Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

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

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

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

Storyline

Danny Rose is a manager of artists, and although he's not very successful, he nevertheless goes out of his way to help his acts. So when Lou Canova, a singer who has a chance of making a come-back, asks Danny to help him with a problem, Danny helps him. This problem is Lou's mistress Tina. Lou wants Tina to be at his concerts, otherwise he can't perform, but he's married, so Danny has to take her along as if she was his girlfriend. Danny however gets more than he has bargained for when two mobsters come looking for the guy who has hurt their brother by stealing the heart of Tina, the girl he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

mistress | singer | mobster | gangster | agent | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian Yiddish

Release Date:

27 January 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brodvejski Danny Rose

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$10,600,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Woody Allen's manager and producer, Jack Rollins, was the inspiration for the Danny Rose character. Rollins appears in the movie as himself.

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Goofs

In one scene, Danny can be seen walking past a movie theater, that advertises Q and Halloween III: Season of the Witch on the marquee. However, the film is supposed to take place in the 1970s.

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Quotes

Danny Rose: My rabbi, Rabbi Perlstein, used to say we're all guilty in the eyes of God.
Tina Vitale: Do you believe in God?
Danny Rose: No, no. But I'm guilty over it.

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Crazy Credits

The guys in the Carnegie Deli continue to banter over part of the end credits.

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Connections

References Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

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Soundtracks

Torna a Surriento (Return to Sorrento)
(1902) (uncredited)
Music by Ernesto De Curtis
Played often in the score

User Reviews

Charm to spare

If there's one thing that almost all of Woody Allen's comedies have in common, it's charm. Few have more of it than Broadway Danny Rose. Not Allen's best, not his funniest, but this warm and sentimental film grabs the viewer immediately and never lets up.

This is accomplished, initially, by the extremely naturalistic dialogue between the comics whose reminiscences form the bulk of the film. Notice how they all talk at once, they cut each other off, and they trample all over each other's lines. We really feel like we're listening in on a diner conversation, rather than watching a theatrical performance of a diner conversation. This gives the film an initial boost of accessibility.

This "charm factor" is cemented once we meet Danny Rose. Now, many people criticize Allen as an actor, claiming that he only ever plays one character... himself. This is absolute rubbish, and "Broadway Danny Rose" proves it. I have never seen Allen play a character so kind, warm, and accepting as Danny Rose. It was quite a pleasant surprise. Danny has to be that good, though, in order for us to accept that Tina is haunted by her betrayal of him.

That denouement, by the way, was really touching. The Thanksgiving scene took a good, funny, enjoyable movie and made it something a little more special. Compare this to the gross-out comedies of today... how many modern comedies can be as funny as "Broadway Danny Rose," and yet still create characters so real and so sympathetic that moments like the Thanksgiving scene can work?

I try not to harp on about how funny Allen's comedies are, because you either like his humor or you don't. If you like it, you don't need me to tell you it's funny, and if you don't, you won't believe me anyway. So why bother? I don't know, but I will say that this film had a good six or eight laugh out loud moments, at least, and it kept me smiling throughout.

Also, after a good debut in "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy" and a reduced, subdued role in "Zelig", this is the film where Mia Farrow really comes into her own as Allen's leading lady. For the first time, I don't miss Diana Keaton.