The Goonies (1985)

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Steven Spielberg (story)
Chris Columbus (screenplay)

Release Date:

7 June 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Mystery

Tagline:

They call themselves "The Goonies." The secret caves. The old lighthouse. The lost map. The treacherous traps. The hidden treasure. And Sloth... Join the adventure.

Plot:

A group of kids embark on a wild adventure after finding a pirate treasure map.

Plot Keywords:

Treasure | Treasure Map | Pirate | Hidden | Trap

Awards:

2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Sean Astin	...	Mikey Walsh
Josh Brolin	...	Brand Walsh
Jeff Cohen	...	Lawrence 'Chunk' Cohen
Corey Feldman	...	Clark 'Mouth' Devereaux
Kerri Green	...	Andy Carmichael
Martha Plimpton	...	Stef Steinbrenner
Jonathan Ke Quan	...	Richard 'Data' Wang (as Ke Huy Quan)
John Matuszak	...	Lotney 'Sloth' Fratelli
Robert Davi	...	Jake Fratelli
Joe Pantoliano	...	Francis Fratelli
Anne Ramsey	...	Mama Fratelli
Lupe Ontiveros	...	Rosalita
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Harriet Walsh
Keith Walker	...	Irving Walsh
Curtis Hanson	...	Elgin Perkins
Steve Antin	...	Troy Perkins
Paul Tuerpe	...	Sheriff
George Robotham	...	Prison Guard
Charles McDaniel	...	Jerry Cohen
Elaine Cohen McMahon	...	Mrs. Cohen
Michael Paul Chan	...	Mr. Wang
Nick McLean	...	Mr. Devereaux (as George Nicholas McLean)
Bill Bradley	...	Bill
Jeb Stuart Adams	...	Troy's Friend #1
Eric Briant Wells	...	Troy's Friend #2
Gene Ross	...	Man in Shower #1
Max Segar	...	Man in Shower #2
Newt Arnold	...	Man in Shower #3 (as Newton Dennis Arnold)
Jack O'Leary	...	Reporter #1
Patrick Cameron	...	Reporter #2
Orwin C. Harvey	...	Tennis Player (as Erwin Harvey)
Ted Grossman	...	FBI Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Donner	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jennie Lew Tugend	...	Mrs. Wang (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Donner

Writing credits
Steven Spielberg		(story)
Chris Columbus		(screenplay)

Produced by
Harvey Bernhard	....	producer
Richard Donner	....	producer
Kathleen Kennedy	....	executive producer
Frank Marshall	....	executive producer
Steven Spielberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dave Grusin

Cinematography by
Nick McLean		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Kahn
Steven Spielberg		(uncredited)

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton
Judy Taylor

Production Design by
J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by
Rick Carter

Set Decoration by
Linda DeScenna

Costume Design by
Richard La Motte		(as Richard LaMotte)

Makeup Department
Jean Austin	....	hair stylist
Ellis Burman Jr.	....	makeup creator: "Sloth" (as Ellis Burman)
Ellis Burman Jr.	....	makeup executor: "Sloth" (as Ellis Burman)
Thomas R. Burman	....	makeup creator: "Sloth"
Thomas R. Burman	....	makeup executor: "Sloth"
Bari Dreiband-Burman	....	makeup creator: "Sloth" (as Bari Dreiband Burman)
Bari Dreiband-Burman	....	makeup executor: "Sloth" (as Bari Dreiband Burman)
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist
Charlene Murray	....	hair stylist: second unit
Craig Reardon	....	makeup creator: "Sloth"
William Turner	....	makeup artist: second unit

