Silverado (1985)

Director:

Lawrence Kasdan

Writers:

Lawrence Kasdan (written by) &
Mark Kasdan (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Tagline:

Get ready for the ride of your life.

Plot:

A misfit bunch of friends come together to right the injustices which exist in a small town.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Pinto | Scenic Vista | Tumbleweed | Jail

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kevin Kline	...	Paden
Scott Glenn	...	Emmett
Kevin Costner	...	Jake
Danny Glover	...	Malachi 'Mal' Johnson
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	Clerk at cavalry outpost
Sheb Wooley	...	Cavalry Sergeant
Jon Kasdan	...	Boy at Outpost
John Cleese	...	Sheriff John T. Langston
Todd Allen	...	Turley Deputy Kern
Kenny Call	...	Turley Deputy Block
Bill Thurman	...	Carter
Meg Kasdan	...	Barmaid at Sang's Saloon
Dick Durock	...	Turley Bar Fighter
Gene Hartline	...	Turley Bar Fighter
Autry Ward	...	Hat Thief
Jake Kasdan	...	Turley Stable Boy (as Jacob Kasdan)
Rosanna Arquette	...	Hannah
Rusty Meyers	...	Conrad
Zeke Davidson	...	Mr. Parker
Lois Geary	...	Mrs. Parker
James Gammon	...	Dawson
Troy Ward	...	Nord Baxter
Roy McAdams	...	Tom Hawley
Brian Dennehy	...	Sheriff Cobb
Linda Hunt	...	Stella
Jeff Goldblum	...	'Slick' Calvin Stanhope
Ray Baker	...	Ethan McKendrick
Joe Seneca	...	Ezra Johnson
Lynn Whitfield	...	Rae Johnson
Jeff Fahey	...	Deputy Tyree
Patricia Gaul	...	Kate Hollis
Amanda Wyss	...	Phoebe
Earl Hindman	...	J.T. Hollis
Thomas Wilson Brown	...	Augie Hollis (as Tom Brown)
Jim Haynie	...	Bradley
Richard Jenkins	...	Kelly
Jerry Biggs	...	Bartender, Midnight Star Saloon
Sam Gauny	...	Deputy Garth
Ken Farmer	...	Deputy Kyle
Bill McIntosh	...	Deputy Charlie
Charles Seybert	...	Silverado shopkeeper
Jane Beauchamp	...	Neighbor Woman
Jerry Block	...	Townsman
Ben Zeller	...	Townsman
Pepe Serna	...	Scruffy
Ted White	...	Hoyt
Ross Loney	...	Red
Walter Scott	...	Swann
Bob Terhune	...	Guard Cowboy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Kasdan	...	Doc Skinner (scenes deleted)
Matthew Hotsinpiller	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Brion James	...	Hobart (uncredited)
Richard Lester	...	Saloon patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Lawrence Kasdan

Writing credits
Lawrence Kasdan		(written by) &
Mark Kasdan		(written by)

Produced by
Michael Grillo	....	executive producer
Lawrence Kasdan	....	producer
Mark Kasdan	....	associate producer
Charles Okun	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Bruce Broughton

Cinematography by
John Bailey		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carol Littleton

Casting by
Wallis Nicita		(as Wally Nicita)

Production Design by
Ida Random

Art Direction by
William A. Elliott		(as William Elliott)

Set Decoration by
Anne D. McCulley
Arthur Jeph Parker		(as Arthur Parker)

Costume Design by
Kristi Zea

Makeup Department
Lynda Gurasich	....	hair stylist
Jerry O'Dell	....	makeup artist (as Gerald O'Dell)
Kim Samson	....	hair stylist (as Kimberly Samson)
Daniel C. Striepeke	....	makeup artist

