Swing Shift (1984)

A woman finds romance when she takes a job at an airport plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war.

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Nancy Dowd

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Christine Lahti

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goldie Hawn	...	Kay Walsh
Kurt Russell	...	Mike 'Lucky' Lockhart
Christine Lahti	...	Hazel
Fred Ward	...	Archibald 'Biscuits' Touie
Ed Harris	...	Jack Walsh
Sudie Bond	...	Annie
Holly Hunter	...	Jeannie
Patty Maloney	...	Laverne
Lisa Pelikan	...	Violet
Susan Peretz	...	Edith
Joey Aresco	...	Johnny Bonnaro
Morris 'Tex' Biggs	...	Clarence
Reid Cruickshanks	...	Spike
Danny Darst	...	Deacon (as Daniel Dean Darst)
Dennis Fimple	...	Rupert George

Storyline

In 1941 America Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, his wife takes a job at the local aircraft plant where she meets Hazel, the singer from across the way to whom she hadn't previously been all that nice. The two soon become firm friends and with the other girls become increasingly expert workers able to ride the jibes of the male workforce. As the war drags on Kay finally goes on a date with her trumpet playing foreman and life inevitably starts to get complicated.

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Plot Keywords:

work | gender roles | new year's eve | aircraft factory | trumpeter | 

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Taglines:

When America marched off to war the women marched into the factory. From then on...nothing was the same.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 April 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tjejen som jobbade skift

Filming Locations:

Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$6,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Lantana, Hawn / Sylbert Movie Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film reportedly went through a major bout of editing; some say this was due to the tensions between Hawn and director Demme; some industry insiders reported many of Lahti's scenes were re-shot or cut entirely due to Hawn's belief that she was stealing scenes, though Lahti and Hawn apparently got on well during filming.

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Goofs

The Marine PFC is wearing a red "blood stripe" on his dress blue trousers. This stripe is designated for non-commissioned officers, of which a PFC is not. The Private First Class should be wearing plain blue trousers.

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Quotes

[final lines]
Kay Walsh: Hazel... we showed 'um didn't we.
Hazel: Boy, did we ever.
[both hug and cry]

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Connections

Referenced in The Directors: The Films of Jonathan Demme

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Soundtracks

"I'll Be Seeing You"
Composed by Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain
Performed by Jo Stafford

User Reviews

A Perceptive Look at the Home Front

I was not expecting much more than typical Hollywood schlock from this one, but director Jonathan Demme delivers much more than that. Produced in 1984, SWING SHIFT tells the story of a young woman (Goldie Hawn), who begins working in an airplane factory soon after her husband (Ed Harris) joins the U.S. Navy in December of 1941. She is tempted to indulge in an illicit affair with her foreman at the factory (Kurt Russell), while knowing full well that this would be wrong and inexcusable behavior. I won't reveal the plot for you, in case you have a chance to see this interesting film, but the acting is believable, the dialogue sounds natural, and the period detail is convincing. These characters seem like real people. I enjoyed it very much and found funny girl Goldie Hawn to be a talented and likable dramatic actress. So, too, is Christine Lahti, who plays the role of her best friend. The whole film is nostalgic, evoking the Los Angeles of WWII very well indeed, and the editing keeps the story line moving. The critiques for SWING SHIFT were decidedly mixed, but I can recommend it with enthusiasm. Worth seeing.