Production Management
Scott U. Adam	....	unit manager
Robin S. Clark	....	unit production manager
James Herbert	....	unit production manager
Arthur F. Repola	....	post-production supervisor
Robert Latham Brown	....	unit manager: second unit (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Newt Arnold	....	first assistant director: second unit
Steve Cohen	....	second assistant director: second unit
Patrick Cosgrove	....	second assistant director
Sharon Gerhard	....	additional second assistant director
Dan Kolsrud	....	first assistant director
Steven Spielberg	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
William A. Barry	....	construction foreman (as William Barry)
Howard Cole	....	property: second unit
Francis N. 'Lucky' Costello	....	stand-by painter (as Frank Costello)
Eric Fiedler	....	sculptor
William J. Foley	....	swing gang
Steven Curtis Husch	....	swing gang
Jack Johnson	....	illustrator
Carroll Johnston	....	set designer (as Carroll 'Bob' Johnston)
Donald Krafft	....	swing gang (as Donald W. Krafft)
Sherman Labby	....	illustrator
Ric McElvin	....	lead person
William F. McLaughlin	....	swing gang (as William McLaughlin)
Ron Morales	....	labor foreman
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master (as Erik Nelson)
Joseph C. Nemec III	....	assistant art director (as Joseph Nemec III)
David P. Newell	....	assistant property master (as David Newell)
Loren Nickloff	....	construction foreman
Dan Ondrejko	....	greensman (as Daniel Ondrejko)
James F. Orendorff	....	construction foreman (as James Orendorff)
Dale Allen Pelton	....	assistant art director (as Dale Pelton Jr.)
Paul S. Power	....	illustrator (as Paul Power)
Virginia L. Randolph	....	set designer
Ken Scaife	....	construction foreman
Robert Scaife	....	construction coordinator (as Bob Scaife)
Alex Scutti Jr.	....	plaster foreman (as Alex Scuitti)
Anne Sidaris-Reeves	....	property (as Anne Reeves)
Mark Siegel	....	sculptor
Wayne Smith	....	paint foreman
Tom Southwell	....	illustrator
Jerry T. Tirado	....	property (as Gerald T. Tirado)
John Villarino	....	construction foreman
Donald B. Woodruff	....	set designer (as Donald Woodruff)
Anthony Klaiman	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Robert Misetich	....	painter (uncredited)
Scott Nifong	....	props (uncredited)
Audrey Stanzler	....	special creative props (uncredited)
Drew Struzan	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Richard L. Anderson	....	supervising sound editor
Mary Andrews	....	adr editor
Michael J. Benavente	....	sound editor
Beth Bergeron	....	adr editor
George Berndt	....	adr editor
Martin J. Bram	....	sound editor
Willie D. Burton	....	production sound mixer (as Willie Burton)
James Christopher	....	sound editor
Teresa Eckton	....	sound editor
Donald Flick	....	sound editor
Avram D. Gold	....	adr editor
Gil Haimsohn	....	assistant sound editor
Warren Hamilton Jr.	....	sound editor
Robert W. Harris	....	cable person (as Bob Harris)
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound mixer: second unit (as Don Johnson)
Marvin E. Lewis	....	boom operator (as Marvin Lewis)
Janet Fiona Mason	....	assistant sound editor (as Janet F. Mason)
Andrew Patterson	....	dialogue supervisor
Solange S. Schwalbe	....	foley editor (as Solange)
B. Tennyson Sebastian II	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jules Strasser	....	boom operator: second unit
Robert Thirlwell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Burton Weinstein	....	adr editor
David Williams	....	assistant sound editor
Gary Wright	....	foley editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Calvin Joe Acord	....	special effects (as Calvin Joe Accord)
William Aldridge	....	special effects (as Bill Aldridge)
Jon G. Belyeu	....	special effects foreman (as Jon Belyeu)
Ken Ebert	....	special effects
Guy Faria	....	special effects
Christopher Gilman	....	special props
Jerry Hart	....	special effects
John James	....	special effects
Greg C. Jensen	....	special effects: second unit (as Greg Jensen)
Richard Lopez	....	special effects: second unit (as Rick Lopez)
David Peterson	....	special effects
Donald Puck	....	special effects (as Don Puck)
Paul Sabourin	....	special effects
Harold Selig	....	special effects
Doyle Smiley	....	special effects
Michael P. Stipe	....	special effects foreman: second unit (as Mike Stipe)
Lucinda Strub	....	special effects (as Lucinda M. Strub)
Matt Sweeney	....	special effects coordinator
Christopher Gilman	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Audrey Stanzler	....	special effects props (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Carl Assmus	....	stage technician: ILM
Donna K. Baker	....	ink & paint: ILM (as Donna Baker)
Craig Barron	....	matte camera supervisor: ILM
Greg Beaumonte	....	equipment engineering: ILM
Patricia Blau	....	production coordinator: ILM
Barbara Brennan	....	rotoscope artist: ILM
Dave Carson	....	visual effects art director: ILM (as David Carson)
Lanny Cermak	....	equipment engineering: ILM
Dave Childers	....	stage technician: ILM
Wade Childress	....	matte photography: ILM
Donald Clark	....	optical camera operator: ILM
Jeff Doran	....	optical technician: ILM
John Ellis	....	optical supervisor: ILM
Christopher Evans	....	matte painting supervisor: ILM
Bob Finley III	....	stage technician: ILM (as Bobby Finley III)
Ron Fode	....	production buyer: ILM
Warren Franklin	....	general manager: ILM
Barbara Gallucci	....	supervising model maker: ILM
Tim Geideman	....	optical technician: ILM
Bill George	....	chief model maker: ILM
Ralph Gordon	....	optical line-up: ILM
Ned Gorman	....	production buyer: ILM
Caroleen Green	....	matte artist: ILM
David Hanks	....	equipment engineering: ILM
David Heron	....	stage technician: ILM (as Dave Heron)
Craig Hosoda	....	equipment engineering: ILM
Sandy Houston	....	ink & paint: ILM
Brad Jerrell	....	stage technician: ILM
Ed Jones	....	optical line-up: ILM
Paula Karsh	....	production buyer: ILM
Ellen E. Lichtwardt	....	rotoscope artist: ILM (as Ellen Lichtwardt)
John Lister	....	stage technician: ILM
Mike MacKenzie	....	equipment engineering: ILM (as Michael MacKenzie)
Kim Marks	....	visual effects cameraman: ILM
Michael J. McAlister	....	visual effects supervisor (as Michael McAlister)
Roberto McGrath	....	still photographer: ILM
Jack Mongovan	....	rotoscope artist: ILM
Michael Moore	....	assistant editor: ILM
Charlie Mullen	....	animation supervisor: ILM
Frank Ordaz	....	matte artist: ILM
Randy Ottenberg	....	model maker: ILM
Terrence Peck	....	assistant editor: ILM (as Terry Peck)
John Reed	....	model maker: ILM
Martin Rosenberg	....	assistant cameraman: ILM (as Marty Rosenberg)
Thomas Rosseter	....	optical line-up: ILM (as Tom Rosseter)
Kenneth Smith	....	optical camera operator: ILM
Howard Stein	....	chief visual effects editor: ILM
Peter Stolz	....	stage technician: ILM
Wes Takahashi	....	animator: ILM
Bess Wiley	....	assistant cameraman: ILM
Chuck Wiley	....	model maker: ILM
Catherine Craig	....	effects camera operator (uncredited)
Michael Pangrazio	....	matte artist supervisor (uncredited)
Jay Riddle	....	animation cameraman (uncredited)