Production Management
David Hamburger	....	unit production manager (as David S. Hamburger)
Charles Okun	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carey Dietrich	....	dga trainee
Stephen P. Dunn	....	second assistant director (as Stephen Dunn)
Michael Grillo	....	first assistant director
Margaret Nelson	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Steven Lee Baer	....	drapery person (as Steven Baer)
Larry Clark Bird	....	property master
Chas. Butcher	....	set designer (as Chas Butcher)
Robert J. Carlyle	....	construction foreman
Gary Deaton	....	general construction foreman (as Gary L. Deaton)
Gerald Gates Jr.	....	painter (as Gerald J. Gates)
Darrell Huntsman	....	greensman
Peter Ivy	....	general construction foreman (as Pete Ivy)
Janet Kusnick	....	illustrator
Moe Larson	....	painter (as Moe E. Larson)
Bob Lawless	....	stand-by painter (as Robert T. Lawless)
Randy Martens	....	greensman
Richard McKenzie	....	set designer
Clarence Lynn Price	....	construction coordinator (as Lynn Price)
Robert H. Sexton	....	labor foreman
Randy Szucs	....	labor foreman
Michael Taylor	....	leadperson (as Michael J. Taylor)
Vinnie Vecchio	....	assistant property master
David Wagnon	....	swing gang
Ken Zimmerman	....	assistant property master
Charles A. Carlsen	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Jim Hill	....	gang boss (uncredited)
Cecily Hughes	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Randy Moffitt	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Billy Ray	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
George H. Anderson	....	dialogue editor
Robert Crosby	....	boom operator (as Robert Crosby Jr.)
Samuel C. Crutcher	....	dialogue editor
Dody Dorn	....	foley editor
Dennis Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Patrick Drummond	....	sound effects editor
Joe Fineman	....	dialogue editor (as Joseph R. Fineman)
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound editor
John Hoeren	....	assistant sound editor
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cliff Latimer	....	foley editor (as Clifford Latimer)
Reid Paul Martin	....	assistant sound editor (as Reid Martin)
Thomas Meloeny	....	sound re-recordist (as Tom Meloeny)
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Moritz	....	apprentice sound editor
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
David M. Ronne	....	production sound mixer (as David Ronne)
Robert Scarborough	....	cable person (as Rob Scarborough)
Norman B. Schwartz	....	post-production dialogue
James Simcik	....	adr assistant
Karen I. Stern	....	adr editor
Pamela Jule Yuen	....	assistant sound editor (as Pamela J. Yuen)
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Donald C. Rogers	....	technical director of sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Roy Arbogast	....	special effects foreman
Robert W. Ramage	....	special effects
Floyd Van Wey	....	special effects
Dick Wood	....	special effects (as Richard S. Wood)

