
Lou Jacobi	...	Uncle Morty
Adolph Green	...	Leo Silver
Tony DiBenedetto	...	Alfie Bumbacelli
George Wyner	...	Myron Fein
Selma Diamond	...	Lil
Cameron Mitchell	...	Karl Rojeck
Jenny Neumann	...	Connie
Corinne Bohrer	...	Bonnie
George Marshall Ruge	...	Lord Drummond - Featured Player
Amanda Horan Kennedy	...	Lady Eleanor (as Barbara Horan)
John Welsh	...	Cubby Brown - Featured Player
Richard Brestoff	...	Stage Manager - Featured Player
Jed Mills	...	Member #1 - Featured Player
Ted Grossman	...	Harris - Featured Player
Teresa Ganzel	...	Dumpling - Featured Player
Philip Bruns	...	Fed. Marshal Holt - Featured Player (as Phil Bruns)
Archie Hahn	...	Delivery Boy - Featured Player
Karen Haber	...	Vivian - Featured Player
Priscilla Kovary	...	Priscilla
Eleanor C. Heutschy	...	Gossip Columnist (as Eleanor Heutschy)
Peter Eastman	...	Maitre D'
Fox Harris	...	Curt - Featured Player
Rieneke	...	Andrea
Howard George	...	Artie - Featured Player
Bob Windsor	...	Alvin Horn - Featured Player
Gloria Stuart	...	Mrs. Horn
Clyde McLeod	...	Club Dancer
Harry Bill Roberts	...	Orchestra Leader
Ramon Sison	...	Rookie Carroca - Featured Player
Annette Robyns	...	Sadie
Pearl Shear	...	Mrs. Kessler
Stanley Brock	...	Mr. Berkowitz
Martin Garner	...	Mr. Cantor
John Medici	...	Scalfoni
Robert G. Denison	...	Stockbroker #1 - Featured Player
John Christy Ewing	...	Stockbroker #2 - Featured Player
Vincent Sardi Jr.	...	Policeman (as Vincent Sardi)
Cady McClain	...	Tess (as Katie McClain)
Norman Steinberg	...	Sandy
Richard Warwick	...	Technical Director
Rex Benson	...	Makeup Man
Denver Mattson	...	Thug #1
George Fisher	...	Thug #2
Bob Terhune	...	Thug #3
Nick Dimitri	...	Thug #4
Phil Adams	...	Stagehand #1
Richard E. Butler	...	Stagehand #2 (as Richard Butler)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vince Brocato	...	Walla Walla (voice)
Lana Clarkson	...	Girl in Old Gold Cigarette Pack (uncredited)
Ilana Rapp	...	Neighborhood Girl (uncredited)
Hank Robinson	...	Diner at Club (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Benjamin

Writing credits
Norman Steinberg		(screenplay) and
Dennis Palumbo		(screenplay)
Dennis Palumbo		(story)

Produced by
Michael Gruskoff	....	producer
Art Levinson	....	associate producer
Mel Brooks	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Joel Chernoff	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Ralph Burns

Cinematography by
Gerald Hirschfeld		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Richard Chew

Production Design by
Charles Rosen

Set Decoration by
Donald J. Remacle		(as Don Remacle)

Costume Design by
May Routh

Makeup Department
Ruby Ford	....	hair stylist
Carol A. O'Connell	....	hair stylist (as Carol O'Connell)
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup (as Dan Striepeke)

Production Management
A. Kitman Ho	....	unit production manager: New York
Art Levinson	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William S. Beasley	....	first assistant director
Duncan Henderson	....	second assistant director (as Duncan S. Henderson)
Stephen Wertimer	....	second assistant director: New York

Art Department
Merle Eckert	....	chief carpenter: New York
Arthur Gelb	....	graphics designer
Mentor Huebner	....	production illustrator
Herbert F. Mulligan	....	set decorator: New York (as Herb Mulligan)
Gregory Pickrell	....	set designer
Michael J. Smith	....	construction coordinator
Sal Sommatino	....	property master
Kandy Stern	....	set designer (as Kandy Berley Stern)
John Alvin	....	poster artist (uncredited)
Duff Miller	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
John H. Arrufat	....	sound effects editor (as J.H. Arrufat)
David B. Cohn	....	dialogue editor
Mia Goldman	....	assistant sound editor
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound editor
Jerry Jost	....	production sound mixer
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Christopher Newman	....	sound mixer: New York (as Chris Newman)
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Duncan McEwan	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)
Bill Voigtlander	....	adr editor (uncredited)
Dan Yale	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

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

Visual Effects by
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte painter (as Matthew J. Yuricich)

