Tender Mercies (1983)
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- PG
- 1h 32min
- Drama, Music
- 04 Mar 1983 (Canada)
- Movie
A broken-down, middle-aged country singer gets a new wife, reaches out to his long-lost daughter, and tries to put his troubled life back together.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Awards:
- Won 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 14 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Robert Duvall | ... |
Mac Sledge
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| Tess Harper | ... |
Rosa Lee
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| Betty Buckley | ... |
Dixie
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| Wilford Brimley | ... |
Harry
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| Ellen Barkin | ... |
Sue Anne
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| Allan Hubbard | ... |
Sonny
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| Lenny von Dohlen | ... |
Robert
(as Lenny Von Dohlen)
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| Paul Gleason | ... |
Reporter
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| Michael Crabtree | ... |
Lewis Menefee
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| Norman Bennett | ... |
Reverend Hotchkiss
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Andrew Scott Hollon | ... |
Larue
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Rick Murray | ... |
Jake - Slater Mill Boys Member
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Stephen Funchess | ... |
Bertie - Slater Mill Boys Member
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Glen Fleming | ... |
Steve - Slater Mill Boys Member
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James Aaron | ... |
Henry - Slater Mill Boys Member
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Jerry Biggs | ... |
Man in Bar
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Sheila Bird | ... |
Concessionaire
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Robert E. Blackburn III | ... |
Boy at Dance
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Eli Cummins | ... |
Doorman
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| Tony Frank | ... |
Man at Motel
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Berkley Garrett | ... |
Man at Dixie's House
(as Berkley H. Garrett)
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Helena Humann | ... |
Woman with Groceries
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Suzanne Jacobs | ... |
Nurse
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Barbara Jones | ... |
Country Woman
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Jerry Jones | ... |
Country Man
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Harlan Jordan | ... |
Waiter
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Robert P. Kelley | ... |
Choirmaster
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Ray LePere | ... |
Man in Bar / Restaurant
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Pat Minter | ... |
Man at Dixie's House
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Terry Schoolcraft | ... |
Ada - Dixie's Driver
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Oliver Seale | ... |
Man at Dixie's House
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Denise Simek | ... |
Concessionaire
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Robert Stewart | ... |
Concessionaire
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| Susan Aston | ... |
Woman at Dance
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Vicki Neff | ... |
Woman at Dance
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| Pamela Putnam | ... |
Woman at Dance
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Jerry Abbot | ... |
Piano - Country Blues Band Member
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Bobby Hibbitts | ... |
Drums - Country Blues Band Member
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Buddie Hrabal | ... |
Steel Guitar - Country Blues Band Member
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Jerry Matheny | ... |
Guitar - Country Blues Band Member
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Wayne Milligan | ... |
Bass - Country Blues Band Member
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Don 'Tex' Clark | ... |
Bar Patron (uncredited)
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| Douglas Stewart | ... |
Concert Goer (uncredited)
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Joe Zadwick | ... |
Front Row Concert Attendee (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Bruce Beresford | ||
Written by
| Horton Foote | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Robert Duvall | ... | co-producer |
| Horton Foote | ... | co-producer |
| Mary-Ann Hobel | ... | associate producer |
| Philip Hobel | ... | producer (as Philip S. Hobel) |
Music by
| George Dreyfus | ... | (music by) |
Cinematography by
| Russell Boyd | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| William M. Anderson | ... | (as William Anderson) |
Editorial Department
| Norman Buckley | ... | second assistant editor |
| Emily Paine | ... | first assistant editor |
| Charles Simmons | ... | location assistant editor (as Charles A. Simmons) |
| Mary Sweeney | ... | apprentice editor |
Art Direction by
| Jeannine Oppewall | ||
Set Decoration by
| Daniel Loren May | ... | (as Daniel L. May) |
Makeup Department
| Lynn Decker | ... | hairstylist |
| Paul Huntley | ... | wigs: Betty Buckley |
| Michael J. Randall | ... | assistant hairstylist |
| Carla Rulien | ... | assistant makeup |
| Jimi White | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Tom Joyner | ... | unit production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Richard Luke Rothschild | ... | first assistant director |
| Kelly Wimberly | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
| E.W. Bradford | ... | construction coordinator (as Bill Bradford) |
| James R. Cox | ... | swing man |
| Glenn Dunn | ... | lead man |
| Johnny Gutierrez | ... | construction assistant (as Johnny L. Guiterrez) |
| Mike Parsons | ... | property master |
| Roy W. Wahlstrom | ... | painter |
| William Vance White | ... | assistant props |
Sound Department
| Stan Bochner | ... | sound editor |
| Angelo Corrao | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Jay Dranch | ... | sound editor |
| Bruce Kitzmeyer | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Stuart Lieberman | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Dan Lieberstein | ... | sound editor |
| Dennis Maitland II | ... | boom man (as Dennis L. Maitland II) |
| Christopher Newman | ... | sound mixer (as Chris Newman) |