Stunts
Rick Brown	....	stunts
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunts (as Doc Charbonneau)
Denise Cheshire	....	stunts
Laura Dash	....	stunts
Cheryl E. Duncan	....	stunts (as C.E. Duncan)
Lila Finn	....	stunts
Sandra Lee Gimpel	....	stunts (as Sandy Gimpel)
Bob Harris	....	stunts
Kent Hays	....	stunts (as Kent Hayes)
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Jodi Hovak	....	stunts
Julie Johnson	....	stunts
Carey Loftin	....	stunts
Victor Paul	....	stunts
Lee Poppie	....	stunts
Spiro Razatos	....	stunts
Jerry Riley	....	stunts
George Robotham	....	stunt coordinator
John Robotham	....	stunts
J.P. Romano	....	stunts
Russell Saunders	....	stunts (as Russ Saunders)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts
Marilyn Stader	....	stunts
Paul Stader	....	stunts
Desiree Szabo	....	stunts
Edward J. Ulrich	....	stunts (as Ed Ulrich)
Richard Washington	....	stunts
Randell Dennis Widner	....	stunts (as Randell Widner)
Bobby Burns	....	stunts (uncredited)
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunt double: Mouth (uncredited)
Denise Cheshire	....	stunt double: Stef (uncredited)
Laura Dash	....	stunt double: Data (uncredited)
Sandra Lee Gimpel	....	stunt double: Andy (uncredited)
Desiree Szabo	....	stunt double: Mikey (uncredited)
Edward J. Ulrich	....	stunt double: Brand (uncredited)
Randell Dennis Widner	....	stunt double: Sloth (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Edward A. Ayer	....	best boy electric (as Ed Ayer)
Michael A. Chavez	....	first assistant camera (as Michael Chavez)
Don E. FauntLeRoy	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Don Fauntleroy)
Anthony Francesco	....	second assistant camera (as Tony Francesco)
Joe Hicks	....	best boy grip
Horace Jordan	....	first assistant camera
J. Michael Marlett	....	gaffer: second unit
Lee Nakahara	....	camera operator: second unit (as Leland Nakahara)
Michael D. O'Shea	....	camera operator (as Michael O'Shea)
Víctor Pérez	....	rigging gaffer (as Victor Perez)
Guy Polzel	....	key grip: second unit
Charles Saldana	....	key grip
John R. Shannon	....	still photographer (as John Shannon)
Eric Smith	....	best boy electric
Bruce D. Spellman	....	best boy grip (as Bruce Spellman)
Tom Stern	....	gaffer (as Thomas Stern)
Robert M. Stevens	....	director of photography: second unit (as Bob Stevens)
Stephen St. John	....	camera operator
Bill Young	....	dolly grip (as William Young)
Adam Glick	....	set lighting technician (uncredited)
Riley 'Sean' Jones	....	electrician (uncredited)
Michael J. Wheeler	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Roger Gallo Garcia	....	costume supervisor: men
Aida Swinson	....	costume supervisor: women