Stunts
Norman Howell	....	stunt performer
Steve Lerner	....	stunt performer
John Moio	....	stunt performer
Victor Paul	....	stunt coordinator
Charlie Picerni	....	stunt performer (as Charles Picerni)
John Romano	....	stunt performer
Philip Romano	....	stunt performer
Tony Santoro	....	stunt performer
Konrad Sheehan	....	stunts
James Winburn	....	stunt performer (as James B. Winburn)

Camera and Electrical Department
Enrique Bravo	....	camera operator: New York
Richard J. Edesa	....	camera operator (as Richard Edesa)
Mike Ginsberg	....	still photographer: New York
Len Hekel	....	still photographer (as Leonard Hekel)
Marc Hirschfeld	....	first assistant camera (as Marc D. Hirschfeld)
Adam Kimmel	....	second assistant camera: New York
James McGrath	....	key grip: New York
Donald E. Thorin Jr.	....	second assistant camera (as Donald Thorin Jr.)
Louis Tobin	....	gaffer (as Lou Tobin)
Bob West	....	key grip (as Robert G. West)

Casting Department
Ellen Chenoweth	....	casting: Los Angeles
Lois Planco	....	casting: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bob Mahagay	....	wardrobe supervisor
Eric H. Sandberg	....	costumer: men
Dolores Zuniga	....	costumer: women
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Gregory B. Peña	....	set costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Don Dittmar	....	color timer
Howard Heard	....	assistant film editor
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter
David Solomon	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Jeff Carson	....	music editor: La Da Productions
Harry V. Lojewski	....	music supervisor
George Doering	....	musician (uncredited)
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn (uncredited)

Other crew
Carolyn Bauer	....	assistant: Mr. Benjamin
Karen Day	....	production auditor
W. Paul Henley	....	location manager
Vic Heutschy	....	publicist
Ingrid Johanson	....	production coordinator: New York
Marie Kenney	....	script supervisor
Debra Leventhal	....	secretary to producer
James McCabe	....	location manager (as Jim McCabe)
Larry Rapaport	....	location manager: New York
Jaimie Raskin	....	production assistant
Willie E. Simmons Jr.	....	production assistant (as Willie Simmons)
Juanita Smith	....	assistant: Mr. Steinberg
Armand Speca	....	assistant to producer
Jean Urban	....	production secretary
Randy Auerbach	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks (uncredited)
Sam Irvin	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Kevin King	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)
Dan Roth	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Lucy Chase Williams	....	secretary: Michael Gruskoff (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Brooksfilms (as Brookfilms Limited)

Distributors

• MGM/UA Entertainment Company (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Vídeo Arte (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Columbia Pictures Industries  film segments courtesy of: "Lord Jim" (as Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.)
• Intralink Film Graphic Design  title design
• Keep Films  film segments courtesy of: "The Great Catherine" (as Keep Films, Ltd.)
• La Da Productions  music editor
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios  optical effects (as MGM)
• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

First major role in a motion picture for actor Mark Linn-Baker.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The cameras in the Comedy Cavalcade studio are RCA TK-14s, which were not introduced until the late 1950s. (NBC would have used RCA TK-30, TK-10 or TK-11 cameras for black-and-white shows at this time.) In another scene a Marconi Mark IV camera is being pushed through a hallway; this camera also was not available until the late 1950s.

Quotes:

Swann:I haven't performed in front of an audience for twenty-eight years! I played a butler. I HAD ONE LINE!
[pause]
Swann:I forgot it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mamadrama: The Jewish Mother in Cinema (2001)

Soundtrack:

Somebody Stole My Gal

A Movie of Moments

The best movies have moments -- scenes so powerful, or simply so note-perfect, that they live on in your memory after the plot is forgotten.

"My Favorite Year" has more than its share of these.

Other reviewers on this page have singled out the dinner at Belle Mae Steinberg Carioca's (Lainie Kazan's) Brooklyn apartment. They might also have mentioned the scene in which a titanically intoxicated Alan Swann (O'Toole)essays to "shimmy down" the side of a building, using a fire hose as rapelling gear, or the farcically climactic fight scene on live 50's TV.

But two other moments resonate even more strongly; they explain completely why Peter O'Toole was cast in this otherwise comedic role.

In the first, O'Toole's character interrupts his own plans for an evening of debauchery to fulfill a fantasy by dancing with an aging, but still glorious Gloria Stuart. Both onscreen and off, the audience is spellbound in the midst of the slapstick as these two senior-citizen actors seize the screen for the duration of their waltz.

Even more compelling is an important scene later in the movie in which Swann makes a quick trip to visit a young daughter whom he hasn't seen in years. He watches her from the car, but can't bring himself to get out and speak to her. The scene is played completely without dialogue. With the camera focused tightly on the warring emotions which play across O'Toole's face, no dialogue is necessary. It's a powerful, lump-in-the-throat moment every divorced dad will recognize.

I join others on this page in urging you to rent this movie for the laughs. As you laugh, however, stay alert for two of the truest moments ever placed on film. Enjoy.