| Maurice Schell | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Magdaline Volaitis | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Dick Vorisek | ... | rerecording supervisor |
| Maurice Schell | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
Stunts
| Randy Fife | ... | stunt double |
| Ben Loggins | ... | utility stuntman (as Ben E. Loggins) |
| Russell Towery | ... | utility stuntman |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Thomas Alcala | ... | electrician |
| Mike Apsey | ... | playback operator |
| Curtis Bingham | ... | grip (as Curt Bingham) |
| Don Broughton | ... | playback operator |
| Jerry G. Callaway | ... | camera operator |
| Murray K. Campbell | ... | gaffer |
| Michael P. Henning | ... | electrician (as Michael Henning) |
| John Knight | ... | best boy grip |
| Leo MacWilliam | ... | electrician |
| J. Michael McClary | ... | first assistant camera |
| Fred L. McLane | ... | second assistant camera (as Frederick L. McLane) |
| Ron Phillips | ... | still photographer |
| Tony Poston | ... | dolly grip |
| Kerry Rike | ... | key grip |
| Dave Roberts | ... | electrician |
| Johnny Smith | ... | grip |
| Darrel D. Tawney | ... | best boy (as Darrel Tawney) |
| Philip C. Pfeiffer | ... | second camera operator (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Robin Boehme | ... | extras casting |
| Shari Rhodes | ... | casting: Texas |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Jane Greenwood | ... | costumes: Betty Buckley |
| Elizabeth McBride | ... | costumer |
| Joan Thomas | ... | costume assistant / set costumer |
Location Management
| Danette Goss Alberts | ... | location manager (as Danette Goss) |
Music Department
| Charles Feldman | ... | country music advisor |
| Tommy Oliver | ... | arranger: country music |
Script and Continuity Department
| Anne Rapp | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Billy Barnes | ... | craft service (as Billy E. Barnes) |
| Linda Barnes | ... | craft service |
| Diane Batson-Smith | ... | assistant to the producer (as Diane Smith) |
| Dominique Bruballa | ... | assistant accountant |
| Betty A. Buckley | ... | production coordinator |
| Kathleen Caton | ... | assistant to the producer |
| Stan Cohen | ... | caterer (as Stanley J. Cohen) |
| Dawn Easterling | ... | production assistant |
| Nick Felix | ... | dance instructor |
| Max Ferris | ... | security |
| Karen A. Hall | ... | production secretary |
| Sandra K. Jantzen | ... | production assistant (as Sandy Jantzen) |
| Charles N. Johnson | ... | caterer |
| John Kane | ... | unit publicist |
| Janet Lucas Lawler | ... | first aid (as Janet L. Lawler) |
| Kathleen McGill | ... | production accountant (as Kathy McGill) |
| Don Miller | ... | production accountant |
| Erica Rogalla | ... | production assistant |
| Earlane Simpson | ... | tutor |
Production Companies
- Antron Media Production
- EMI Films (copyright holder)
Distributors
- Universal Pictures (1983) (United States) (theatrical)
- EMI Films (1983) (World-wide) (as EMI) (a member of the Thorn EMI Group)
- Associated Film Distribution (AFD) (1983) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia-EMI-Warner (1983) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Greater Union Organisation (GUO) (1983) (Australia) (theatrical)
- New Gold Entertainment (1983) (Italy)
- Kinosto (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1984) (Norway) (theatrical)
- National Film Development Corporation (1984) (India) (theatrical) (Bombay)
- Sandrew Film & Teater (1984) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner Home Video (Netherlands) (VHS)
- WGN (1989) (United States) (tv)
- Republic Pictures Home Video (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- Artisan Entertainment (1999) (United States) (DVD)
- Anchor Bay Entertainment (2002) (United States) (DVD)
- Gativideo (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
- Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
- Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (Middle East)
- IDA films (2009) (Spain) (DVD)
- Lionsgate Home Entertainment (2009) (United States) (DVD)
- Soul media (2012) (Finland) (DVD)
- Soul media (2012) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (video)
- Soul media (2012) (Sweden) (DVD)
- Soul media (2012) (Sweden) (Blu-ray) (video)
- Umbrella Entertainment (2018) (Australia) (DVD)
- HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics (2020) (World-wide) (Blu-ray)
- Nine Network Australia (2023) (Australia) (tv)
- 9Gem (2025) (Australia) (tv)
- Anchor Bay Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- Lumiere Home Video
- Thorn EMI Video Australia (Australia) (VHS)
- VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (Australia) (video)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Trans / Audio (post production services)
- Magno Sound (post production services)
- A&R Recording Inc. (post production services)
- The Optical House (titles and optical effects by)
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (acknowledgement)
- Movielab (camera by)
- Panavision (lenses and Panaflex® Camera by)
- Republic Pictures (VHS package design)
- Technicolor (prints by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Alchoholic former country singer Mac Sledge makes friends with a young widow and her son. The friendship enables him to find inspiration to resume his career.
Written by Stefan Halldorsson |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Robert Duvall is Mac Sledge, down and out country singer. His struggle for fame was over. His fight for respect was just beginning See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
| Also Known As |
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| Filming Locations |
Box Office
| Opening Weekend United States | $46,977, 06 Mar 1983 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Robert Duvall wrote some of the songs he sings in the film, and does his own singing. See more » |
| Goofs | In the final scenes, Sonny is shown with empty farmland behind him, then after a cut to a wider shot, suddenly the gas station and motel are behind him. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Your Choice for the Film Awards (1984). See more » |
| Soundtracks | It Hurts to Face Reality See more » |
| Quotes |
Mac Sledge:
[to Rosa Lee]
I don't know why I wandered out to this part of Texas drunk, and you took me in and pitied me and helped me to straighten out, marry me. Why? Why did that happen? Is there a reason that happened? And Sonny's daddy died in the war, my daughter killed in an automobile accident. Why? See, I don't trust happiness. I never did, I never will. See more » |