Editorial Department
Craig Bassett	....	assistant editor
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Kathryn Camp	....	assistant editor
Martin Cohen	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Else Blangsted	....	supervising music editor
James Flamberg	....	music editor (as Jim Flamberg)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
William P. Davis	....	driver (as Bill Davis)
Sy Fuentes	....	driver
Dominick Marigliano	....	driver
Fred Moshier	....	transportation captain
John Orlebeck	....	driver
Ben Reade	....	driver
John Reade	....	transportation coordinator
Randy White	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Tony Amatullo	....	location manager
Laurie Arnow-Epstein	....	construction accountant (as Laurie Arnow)
Kate Barker	....	assistant: Ms. Kennedy
Diane Dankwardt	....	assistant accountant
Jan Dennehy	....	location auditor (as Janice Dennehy)
Rhoda Fine	....	teacher (as Rhoda C. Fine)
Jane Goe	....	production accountant
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
Laura Hoffman	....	assistant: Mr. Bernhard
Lisa Howard	....	assistant accountant
Patty Hughes	....	production secretary
Jennie Lew Tugend	....	executive assistant: Mr. Donner (as Jennie Lew)
Mark Marshall	....	production office assistant: second unit
Ruben Martinez	....	craft service
Julie Moskowitz	....	assistant: Mr. Spielberg
Lloyd Nelson	....	script supervisor: second unit
Betsy Norton	....	script supervisor
Tim Palladino	....	production office assistant
Bonne Radford	....	controller (as Bonnie Radford)
Mary T. Radford	....	assistant: Mr. Marshall (as Mary Radford)
Deborah Schildt	....	production office assistant
Ilyse Selwyn	....	production office assistant
Steven Spielberg	....	presenter
Michael Thau	....	assistant: Richard Donner
Judy Thomason	....	assistant: Mr. Repola
Jack Tice	....	teacher (as Jack A. Tice)
Julie Yarrish	....	production office assistant
Robert C. Campion	....	assistant accountant (uncredited)
Lina Shanklin	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Mark Siegel	....	creature maker (uncredited)
Mark Siegel	....	puppeteer (uncredited)
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Amblin Entertainment
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Bros. (Germany)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Cantonese | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Quebec) | Taiwan:GP | Hong Kong:II | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | France:U | Iceland:10 | Netherlands:MG6 | Ireland:12 (DVD rating) | Ireland:PG (Video rating) | Brazil:Livre | Norway:12 (original rating) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2004) (uncut) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | USA:PG (certificate #27802) | West Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Oregon, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

Anne Ramsey really does slap Robert Davi when the Fratelli Brothers are arguing. She was told to hit him as hard as she could.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The "smoke of success" emanates from the bone pipe organ slightly before Andy hits the final correct chord.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prison Guard: Lunchtime! The longer you animals bark, the colder your lunch gets. Come on, move it out. You too, down there! Hey, turkey!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: I'm Trapped (#4.3)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Goonies 'R' Good Enough