Stunts
John Ashby	....	stunts
Roy Bonner	....	stunts
Clay Boss	....	stunts
May Boss	....	stunts
Buff Brady	....	stunts
Dan Doucette	....	stunts
Richard Epper	....	stunts
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts
Evelyn Finley	....	stunts
Cindy Folkerson	....	stunts
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunt coordinator
Dawn Grant	....	stunts
David M. Graves	....	stunts (as David Graves)
Clifford Happy	....	stunts
Eddie Hice	....	stunts
Bonnie Hock	....	stunts
Candy Hoskins	....	stunts
Robert Jauregui	....	stunts (as Bob Jauregui)
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Tracy Keehn)
Walt La Rue	....	stunts (as Walt LaRue)
Clay M. Lilley	....	stunts (as Clay Lilley)
Mike H. McGaughy	....	stunts (as Michael H. McGaughy)
Rod McGaughy	....	stunts
Sean A. McGaughy	....	stunts (as Sean McGaughy)
Bobby McLaughlin	....	stunts
Lewis Dale Meador	....	stunts (as Lewis Meador)
Shelly Peterson	....	stunts (as Shelley Peterson)
Jeff Ramsey	....	stunts
Bruce Randall	....	stunts
Jackie Resch	....	stunts
Ben Scott	....	stunts
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts
Al Simon	....	stunts
John Tatum	....	stunts
R.L. Tolbert	....	stunts
Rock A. Walker	....	stunts (as Rock Walker)
Russell Wallraven	....	stunts (as Russell Walraven)
Mike Watson	....	stunts
Walter Wyatt	....	stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Autry Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Barlia	....	camera operator
Jeff Butters	....	lamp operator (as Jeff A. Butters)
Michael Franz	....	lamp operator (as Mike Franz)
John R. Hamilton	....	still photographer
Leslie Hill	....	first assistant camera
Dustin A. Huber	....	best boy electric
Christopher Ishii	....	second assistant camera
Mako Koiwai	....	first assistant camera
Al LaVerde	....	key grip
Kenneth Lee	....	gang boss
Ronald W. McLeish	....	chief lighting technician
Rudy Pohlert	....	lamp operator (as Rudy G. Pohlert)
John Powers	....	grip (as John P. Powers)
James O. Schori	....	generator operator
George R. Schrader	....	dolly grip
Ty Suehiro	....	best boy grip
Clemente Tarin	....	lamp operator
Ronald Viveros	....	grip (as Ron Viveros)
Richard Walden	....	camera operator
Susan Walsh	....	first assistant camera (as Susan M. Walsh)
Charles A. Carlsen	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Liz Keigley	....	location casting
Gail Levin	....	casting assistant
Shari Rhodes	....	location casting
Stacey Rhodes	....	location casting assistant
Celeste Gose	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Le Dawson	....	wardrobe: men
Oda Groeschel	....	wardrobe: women
Jennifer L. Parsons	....	costumer: women (as Jennifer Parsons)
Nicola Rizzi	....	tailor
G. Tony Scarano	....	costumer: men (as Tony Scarano)
Steve Shubin	....	wardrobe: men (as Stephen Shubin)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Bruce Cannon	....	first assistant film editor
Nancy Cipes	....	post-production assistant (as Nancy E. Cipes)
Raúl Dávalos	....	assistant editor
Julie Feiner	....	assistant film editor
Joan Giammarco	....	first assistant film editor
Mia Goldman	....	second film editor
Robert Raring	....	color timer (as Bob Raring)
Mitchell Sinoway	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Chris Boardman	....	orchestrator
Gene Feldman	....	music editor
Erma E. Levin	....	music editor (as Erma Levin)
Don Nemitz	....	orchestrator (as Donald Nemitz)
Armin Steiner	....	music scoring mixer
Tommy Johnson	....	musician: tuba soloist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
James E. Foote	....	transportation coordinator
Frank Tremonti	....	transportation captain (as Frank A. Tremonti)
John M. Woodward	....	transportation captain (as John Woodward)
Tom Britt	....	production driver (uncredited)
Billy Kaundart	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Todd J. Adelman	....	first aid (as Todd Adelman)
Pamela Alch	....	script supervisor
Bill Bennett	....	terra-flite operator (as William F. Bennett)
Kirk Borcherding	....	production accountant
Billy Brashier	....	projectionist (as Billy R. Brashier)
Bethany Brown	....	assistant production accountant
Delia Circelli	....	production coordinator
Nan R. Eisley	....	assistant: Lawrence Kasdan
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Booth Gallett	....	local production contact
Mary Cay Hollander	....	production coordinator
Rob Hummel	....	contact: Technicolor
David Israel	....	location manager
Andrew Miller	....	production office assistant
Scott Musgrave	....	production assistant
Arvo Ojala	....	technical gun coach
Corky Randall	....	livestock coordinator
B.J. Smith	....	first aid
Susan Trembly	....	project manager
Susan Trembly	....	unit publicist
Ron Weber	....	craft service (as Ronald Weber)

Thanks
Susan Addy	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Bradford Booth	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Charles Carlson	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Gordon DeVore	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Carol Fleming	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Colleen Gallett	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Isidro Guerrero	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Mike Hanrahan	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Brian P. Hauck	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as Brian Hauck)
Terry Ann Hawn	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as Terry Hawn)
Sally Jackson	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Gavyn Keith	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Robin Laughlin	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
George A. LeBow	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as George LeBow)
Marcel Lucero	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
Tim McDonald	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as Timothy McDonald)
Jeffrey Meyer	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as Jeff Meyer)
Dennis A. Potter	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe
David S. Powell	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as David Powell)
Billy Dan Riley	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe (as Billy Don Riley)
Tracy Weisert	....	special thanks: production personnel, Santa Fe

