Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

In his attempts to reconcile a lounge singer with his mistress, a hapless talent agent is mistaken as her lover by a jealous gangster.

Plot Keywords:

Agent | Helium Inhalation | Mafia | Glass Harp | Remake

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Danny Rose
Mia Farrow	...	Tina Vitale
Nick Apollo Forte	...	Lou Canova
Sandy Baron	...	Himself
Corbett Monica	...	Himself
Jackie Gayle	...	Himself
Morty Gunty	...	Himself
Will Jordan	...	Himself
Howard Storm	...	Himself
Jack Rollins	...	Himself
Milton Berle	...	Himself
Craig Vandenburgh	...	Ray Webb
Herb Reynolds	...	Barney Dunn
Paul Greco	...	Vito Rispoli
Frank Renzulli	...	Joe Rispoli

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:14 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #20911) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Sweden:7 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Brill Building - 1619 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Orion

Trivia:

Woody Allen initially offered the Nick Apollo Forte role to Sylvester Stallone.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In one scene, Danny can be seen walking past a movie theater, that lists _Haloween III (1982)_ on the marquee, when the film is supposed to take place in the 1970s.

Quotes:

Danny Rose: If you take my advice, you'll become one of the great balloon-folding acts of all time! Really, 'cause I don't just see you folding balloons in joints. You listen to me, you're gonna fold balloons at universities and colleges.

Movie Connections:

References "The Bullwinkle Show" (1961)

Soundtrack:

My Bambina

Allen as an actor

One of the most commonly leveled criticisms against Woody Allen is that he has no range as an actor or is that he simply plays the same stammering intellectual in all of his films. Nothing could be further from the truth and this film is testament to this fact.

This beautifully shot film is concerned with theatrical agent, Danny Rose, a man who takes on blind xylophone players and one legged tap dancers. Terrible acts and yet Rose believes in every single one of them, no matter how badly they are doing. His big break comes with the public's newfound appetite for nostalgia, which brings egomaniac and alcoholic crooner, Lou Canova back into the public eye.

Canova flourishes and is set to make his comeback complete when he requires Rose to bring his mistress, Tina to the concert. Various complications and highjinks ensure that this is no easy task.

This is the comedy of the situation and the movie relies on this farce for its comic effect. However, what separates this from other sub-standard films is the characterisation that Allen brings to Rose. At first glance Rose is a loser, whose acts leave him as soon as they get anywhere. But the belief he has in his charges and the commitment he is prepared to put into them allows a great deal of empathy for him. Allen plays it brilliantly, allowing just the right amount of pathos and charm.

A splendid movie, full of the typical Allen one liners and with one very very funny shoot out scene with helium.