The Goonies ARE good enough

It was in 2001 or thereabouts that I watched and listened to the audio commentary track that is on the DVD version of The Goonies. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, and seeing how the principal cast had aged (or hardly aged in Josh Brolin's case) was worth the price of admission on its own. But this is just one of The Goonies' selling points. Despite what the IMDb's ratings would have you believe, it is an immortal classic that warrants repeated and frequent viewings. It is not a coincidence that many of its cast and crew have repeatedly appeared in all sorts of productions before and since. Indeed, this was probably the first film that introduced me to the reality that the same actor will often play ten different parts in ten different films when I realised that Jonathan Ke Quan was the same brat that made parts of Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom so amusing. Seeing him in the video-enhanced commentary of the DVD nearly two decades later was a surprise and a half.

The film revolves around a group of children and adolescents who live in the poorer, less trendy part of a beachfront town. Unlike an episode of Barney, every member of this principal group is given a background and a string of differences from their castmates. You will not see the teenaged Brand responding to the same situation in the same manner as the ten year old Mikey, and that is where a major part of the film's strength is derived. The only weakness in the characterisations is with Martha Plimpton and Kerri Green, who join the adventuring boys a little way into the film. Exactly what they are doing other than giving the character of Brand something similar to himself to bounce his more adult-oriented lines from is anyone's guess, but they do work in their limited capacity. It is just a pity that Chris Columbus' screenplay did not give them a little more to do, other than defuse one fiendish trap towards the end of the ride.

Speaking of fiendish traps, the adventurers journey from one puzzling location to the next with barely a stop for breath. It works because unlike similar adventure films where the director expects us to be impressed by a fiendish-sounding name, the specific places that are visited by the Goonies have function. The bone piano shown in one such sequence, for example, would appear in the nightmares of children learning a regular piano for years after the film's theatrical release. It also gives Corey Feldman a good chance to act out a character who speaks very fluent Spanish. And while I am on that subject, who could forget the immortal scene early on in the film where Mouth deliberately loses something in the translation when Rosalita is shown around? But the prize for scene-stealing goes to John Matuszak, who plays the unofficial eighth Goonie, Sloth, with a weird aplomb that may well scare the willies out of parts of the intended audience. But then, in 1985, scaring the intended audience a little was considered a healthy part of making a film for those in the age ranges depicted here.

They say you cannot have a good protagonist without a good antagonist to bounce off. Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, and Anne Ramsey provide antagonists so good that they utterly hose the rule about not working with animals or children. The Fratellis work so well here because they are working with children. The late Anne Ramsey played her part so well that the mere thought of watching her in anything scared the willies out of me for years. Nowadays, as I have fully realised the mechanics behind film for some years, I am keen as mustard to see some of her other work in such pieces as Throw Momma From The Train (now there's a title that brings images to mind) or Meet the Hollowheads. That a performance can produce two entirely different reactions in the same person at different stages of their life should tell you all you need to know about its quality. Robert Davi and Joe Pantoliano are somewhat overshadowed here, but the manic, cackling quality of their introductory act also left quite a lasting impression.

You might have noticed that I have so far only mentioned the special effects in passing while heaping praise upon the acting. This is because unlike films such as the recent Star Wars prequels, the effects complement the acting rather than overshadow it. From what I am able to tell, all of the effects in The Goonies are practical, and some of them quite inventive. There is no use of blood squibs, which may disappoint some viewers, but there are enough mechanical sets and air vents to fill three films. Some of these effects did not turn out so well and were cut from the final film (the squid sequence being the most famous example), but unlike a lot of films that depend on special effects for a crucial element, everything shown in the final cut is in perfect sync here. Suspension of disbelief is never an issue, which is just as well considering some of the preposterous things that roll by the screen with a certain nonchalance.

I gave The Goonies a ten out of ten. Like Superman or the original Lethal Weapon, it shows that Richard Donner knows how to make a classic. Now that it is twenty years old, it stands forever as a relic of a time when the world of those under the age of eighteen was far less oppressive. If you have not introduced your children around the age of ten or greater to its joys and moments, then shame on you.