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Delphi III Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1985) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1986) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (USA) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Hollydan Works (2001) (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) (DVD)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1999) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (cancelled)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2004) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Nordic (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Geffen Records  soundtrack
• Intrada  score album released by
• Modern Film Effects  opticals
• Noteworthy  music editing
• Panavision  lenses and Panaflex camera
• Technicolor  color and prints

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

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) | Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Earl Hindman plays Wilson on "Home Improvement" (1991) where the lower half of his face is always obscured. In the scene where the house is on fire, he appears gagged, with the lower half of his face obscured.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Henry rifle used by Mal is neither an original nor an accurate reproduction. There is a loading gate on the right side of his. Henry Rifles had a tubular magazine loaded from the muzzle end by pushing a detent, twisting the last inch or so of the barrel to the side, then dropping cartridges in one at a time, "business end" up.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Emmett saves Paden's life with a sip of water from his canteen after discovering him abandoned and baking in the desert]
Paden: Pleased to meet you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Monster Squad Forever! (2007) (V)

Cult Classic Tribute to Western Clichés...

By 1985, the movie 'western' was a genre long dormant, with film critics quick to point out that audiences had become far too 'sophisticated' for old-fashioned "shoot-'em-ups". Two film makers decided to test the waters, however; Clint Eastwood, reviving an older version of his "Man with No Name", directed and starred in his SHANE homage, PALE RIDER; and Lawrence Kasdan, fresh from the huge success of THE BIG CHILL, fulfilled his life-long dream to make a western, with SILVERADO. Neither film was successful at the box office, and pundits predicted they would soon be forgotten...but a new force in the movie industry was emerging, video rentals, and SILVERADO, with it's spectacular action sequences, charismatic heroes, and sweeping, unforgettable music score (by Bruce Broughton), was an unexpected and overwhelming hit, drawing Hollywood's attention to the new market, and lifting the film to the near-classic cult status it enjoys today.

While PALE RIDER would focus on Clint Eastwood's continuing demythologizing of the West (which would culminate in 1992's UNFORGIVEN), SILVERADO embraces all the 'classic' Western clichés, serving them up with such exuberance that they seem 'fresh'. The story of four likable 'shootists' of nearly superhuman skills, bonding, and ultimately taking on a corrupt sheriff and his brutal gang of deputies in the town of Silverado, trots out one traditional element after another, from the classic 'bushwhack' (with a John Ford 'Doorway Framing' homage shot) to the 'pretty widow' in a wagon train; from the 'saloonkeeper with a heart of gold' to the 'crooked gambler with a concealed weapon'...and even climaxes with that most traditional of finales, as two ex-partners face off on a dusty street in an old-fashioned Western shootout.

The four leads couldn't have been cast more perfectly; Scott Glenn channels Gary Cooper as a laconic cowboy fresh from an undeserved 5-year prison stretch; Kevin Kline exudes his signature charm as an ex-gang member whose life changed because of "a dog"; Danny Glover is warm and reassuring as a man moving west from Chicago to help his family, armed with a legendary Henry rifle; and, best of all, young Kevin Costner, in his breakout performance, is irresistible, wild and acrobatic, as Glenn's ever-optimistic, carefree younger brother, a part Kasdan wrote specifically for the actor, after his scenes were cut from THE BIG CHILL.

The supporting cast is equally superb, with standout performances by giant Brian Dennehy, John Cleese (as a sheriff who knows 'where' his jurisdiction ends), Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, James Gammon ("You led a posse to my best hide-out??"), Jeff Fahey, and, in a wonderful if brief role, breathtaking Rosanna Arquette, as the widow courted by both Kline and Glenn. With a cast THIS good, it is remarkable that the film had to 'go to video' to achieve success!

The final line of SILVERADO, "We'll be back!", shouted by Costner as he and Glenn ride 'into the sunset', has had countless fans wishing that a follow-up movie had been made (a 1999 nationwide video poll chose SILVERADO as the film "Most Deserving of a Sequel"), but time has, sadly, eliminated that possibility. The film that 'failed' when released, in a genre that 'experts' considered passé, is, after nearly 20 years, still winning new fans.

As Kevin Kline and Linda Hunt say, as a toast: "Here's to the good stuff...May it last a long time!"